Been reading this forum for a little while and thought I would ask this question. I currently own a 2008 BMW 335i (for those of you who don't know it's twin turbo 300 HP and 300 lb-ft torque) and really like it. I've only owned it for a little over 1 year and within that time period it has already been in the shop about 4 times. Thankfully it hasn't been anything major and all the repairs have been covered under warranty. Just yesterday the adaptive headlights stopped working, they turn on and auto level but they don't turn with the steering wheel. This isn't a major thing but it's just annoying when something on your car doesn't work. What it has got me doing is thinking of selling my car to get a Mini....the car that I was originally thinking of getting :-/ My 335i is pretty much optioned out so I think I can get some decent money for it. My question is this, should I be looking at a JCW or a Cooper S and upgrade parts/accessories myself? I don't need it insanely fast or anything but I do want to have some power.

 

My MINI has been in the shop 4 times in the past year too....

If you are to make the switch, I would go with a JCW just because you're used to the extra power. They are certainly fun little cars!

 

To me it seems like it would be easy to get the same HP the JCW has out of the S model. Am I wrong for thinking this?

 

JCW, you'll be happy. Just my humble opinion...

 

You realize that the MINI is built by BMW, right? It is likely to have similar reliability. If you are ditching the Bimmer because it's been in the shop too much, you might wind up unhappy with the MINI as well.

 

They are completely different cars. How much space do you need? Is fuel economy important to you? Budget? How do you drive? It would be really hard to compare or advise without knowing you preferences...

 

I do realize BMW builds MINI's. I am a car guy and know a fair amount about cars. I wouldn't be ditching it just for reliability issues, it seems to be a few different reasons. Mostly because I love my BMW, but I just don't feel like it's me...It's fun, beautiful and comfortable but I just don't feel like it's me. It's hard to explain.

Space-not an issue. Fuel economy-meh...it isn't a deciding factor but would be nice to have good fuel economy. Budget- max 35k but realistically under 29k. I'd say driving wise I'm probably a little more aggressive than the normal everyday driver not in a sense of road rage, I just like to accelerate away from the crowd at lights, freeway, etc..

Almost 2 years ago while I worked out of state I had the opportunity to drive a MINI convertible (non-S) manual trans, MINI cooper (non-S) auto trans, MINI cooper S manual trans, and MINI Clubman S manual trans for 2 weeks at a time...thanks to a rental car company. I was really impressed with the 'S' with a manual trans, it was a lot of fun and had some go. The only reason I didn't buy a MINI and opted for the BMW was The MINI had a ton of road/engine noise and was fairly rough ride. However, I've really been thinking and the BMW isn't much better in that department. The ride is rough thanks to the sports package and run flats. I do think the MINI has much more engine noise than my BMW...which necessarily isn't a bad thing, unless the engine sounds like it's always struggling.

 

My wife has your exact car, a 2008 335i, and I drive a MINI S. Both cars feel solid, are fun to drive, look great- but in very different ways. The Bmw feels like a heavy car with tons of power, the MINI feels solid but lighter and much more fun to toss around. The Bmw has a more luxurious interior, better standard stereo, and more room.
The MINI has manual seat adjustments, but for some reason I find the seats fit me better.
Both of our cars have been reliable, but at the end of the day, if I have a choice of which one to drive- I pick the MINI.

 

White3, I totally agree with your post. Since you are able to go back and forth from a 335i to a MINI, how does the cabin noise compare? Are you on RFT's on both cars? Which is a smoother ride?

 

The BMW should have a smoother ride and it would be less noisy. The interior is laid out better and the UI is traditional, vs. the odd UI Mini uses (toggle switches and all the things people complain about.) I'd do a lot of test driving before switching. You already have all the power in your vehicle, why downgrade?

 

'Should' and 'does' are two different things. That's initially why I bought the BMW because I thought the ride would be less rough which it might be, but not by much. I don't know if you read my post but I have been able to drive all sorts of different MINI's for weeks on end thanks to the rental car company, so technically I have done some test driving already. Also, I wouldn't be buying a MINI to "downgrade". I'm just not as happy with my BMW as I thought I would be...it just doesn't fit me.

 

My MINI has been in the shop 4 times in the past year too.

 

335eye- The cabin noise is greater in the MINI than the 335. BMW puts in a lot more sound deadening and the carpets are thicker.

We are running run-flats on both cars. She has the sport package with low profile tires and its firm but not too bad. My MINI has 16 inch wheels which makes all the difference in the world over the larger wheel size when it comes to run flats. I also have Continental tires, which by many are considered the best riding of the run flats.

Her car cost $16000 more than mine and it shows in the interior materials, door seals, and overall fit and finish. But if I was going to go out and buy a new car today, it would still be a MINI. They just feel right.

 

Having sold my 370Z to get *back* to a MINI, I understand the "I just don't feel like it's me" part 100%. That's exactly how I felt. Great car, but the MINI is just more fun.

I love BMWs, had a Z3 and my son is on his second 3-Series, and I've driven his cars of course (both car guys). Very different cars. If you can be happy with the (minor IMHO) step down in "luxury", then I think the biggest issue might be the horsepower.

