Im thinking about trade in my vw gti 2D united gray 6sp and Im considering the cooper coupe and the cooper S and the cooper hardtop, any thoughts? or comments that can help?

Thank you.

 

Former VW owner here. Just bought my 2005 MCS 4 days ago. I like the MINI more in every way than all of the VWs that I've had. Build quality is around the same, but you get a lot more neutral feel - slight bit of oversteer - with the Mini, rather than gobs of understeer. Not sure about your MKV but mine had a lot of torque steer too, whereas the Mini has equal length CV shafts to prevent that. Truth be told, it's up to you :D Drive both and see which one suits you more.

 

I had an 07 GTI for about 3 years and put almost 90k miles on it and am now driving an 06 MCS (I had an Audi A4 avant in between). I loved my GTI, bought it brand new and modded it from the start with sport springs (which were short lived since I couldn't stand the reverse rake, I then had 2 sets of coilovers after that), I did a lot of other stuff as well and really enjoyed the car. I sold it b/c I was about to have a daughter and thought we needed a bigger car (my wife had a Clubman at the time and still does); oh and there was also that issue about the cam follower cracking and floating around inside the block which always seemed like a ticking time bomb.

But I digress. I've had my Mini for just a few weeks now and can say it is a lot more fun than the GTI ever was. It's smaller and lighter making it a lot more responsive and therefore more fun to drive. It's not as powerful as the GTI but it actually feels quicker than the GTI ever did. Both cars are about equal in fit & finish inside and out but overall the GTI was a more comfortable ride (which is most likely due to all that extra body weight), don't get me wrong the Mini isn't uncomfortable it's just more sporty feeling (which I don't mind at all).

One thing the Mini does not offer as of yet is that ever present CEL of a VW that would pop on every so often just to say hi (you'd actually get worried when it didn't come on for a few days). But then again I can live without that light (knocks on woiod).

 

The smaller the car the greater the sensation of speed.

I own a MKVI GTI and looking at how easy the GTI is to go much faster with bolt on parts from tuners like ARP I wouldn't trade for a car with a much smaller go fast parts market. If that is not important to you then go for it. The base model price between a new GTI and a S is about the same but the GTI has more standard features that cost extra on the Mini like heated seats, blue tooth, Ipod interface etc. Would I own a Cooper S, hell yes but I wouldn't get rid of the GTI for one.

 

Depends on what you want. GTI is way faster in a straight line and does well to modifiactions. The MINI is faster in the turn and the R56 is still having growing pains with modification.

 

I agree, I would love to rip a S or JCW hardtop around a tight road course! Who knows if I would have test drove a S before I got the GTI we mite be a two Mini family.

 

What is going on with VW anyway? The Bettle is pretty nice, but the new Jetta and Passat just don't have the style that VW used to put into their cars. Hopefully they don't do the same with the Golf.

 

Huh? According to this latest test by R&T, the stock Mini Cooper S accelerates to 60 in 6.0 seconds.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/co...n-beetle-turbo

The last R&T test of the GTI shows a DSG model doing the trek in 6.1 seconds.

 

I am a few weeks into owning my Clubman S. I had a sweet 2 dr (stick) GTI before that.
I've already posted here a few times on the things I miss about GTI. (mainly the seats, smoother/quicker shifting, and the steering wheel, but I am swapping out the MINI steering wheel this weekend so that's a problem solved, and i am getting used to the MINI shifting so that's a non-issue soon enough too).

I don't think I could give up my MINI though if someone offered me my GTI back... not yet anyway. Having too much fun with it! ;-)

It's really tough to say which one is better.

I can say that the MINI costs more than a GTI (both fully loaded - comparing with Clubman as that's the pricing I know). And I already want to do a few mods to mine which will make it even more money than the GTI. So financially it's better to go with the GTI. That said, with gas most likely going to hit $5 a gallon this summer the MINI gets better gas mileage.

What you get with the MINI though is obvious: the uber customizable and unique look with fun go-cart like drive.

