First post, so hello there!

I've been driving an R56 Cooper S ('09) for the past on year and I don't think I've ever had so much fun driving. Sure there are quirks but that is part of it's character. The shifter, clutch are just brilliant for city driving and oh that steering is so tight. For me the Cooper is the perfect city car. Fits two perfectly and squeeze another two for that one quick trip once a year and a great hatch to haul stuff. Now I want to get a R53 next year just to experience it (don't want to start another r53 vs r56 thread).

My gf recently bought a NC MX-5 Miata and I've been driving it fairly regularly for the past couple of months. I had great expectations for the car as the general consensus among auto journalists seemed to be that the MX-5 is comparable if not better than the Cooper.

But, I've to say I'm greatly disappointed. It's hard to put a finger but there is a bit of craziness in the MINI that I find so enjoyable. It also has better highway manners and is more utilitarian. Almost every review sings praises about the Miata's slick shifter. It is decent, but not outstanding. The shifter feel in the Mini Cooper is leaps and bounds better.

So if there is anyone out there thinking about trading the Cooper for a Miata or vice versa, here are my 2-cents.

 

I recently went from a '92 Miata to an '06 MCS. The Cooper is faster, but honestly my Miata was getting pretty worn. I loved the Miata, and drove it for 11 years, and I hope the Cooper lasts me as long. I liked the shifter on the Miata, but I prefer the gearing on the Cooper much better. You can actually wind out first gear to a respectable speed, where the Miata seemed to need to shift around 18MPH. The Miata sits lower in the driver's seat, and I liked that a lot. The Mini blows the doors off the Miata and really pushes you back when you hit the gas, and that freaking rules. The Miata does have a convertible top, and I loved driving around topless. The panoramic roof is cool, and I open it and the windows a lot, but it just isn't the same. Then there's the rust issues if you can't garage a Miata...

I really think they are both brilliant cars. Different, but both super fun and cool.

 

Thanks for the reply. They're both great cars with different personalities. I just think there is a lot of hype around the Miata, which probably made it a bit underwhelming.

Also, my experience is with NC Miata Club with the retractable hard top, so it is a bit less visceral than NA/NB models. Also, the 6-speed gearing in the new ones seems to be worse than the 5-speed in the older models. I do like it's no-drama handling though. The Cooper does torque steer a bit sometimes under intense acceleration, but I don't really mind it.

 

The torque steer is something I'm having to get used to again. The RWD on the Miata does give it more classic feel.

 

There used to be a Ford V8 conversation for the Miata, crazy wheel spins! The most enjoyable thing about going to work is driving to and home from work in a MCS!

 

They are both great cars. I never owned a Miata, but my sister has one and I love driving it.

 

I owned two Miatas (both NB's) and really enjoyed them. Since 1952 they are the only model of car that I bought more than one of. So many cars, so little time!!

 

Curious about your thoughts on the new MX-5 handling. Anytime I see videos of that thing on the track it seems like it's monster trucking out of turns. The suspension just looks very "fruffy" to me. What do you think in comparison to the MINI about the stock suspension?

 

I'm not sure about the ND Miata (the 2016 model). The model I have is NC with Club trim, so it comes stock with Bilstein shocks and LSD. So it does have a stiffer suspension than other NC trims like Grand Touring (which is really soft). The '09 Cooper S w/ sport suspension is a lot more firm than the Miata, but somehow has a better ride quality (especially on highways).

Handling - The Cooper definitely handles very nice, but the Miata does have a slight edge. There is some body roll, which is a bit weird for a sports car. It's not that noticeable in the Club trim, but in other trims its very apparent. I would say they handle very similarly, with the Miata edging out slightly better.

 

I overlooked that, my apologies! Selective reading Interesting about the better ride quality. My brother has the NA MX-5 and that thing seems to not have as much fluff as the newer gen NC MX-5's. It seems as with the newer gens they tend to get more and more like this, but it's nice to see that the handling doesn't seem to be sacrificed. When they did the comparison of the NC vs. the BRZ I just was amazed at the lift the NC had and how planted the BRZ seemed in comparison. Would like to see the MINI up against those 2 as well.