The MINI in S or JCW form will let you get away from the stop lights briskly, and ahead of 98% of the other cars, either due to superior power or in many cases superior will.

If the agility fun-factor is more important than push-you-back-in-the-seat acceleration, than you'll love the MINI.

You can mod an S to approach or exceed the HP from the JCW, but if that's important to you and you can afford it, I'd go with the JCW.

Don

 

Thanks white3, I appreciate your input.

Island Don, I'm glad you understand what I mean. Most people would probably think I'm crazy to sell a BMW to get a MINI...who knows, maybe I am.
Also, living in LA it seems that everybody and their mother has a BMW, something I didn't notice before buying mine. Something I'm looking for is a unique car that stands out from the normal mundane everyday car.

 

If ride quality is important to you, avoid the RF tires and the sport suspension options on the MINI. I don't know if you can get non-RF tires on the larger wheel sizes, so you might wind up limited that way. Then again, aftermarket wheels are very easy to swap on.

I have the sport suspension on mine, and the ride gets harsh on choppy pavement. That's with the base 15" wheels and non-RF tires; it would be worse with larger wheels with RF tires on them.

 

Ha! I just did exactly what you are considering!

See this post

I loved my 2007 335i Coupe with MT, but it had nearly 80k on the clock (without a lick of trouble, mind you) and I had recently run into a financial situation where I needed to reduce my obligations. It was either get rid of the BMW or the Harley... sorry Ms. Bimmer

So far I'm very happy with my Clubman S (MT). It doesn't have quite the ride comfort of the BMW with sport suspension, but it's not that far off, and my MINI has 17s with RFTs! The main things I notice that are different are that the road and wind noise in the cabin is substantially higher in the MINI and the base MINI sound system doesn't even come close to the BMW Logic 7. The seats in the BMW were definitely better, too, but the MINI seats aren't bad. I purchased the MINI at a dealership nearly 600 miles from my house and drove it back all in one day. I never felt like I needed to get out of the car during the trip.

IMHO the MINI is just as fun to drive as the 335i, if not more, especially in sport mode. I test drove a non S MINI and it was just too much of a power drop off from the 335i. With the S version, I feel I have nearly the power of the 335i and I can live with the slight power deficit of the MINI.

The biggest issue I've had so far adjusting is that I've found myself at least a half dozen times sitting in the driver's seat of the MINI pushing the start button and wondering why the car won't start. Eventually I figure out, "DUH, you don't have comfort access anymore!" and pull the key out of my pocket and stick it in the ignition

Oh, and MINI's definitely get noticed! I have had more complements on my Clubbie in the first week of ownership than I did the entire last year I had the 335i! Per my GF, all BMW's look the same, but she loves my MINI!

 

If the 335i is like the 328i with respect to interior space, the Mini has more room in the front seat area. I couldn't get the seat in a loaner 328i to go back far enough to accomodate my legs while I don't even have to put the seat all the way back in the Mini. And when I had the seat all the way back in the 328, I noticed that there was no more room between the back of the front seat and the rear seat cusion than there is in the Mini. Less, actually.

I'd expect the BMW to be more refined and provide a quieter, smoother ride and a road feel that's more discocnnected. The Mini is more visceral and seem very connected to the road.

Then there are the differences between front and rear wheel drive.

If you're going to sell you BMW, I'd go for the JCW. If you get an S and it's still under warranty, you'll likely void the warranty putting go-fast stuff on it. Or simply buy a lower mileage Mini that's just out of warranty.

Or.....keep the BMW for more casual trips and buy a used S model and modify it. Make the Mini your daily driver.

 

This is quite accurate in my experience. My Clubbie has more rear seat legroom than my 335i Coupe did, and there is more room in the front seats, too. The 335i coupe is a wider and longer car, but inside, it actually feels smaller IMHO.

 

I'm sure you know this, but for the benefit of anyone starting to look at MINIs (e.g the thread originator), Comfort Access is indeed available on MINIs as well. I agree, it's a feature that once you have it, you can't live without it!

Our 2006 didn't have it, but our Roadster certainly does!

Don

 

Yep. Everytime I take someone for their first ride in a Mini and they're as big as me or bigger, they're amazed at the room inside. It just feels like a much bigger car.

 

Funny, I was thinking of going the other way, my 09 MCS to a 335i.

If ride comfort was an issue when you were trying out Mini's, ditch the run-flats. And if you're shy at all about putting aftermarket goods on your cars, go for the JCW, the 30'ish HP bump is noticeable. Add an accessport on top of the JCW and you won't miss your stock 335i.

Now of course, if you add an accessport to your 335i........

 

What's an "access port"?

 

Great thread. I'm in the process of trading in my 2007 BMW E92 328 for a Mini Cooper S. The only thing, I decided to lease because I was concerned about the long term reliability of the Mini. The saleswoman told me that all the current incentives are for the S version (nothing for the JCW). If you plan to keep it stock this is an option you may want to consider.

 

I in no way work for Cobb, but this should answer your question:

http://www.cobbtuning.com/AccessPORT-s/70458.htm

The only thing I want to know is why I have to pay $700+ for the MINI version and $450+ for the Subaru one (I also own an STi)... it's the same darn hardware. Did it really take them that much longer to figure out how to get it to work with a MINI?