In a perfect world I would have been able to own them both. However, in the city and as a single person that just wasn't financially possible. I dream of meeting a guy who drives a GTI though, LOL! (ok, I actually dream of meeting a guy who has a Porsche, let's be real here.)

 

PS. Should add - my GTI was hit by a tree during a hurricane last fall. It was repaired but the musty smell never went away and insurance said it was fine and no more money would be paid out. That started me on the "keep it or trade it?" debate. Then the next debate was "another VW (to make my 5th or 6th one in my life) or try a MINI?" ... Eventually the MINI's cool look won me over. And the Clubman was perfect for my work. I am a small car/hatch car kind of person but the hatch was always annoying when I had bags and gear in my hands and on my shoulders. The barn doors and flat load will make life a bit easier in that regard. And I love the secret lower level to hide more of my gear out of sight. Super sweet!

 

Bone stock its a toss but we are not talking stock. If you take the $2350 price difference between the equally equip two and buy Stage II parts from APR for the GTI it will be much faster. Just saying. Light weight S can brake later in the curves and get on the power sooner making it faster around the curves. The S short wheel base just makes the ride a little less comfy especially on the highway. Both have their advantages and are fun to drive.

I agree the Jetta and Passat look like Japanese car now.

 

totally! their saving grace is the VW logo on them.

 

if looking to go mod crazy ish gets expensive, otherwise i love my baby and the mini name.

 

Meh all the ones I have gone up against stomp me into the ground granted they are modified.

 

Thank you all for your help and comments, i know the cooper will have a little less power than the gti, how ever im ok with that ; Im more in to cosmetical modificatios that power and speed mods, the only performance mod I did on my gti was k&n thypoon intake and it was enought. i will also like to know you people that have owe a gti what about the mpg? And the insurance price differance? Also,the cooper coupe needs premium gasoline? I guess the cooper s does.

Thank you!

 

I drove the GTI (2010) before I bought my 2005 R53, and have since moved to an R56. I liked the Mini all around much more. The Mini is more "fun" for me, and that's what I love about it. I feel good driving it, it looks cooler (matter of opinion), and although it may be a touch slower, it's still fast enough. You won't miss the little loss in speed, and you'll love the boost to the "fun factor" and the increased gas mileage.

GTIs are easier to mod, though, although, I don't think that should matter. Personally, I'm fine with the Mini's speed and performance, even without much modifications. I'd drop in an intake if you get an R53 (can't say about the R56, not sure if it's easy / worth it), and maybe do something to the exhaust if you're interested, and you'll be fine. The car is extremely responsive.

Either way, though, you can't make a bad choice. They're both excellent cars.

 

My mkV GTI got better gas mileage than my 2006 MCS, about an average of 30mpg per tank vs around 29mpg per tank thus far.

Both cars require premium gas so that's a wash in comparison.

 

Do you drive mostly Highway or mixed?

 

Im in FL on my gti usually is about 17 to 23mpg in the city, I drive mostly mixed.

 

I'm seeing 26-27 MPG in town back and forth to work in my 2012 GTI with winter gas which drops MPG about 10% here in Colorado. I hope the CM will get about the same.

 

What kind of driving is this though, spirited, @55hole, regular, or granny?

 

Well, I've owned a few VWs and driven several GTIs including the new 2011 ones.

MY take is this: Regardless of speed and cornering data recorded by magazines, the MINI just feels faster and more nimble. Whether this is due to the size of the car, the wheelbase, the weight, etc I don't know, but there are very few cars today that come from the factory with such a high fun to drive factor. If your not going to be doing a ton of mods, or if you don't care about some numbers in a magazine, the MINI is the better car for you IMO.


Some reasons to consider the GTI though: parts availability, interior/cargo space, price(maybe)

 

mostly highway but with a lot of stop & go traffic on my commute of 600 miles a week.

 

I sold my 05 GLI for a 06 MCS last month, no regrets

Fuel mileage is better in the MINI for stop and go traffic but on the highway they are about equal.

Only issue is less storage space but we have a TDI sportwagen, problem solved

 

Long time bump, but I own both cars and I had to say hello
Feel free to ask questions as to my comparison of both.