Hello everyone,

I'm in the market for a cabrio, but am not sure whether I need the "S." In everyday driving with my better half and our daughters is the S necessary? Does then MCc feel sluggish or just not as fast as the S, etc? I would appreciate your feedback - thanks!

 

Hi! I have the Cabrio S, I LOVE the way it hauls! I bought mine as a "toy" basically so I never considered the base model.

I hear the non S is a much smoother ride.

In retrospect, I love my S, but after a few hours I do feel a little beat up as I was used to a sedan type car.

Good luck in your selection process!

Off topic, but what colors are you considering?

 

thanks - I'm looking at BRG and pure silver, but I like several others too!!

 

Test drive time!

 

I wish...no dealers in Iraq!

 

'Feel' is a tough thing to communicate. Driving my friend's MC, it felt just fine. Driving my MCS feels better. :smile: The convertible adds the equivalent of a heavy passenger.
What are you used to driving? If you can't test drive, you can at least check the power/weight ratio to get a rough idea if it will feel slower or faster. Of course, there are also matters of gearing and torque curve, but it should get you close.
Do you have $3K to spend on the S or are you stretching for the MCC?

It all comes down to taste - if you like more power, and feel like you'll be missing out without the supercharger (and can afford it) get it. If that means robbing your child's college fund...well, they can always go to a JC.

 

I was just at Cincinnati MINI today and they have the following convertibles available for sale:

MINI S: NONE , ALL sold
MINI: 5, yes 5 ( They can't sell them, everyone wants the "S")

 

Oh! Oh! Sorry to hijack, but did you see a new CR/B MCS with CR interior and Tartan seats while you were there? I'm really hoping my Bruno gets off the truck today!

 

I thought about buying a S, but I really didn't know if I needed it. The extra power would be great, but I had to way out the options. The S was more money and that meant I would paying A LOT more than I wanted to . . . so the dollar amount made my decision for me. I am more than happy with the MCC and I got the options I wanted and I didn't "break the bank" getting exactly what I wanted.

I'll know more in a few days -- that's when I pick up my baby!
(I test drove the S and it was a rougher ride)

 

I test drove the MCC and I thought it was fine to get around. Was going to get it since it was going to be her car. You really can wind it up and get it going. However, my wife knew I would be happier in the S when I got a chance to drive it, so we went for it.

If you aren't into performance cars the copper cabrio will do just fine. You just learn how to downshift before accelerating.

You can get several more nice add ons for the price of the S engine. Again it is all perspective and what you want out of the car.

 

Having owned an 02 'S' and now own a 05 MCc I can say there is a little difference between the two but since my car is a daily driver I enjoy the MCc just as much or more than my S. The only difference I've noticed is at higher end speeds (say 60+) where in the S I would just step on the gas and go ,in the Cabrio I have to downshift to get that surge. But getting the MCc allowed me to get ALL the options I wanted and still come in around what I wanted to pay.

 

In the 3 years since MINI has been in the US Market, I have never driven a 5-speed Cooper (Only the CVT model).

The cabrio is heavier than the hardtop model and it puzzles me why MINI did not bump the HP and torque of the Cooper Cabrio models. However, they did shortened the gear ratios and introduced a sturdier 5-speed Getrag gearbox for all Cooper models replacing the old Peugeot derived Midland gears 5-speed gearbox.

I have test driven a Cool Blue Cooper S Cabrio and even with the added power, the S version felt a little sluggish to me. The cabrios are heavy cars due to all the required reinforcements made to the chassis.

I guess it is a very small price to pay for the sake of open top motoring. The Cooper Cabrio should return better gas mileage and lower insurance premiums vs the MCSC model.

A test drive is a must before you decide.

 

I agree, as I previously had a 2003 S and now own a 2005 MCC. You do have to shift more in the MCC but hey thats half the fun

 

We've have our MCSC for about a week. We went with the S because of the high RPM power. We drove the MCC around town and it did fine, but ion the highway - trying to pass, it all of a sudden felt small and slow. The S is not incredibly fast but significantly faster than the Cooper. If you're on the highway a lot, especially with a car full, consider the S. I like the 6 speed and with a supercharger there are options to increase the HP down the road. Hope this helps.

Rick

 

just a thought, and i swear i don't mean this bitchy, but if you have to ASK if you NEED an S, then you probably don't. at least for me, there was no question. i never get the less expensive model when i buy a car, it's just the way i am. it basically gets down to what you want and how much you want to spend.

 

thanks to all who responded...decisions, decisions. I guess that's half the fun of buying a MINI!

 

oh that's only the very small tip of the iceberg FUN...to this day it blows my mind all this fun!

 

PaulD - since you are not in the position to do a test drive, it may be hard for you to decide... It's a tough call - just depends on what YOU really want. Sorry I'm not much help - both of ours our an "S" and we love them.

Donna
02' CR/W MCS & 05' Cool Blue MCSC

 

Is there such a thing as too much horsepower? I guess it comes down to whether you want a sports car or a cruiser. Performance costs.

Mike

 

So where is "Planet Tuls"? Deutschland??