Have to say so far I'm really happy. The DSG of the GTI still beats the auto of the MCS. But I ended getting the manual in the MCS. Still getting used to the clutch and stick as I've not driven one in about 5 years but it's an amazingly fun car to drive so far.

First I should mention the bad things I noticed. I took a car already at the dealer that pretty closely matched what I wanted, but the paint job on the car seems to be pretty poor. See attached photos. One brake caliper seems to be poorly painted and the body panel right above the front drivers wheel is missing a bit of paint. I only just noticed these two things. When I took delivery noticed a scratch in the drivers mirror cap. Driving home noticed that the interior piece surrounding the drivers door handle was normal plastic not the chrome that it should be, the passenger handle is fine. Seems a bit unfortunate that these oversights would go out the door. The car does have the aero kit installed, wondering if that's part of it... are these painted by the dealer or factory? Either way, seems a little crappy.

Whatever though, I already love this car. Hoping Northwest Mini will take care of everything. I hope they don't have to respray the panel but not sure if touch-up paint will do it.

So comparing the two cars. Pretty darn close in terms of fun factor. The MCS is definitely quite a bit sportier in feel, lighter, tighter cornering, suspension is better even without the sport/JCW upgrade. I like the fact it's smaller despite it being a definite 2/3 seater vs the very comfortable 4 seats of the GTI. The trunk feels half the size. Visibility is better in the MCS.

Possitive things that I prefer over the GTI. Bluetooth, auto lights, auto wipers, auto dimming mirror, home link, iPod support, USB port (using a 32GB stick with loads of music, works great), radio ID keyfob, push button start. Again, power to weight and handling feels better. The ride noise is better and smoother.

Negative things, the interior of the GTI is a lot better, way less plastic and the materials used seem higher quality. Softer to touch at least. On the flip side closing the doors of the MCS feels more solid. Overall I'd still give this one to the MCS, it's just better put together than the GTI. I didn't get the navi since it didn't seem worth it, the 06 GTI's navi really sucked, not as good as the new one. But even still I wasn't completely impressed with the MCS navi. The radio reception in the GTI sucked, the MCS is even worse, hoping a new antenna will fix this. I also really liked the fact the GTI's wipers were aerodynamically shaped and completely hidden when not in use. The MCS has old style and can be seen. Guessing that the aero style can be purchased though.

Anyway that's about it. I loved the DSG, I'm pretty sure I'll love the stick in the MCS too though. I'm curious if the hill assist can be adjusted to hold longer, this would be nice while getting used to it again in Seattle with all the hills.

Mods... I never did mod the GTI, but on the Mini I'm already thinking of putting in the JCW strut bar, suspension, better brakes, cold air, (investigating perf upgrades to get it closer to 240hp+). Also will probably do the rear fogs (can't stand the empty switch), and will probably upgrade the HiFi speakers with some higher end woofers. Any pointers would be appreciated, still reading the forum though.

Well that's it, happy to have defected .

 

Figured I should add a side and rear photo for good measure.

 

Thanks for the compare...I looked at both before getting my S...and ended up with a sweet Cooper. Enjoy your new ride!

 

Congrads... nice write-up and great color!

I almost bought a GTI a couple of times but could never pull the trigger. I wonder if the new one (2010 refresh) will be any better looking... also didn't like the fact that it was so heavy... but sill a nice car.

 

Congrats and welcome.

 

I like the GTI too. I'm lucky enough to have both a GTI and MINI. My wife has an 08 4 door with the DSG.

Launch control FTW!

 

Nice dude! I love GTIs, like a lot of people I was considering one until I found my MCS...

 

Yeah, something the 06 didn't have. I really disliked the way VWoA took crap away that was in the European model. List goes on and on.

I'm curious, how is it for Mini, are the European models much different?

 

congrats n welcome

 

Congrats!!!!

 

How was the gas mileage on the GTI? I heard it was bad.

 

My friend's GTI is about spot on with my dad's A4 2.0 TFSI. 10.5L/100km or so in mixed driving. Same engine. GTI is lighter than the A4 Avant, but the GTI probably tempts you to be a bit heavier-footed.

What's interesting is that the fuel economy for the GTI is better than that of the regular 2.5 in the Rabbit... it's what stopped me from getting a Rabbit. To get that fuel economy out of a regular economy car is apalling, but in the case of the GTI (larger car than the MINI but offering similar performance), I think the number is reasonable.

