I went and test drove my first Mini yesterday and I absolutely adored it. My father, the voice of reason, was sitting in the passenger seat and had a few observations....

He said he felt the road. A lot. Every bump and hole in the road was felt and when we went over some train tracks, he got jostled about quite a bit.

Personally I felt it drove better than my sister's Ford Ranger (a smaller sized truck) but not quite as well as my Mazda... at least in the sense that you feel every bump and pothole and train track. Is this just something that you Mini owners overlook because the rest of the car is amazing? Does the fact that you "feel the road" get tiresome?

My father is worried that after the newness of the car wears off, this might be a real concern.

Also, and I'm sure this has been asked many, many times before and I've been doing my own research on this, but just how safe are these little cars?

I saw a comparrison between the F150 and the mini hitting a wall at 40mph and the way the F150 scrunched up SCARED me. So that helped reassure me slightly, however.... let's just say I'm stopped at a red light and a Dodge Durango runs into me from behind,going 20-30mph because they're careless. Is my Mini going to be totalled? Will I walk away from that accident or one similar?

 

Regarding the ride:

Tires have a lot to do with it. If you wre testing a Cooper S, the tires were runflats which do give a rougher ride. Some people swap their runflats for conventional tires for this reason. Also, what size were the wheels? If they were 17", you may a smoother ride with 16" wheels.

 

A short answer is that you will feel the road, a lot. I changed to non-runflats and that helped, but you will get to know regular bumps in your route (and learn to avoid them with cat-like grace;0). With that said, the sheer fun of driving a Mini makes up for the bumps for me. My wife feels the opposite.

 

Yes, I feel the road. No, it doesn't bother me. I like feeling the road, it's part of the driving process.

The rollover rating is a 5, and there are 6 air bags. I was hit broadside in my 04. It spun me all the way around, and I walked away with a small bruise from the seatbelt. I was absolutely blown away with how sturdy the car is.

 

I feel every bump, every crack, every pebble, every grain of sand... but I blame that on the coilovers.

Before that, on the OEM suspension and non-run flats, it's was fine. Firm, but not harsh.

 

I have a JCW with 18" tires and you can feel the road more in this car than you do in a MCS with 17" tires. However, neither car is unacceptable unless what you really wanted was an overstuffed recliner on four wheels. -- Safety is amazing on the cars. The cars do take care of their drivers.

 

I've owned a few small sporty cars and I can tell you they all conveyed the road to some degree. It's kind of the point. In order to be able to handle well you need to things. First a car that can physically take the turns and second a driver that can understand what the road will allow the car to do. If you can't feel the road then you can't fully anticipate what the car can and will do.

The ride can be a little harsh at times (gravel, dirt roads, railroad tracks, etc) but all you have to do is slow down and take it easy. I can tell you this, I could barely survive the trip from home to Atlanta GA in my Rodeo but I drove all the way to Miami and back in the MINI and it was waaaaay more comfortable. Plus there is no way I'd have taken the Rodeo to the dragon!

Also the crash video you are referring to was of a very specific model year F150, they've fixed the issue since then. I'm not a fan of the trucks but I want you to compare apples to apples. Click here for the NHTSA's findings on the MINI, you can search other cars as well.

 

I went from a BMW 330i to a MCS with 16" run flats, and believe me you will feel it. At times it bothers me that the ride is so bumpy but I know it's a tradeoff if I want the handling. I am adjusting to it, but it is an adjustment. I guess it depends where you are coming from. The move from the BMW was easy in all aspects except the ride.

 

Depending the the Mini and the selected options the ride can be quite harsh. I drive a 2006 MCS GP and I feel everything. I swap to non-runflat tires made a little difference. However, with the short wheelbase of the Mini you are going to feel a lot more of the road variations.

The Minis are very strong and safe cars. I totalled my first Mini with only a very minor injury. I have seen a stock Mini roll at a track day, and the driver walked away with no injury and the Mini was dented all around, the windows all broke, but the roof did not collapse.

 

I look at it this way: my two favorite modes of transportation are my mini and my road bicycle. Compared to the road bike the mini is downright cushy. I find it is alot more fun to be connected to your environment - the road is part of that.

 

I agree with geekswrath on what he said. As a two-time MINI owner/driver I don't "overlook" the ride, I appreciate it. The ride characteristics are both safe and fun and I don't think you can ask for anything more (unless maybe you have a bad back!). The ride is safe in that you know what the conditions of the road are. In an emergency situation or when driving aggressively, the car is very predictable and you can feel if you are going to loose traction and start to skid off of your intended path. After driving the MINI for a while I'm always nervous when driving other cars that are isolated from the road as I can't predict how they handle.