I drove VW's DSG transmission last weekend (well, it was an Audi TT-S with S-tronic). Amazing transmission. When I can get one of those on the car I want, I'll leave manual. There's nothing like the feeling of the engine being directly connected to the wheels.

 

In my 06 GTI DSG with pretty aggressive driving with mixed city/hwy I'd get an average of 325 miles before the gas light came on. Then I'd typically go another 15-30 miles before filling it up. Each fill was about 13.3g. So what's that? 26.3mpg?

So far the MCS seems to get slightly better mileage. Am guessing based off of miles so far that it's probably more like 30mpg avg. Of course it takes time to settle in. My girlfriends new Smart is definitely not getting what it should be, am guessing they'll both get better as they settle.

Yes, the DSG is such an amazing transmission. The Audi TTS is probably the car for me but not yet, waiting for a few more gadgets and such, and the extra cash for it too.

In the mean time I'm totally loving the MCS with the stick.

 

Well looks like Northwest Mini are going to take care of the paint bits. Hopefully they follow through and re-spray.

 

Congrats coreygo! Be sure and join Puget Sound Mini Motoring Club . Joining also gets you discounts at NorthwestMini and other local car shops. The Mini group has a lot of meets in the summer months so check the website out!

--Chad

 

The areo kit is often painted and installed at the distribution center, just after coming off the boat. So, not the same paint job as the rest of the car, and metalics can be difficult to match.

Scratches and other damage could have happened at the dealer. The distribution centers usually catch all that stuff while correcting damage that incurred on the ocean voyage.

I test drove a GTI before buying my 2007 MCS. Thought I would like paddle shifters, but I didn't. Thought the GTI was boring to drive, compared to the MCS. Had the overwhelming feeling that I should be wearing a suit and carrying a breifcase.

 

That's what I figured regarding the paint work.

And yeah, I barely used the paddles of the GTI. I used the left one to downshift all the time but used the stick to push forward and up shift. Even then I usually kept it in drive unless I needed quick power.

The MCS is definitely a fun car, and makes me feel more care free and what not than the GTI. The GTI has just grown so much, it's got great amounts of space but it's too tall and too flabby.

 

Add the stuck sunroof problem to the list of things to get fixed :(. Bought my car 7 days ago, drove around in the nice 71 degree weather today and the sunroof stuck, pushed up on the rear one and it finally opened then closed then opened, got the car moving and it opened. Just got in from my drive and saw the long thread about the issue. This kind of sucks but at least I'm discovering all this stuff right now vs. months down the line.

Guess I'll just have to test all the stuff I can to have it fixed all at once.

 

sucks theres all those issues with it, but looks great!...always wondered what the aero w/o rear fogs looked like.

I was torn at first between this and a GTI, but overall the Mini won in my book, being able to order all the options...

 

Does look nice with the rear fogs, guess I'll have to get those.

What other upgrades would everyone recommend? Wouldn't mind boosting perf closer to a JCW.

 

theres always the ECU tuning. I just put on a UniChip and it'd definately helped alot.. added about 5 more lbs of boost and even makes it easier to drive in everyday traffic... w/o the sport mode on its always wierd taking off from a stop stock IMO

oh and probably the biggest (so i've heard) is ditching the runflats if you have them

 

Interesting, are the run flats really that bad? I've got them, not really had enough time to figure out their quirks but seems okay.

 

i still have them too but im just going by others opinions. Mines lowered and the 17/40s are pretty brutal. I blame bending a stock rim on them at least lol

 

I thought of the GTI too prior to me getting my MCSa. After everything was said and done, i couldn't get myself not to buy a Mini again after selling my beloved R53. Like the MCS, the GTI has tons of aftermarket parts as well.... but the MCS still stands out... modded or not..

 

The GTI is availble with some of those options you mentioned, they are not standard on either car. On the GTI, Bluetooth is available for a few hundred bucks and my GTI has auto lights and auto wipers (neither of which I use). The back seats are pretty small on the GTI, but they seem like a limo compared to the MINI. The trunk is also well over 2x the size.

The build quality on the MINI is pretty poor compared to the VW. I have a couple misaligned body panels and the interior rattles much more than the VW. I took the MINI in recently and got the tach replaced which took care of a repeating rattle coming from it, but now my sunroof is rattling after getting it aligned.

I agree that the DSG is pretty boring after a while, but it's a lot better than a VW tiptronic. I like driving my MINI much more than my R32, despite it being much slower, I guess the VW feels a bit too bulky for my tastes.