The car doesn't have much vertical suspension travel and is stiff thus you feel all the bumps because the car's suspension conforms to the road. Also the short wheelbase amplifies the sensation of road irregularities. This closeness to the road is something that I was expecting when I first drove the MINI and it was such a hoot to drive I guess I didn't notice the rough ride. Overtime you get used to the ride and can/may adjust your driving style such as avoiding roughness or bumps in the road, etc. In Boston we have some pretty poor roads come spring time and there are some roads I know to avoid but the payoff is amazing handling. On extremely rough roads I sit differently which may sound strange, but I take it from a history of mountain biking and instead of glueing myself to a stiff structure, I sit up and allow my body to move with the motions of the car as I predict them. It sounds crazy but you don't feel the bumps as much and it becomes second nature.

In regards to safety, you are talking about passive safety and let's not forget the handling and its active safety that hopefully will allow you to avoid an accident in the first place. Otherwise it is one of the safest small-cars out there and I've never worried about driving it on the road. You've seen the MINI/F150 test results and it does have a very strong safety structure. My mother always worries about me but I just show her pictures of mangled MINIs in bad accidents and then tell her that the people always walked away.

 

+1...and I don't mind it a bit.

 

I love feeling the road. It make the Mini different. I love feeling like I am in control and not riding on a computerized cushion of air.

One of the best feelings (i live in Texas) is pulling up to a HUGE truck...and knowing i look cooler than him.

Mini's are worth it in every catagory. My favorite part is the community. Just having all this help and friendlyness because of our cars is a cool feeling.

I would get the Mini. Dont think, just act. lol.

Good luck with whatever you get!

Michael

 

Don't forget that BMW engineered the MINI, the same people that building driving machines. You want to feel the road, not be isolated from it. There are many ways to improve the ride without sacrificing performance.

High sidewall tires on smaller 15" wheels will soften the ride considerably, but its not a look that everyone wants.

Koni FSD's with stock springs will improve the ride, although the OEM suspension on the R56 is much cushier than the R53.

I've had a lot of different suspensions--from just springs to various struts--Koni FSD's, Megan Coilovers, to Cross Coilovers--my favorite. With the Cross, I can lower the car until it scrapes on the ground and not sacrifice suspension travel, lol, though ground clearance would be zero too, lol.

Combine that with performance non runflats and you'll be even happier, though I'm sure your father won't notice. My father, and my wife both drive cushier cars, and so no matter what I do to soften my ride, it's still firmer and harsher than what they are used to.

Richard

 

I not only feel the road, but find it unpleasant. My last 2 cars were 911 Porsches so I'm accustomed to a firm ride, but the combination of the sports suspension and run flat tires is, for my taste, unduly harsh especially on imperfections in the road, such as tar strips.

 

That's why 1st gen owners ditched their run flats shortly after acquiring their cars and never looked back once they realized how much better the ride was without them.

Things haven't changed much in the last 6 years. Change out the tires and carry a compact spare, a flat kit, and/or AAA- you will be so much happier with the ride.

 

When people make referances to "driver's car" part of that is that the car can communicate to the driver if you run over a quarter you can tell if it was "heads or tails" (exageration) Especially, for spirited driving, if your tires are scrubbing the car tells you its near its adhesion limit.

For comfort +1 on the 15 or 16s with non-run flats
and Koni FSDs

 

I love being in touch with the road, it speaks volumes to me.
From a Zen point of view... I am one with the MINI and the MINI is one with me.
This is definitely not your fathers Oldsmobile.. or Cadillac for that matter.
A sports car should fit like a fine Italian leather glove, not too tight, not too loose and
just thin enough so that you can feel everything.

JMTCW




Side note: Only 180 more days till MOTD 2009

 

You talking about a glove or a glove there cabrio?

 

HI-O

 

It's the type of car it is- most sports cars have this kind of feel to some degree. I'm used to it, I avoid the big potholes, and can thanks to the handling of the car. If it bothered you, and not your father, I'd be concerned. My passengers never complain, but I'm self-conscious about it and try to zip around the bad spots when I can. And I avoid the really badly rutted roads. Around Port Newark, I blew out 3 sets of Bilstein shocks on a Mustang in 6 years.

 

My 2002 MCS has sports package and run flats. It is stiff - but that adds to the character of the car.

 

I felt the road but only one time... and then it slapped me!