...at a stop light. I am first in the lane. I pull off on green; I'm not burning rubber or anything, I don't even know if you can chirp the tires in this thing. I look in my rearview a second later, and all the other cars are waaaay behind me, including the S, accelerating very slowly. I was sort of surprised. It made me wonder, what is the point of paying extra for the S when one drives so meekly? Not that anyone's driving style or car preferences are any of my business. My it just makes me wonder what the motivation is. Is it the perception that the Cooper just doesn't have enough power? Because I would beg to differ! My Coopers acceleration is so... perky! I am still getting used to how eager it is accelerate at just the touch of the petal. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

 

When i test drove some MINI's before plunking down the cash I tried out an S first (first one I came across) and a Cooper 2nd. The Cooper had spunk, and in the low revs it felt the same as the S (someone more gear oriented may correct me, but it's basically the same engine, it's just that at at 4500 rpms the supergharger kicks in. It feels like it's got a little more, so that's probably not totally accurate ). It's the pull-that-keeps-pulling in the S that sold me. The S owner was probably just enjoying the scenery.

 

I don't get on it all the time as it pulls, yes, but nothing like the cars I had perviously (Vortech'd 00 Mustang GT, 03 Mustang Cobra). The Cobra has the same brand/type supercharger as my 03 cobra can with stock, and the roots style blower gave it lots more torque, etc. Totally different beast. The MINI you have to really get on it to get to feeling the power. However:

Ezra360, it uses a "roots" style blower which makes boost at all RPM's, not just up high like a centrifugal type blower or even a turbo that needs the exhaust to spin it. There is more torque down low than in a regular cooper.

 

60% of the time I'm driving pretty conservatively even with the supercharger because trying to save gas some. The other 40% of the time the whiptastic feature kicks in. I got the S knowing I probably won't be driving too spirited mostly because of the power and automatic tranny. Didn't want the CVT in the Cooper because the just weirded me out no shifting. Great drive and all, just that one quirk. So the S was left, but I couldn't get a manual, so the choice was easy.

 

Ahhhh... that's why when I drove the Cooper after the S it felt a little gutless when I punched it. OK, now that I think back it it didn't feel the same at all. It was just the handling. I do notice that when you ease into first gear and then try to floor it it takes a while to get up to speed, and never really kicks it in the a## like when you goose it and drop it into gear.

 

If it was me I would have chased you down so I could wave like a proper Mini owner should

 

I don't always want to "play", maybe most of the time, but not always.

Sometimes I am in the mood to "cruise"....earlier this week, a GTI was on my *** and I just wasn't in the mood. We all motor differently.

 

Personally, I prefer driving the S because it drinks premium gas.

On a more serious note, I bought the S because it came in dark silver. And everyone knows that's the only color worth having.

 

Not everyone who owns an S is driving crazy all the time. It's nice to know the power is there in reserve when needed. Especially in merging situations or when one wants to pass without downshifting thru the gears all the time.
I tried the MC but it was missing the low end torque that I desire. Power corrupts absolutely! I found the stock S also lacking... so I did a few mods... Now the car feels quite capable.. its ready to play and handle any traffic power play I might encounter.
The good part is I can drive it easy and get great gas mileage with little or no penalty for having a blower... yet when I need the extra power.. it's there waiting...
I like that option...

 

The MC also drinks premium..

 

It sure does.

 

I also don't drive like a crazy person ALL the time. I have been passed by more MINIs than I have passed. But that is not to say that I don't get on it when I want to. Besides, if I want off the line power I do that in my truck.

 

Hahah of course you can chirp the tires. I do it in 2nd gear once in a while. But how many people like to cruise at 5,000 rpm or shift at 6,000 rpm? I certainly do, and it's why I only get 22MPG.

It's fun whipping the MC around, it's certainly capable, but try driving an MCS like that, and you 'll see everyone about twice as far back. I drove a friends MCS for a day, and that's exactly what happened. With the MC, if you drive aggressively, it drives very well. With the MCS, you don't have to exert as much effort to be quick, plus turning on the AC, or adding a few passengers doesn't hurt performance like in the MC. But drive an MCS like you drive an MC and you're likely to get noticed by the cops a lot faster.

It's a very different experience, and MCS owners are always surprised to see me on their tails on runs. It's more about the driver than the car. If you're willing to flog it, it will go! LOL

That's why a lot of MCS drivers think the MC is slow--they don't realize that it doesn't behave the same, and stomping the gas in 5th gear does nothing!

 

I thought is was a rule that you always had to drive with the rpms >4500
Doesn't it say that in the manual?

 

I'm with blockh102 on this one, I've got the power in reserve to blast off if I want to (hence my disire to constantly return to the track). There's something special about being able to get on the highway 1st, 2nd, 6th and merge seemlessly into traffic; I got a MINI because all the fun is in the turns not off the line.

The BPV negates the use of the S/C under roughly 3200 RPM unless of course you make it so your BPV is always open

And its a good feeling to chirp tires going into 3rd as MCs disappear in your rearview on the backstrech of Sebring.

 

Where in the burgh are you located? And where did this happen?

Steve

 

My spouse doesn't read manuals, so I cringe when she's shifting at 2,500 rpm.

 

Well spotting another MINI is a fairly rare sight for me, so I always want to play when I do see one! Otherwise, I try to drive conservatively, unless I'm at the front of the line at a light, and then I can't help myself. But there are definitely a good percentage of MINI owners that don't drive the car to its full potential.

 

I live in Regent Square. I was driving down Forbes, at the last light before you pass through Frick Park towards Regent Square. I LOVE driving that stretch. Too bad about the rough patches though. The S was street parked infront of the Starbucks in Squirrel Hill and pulled out behind me after I passed it. It was at least an '05, not that any of this matters!

 

Well that is what this thread is about, I guess. I see more S than non-S in Pittsburgh, and all of them have very mild drivers. I have never seen a MINI being driven aggressively, other than my own. It's sort of a shame, because it seems to attract a lot of people that like the car because it's cute and small, but not because it's performance oriented. Although, honestly, I didn't even KNOW it was performance oriented until I test drove it! So maybe that's MINI's fault. I don't know.

Anyway, It's funny, though, I recently went to Summit, NJ on a business trip, and I saw several MINIs parked everywhere, with my twin riding down the street on sweet black rims. NONE of the MINIs were Ses however! That really shocked me. It was clearly an affluent place, but no one there had sprung for the S. I thought that was really weird.

 

Man, you guys are killing me - Pittsburgh is my home town (went to Moon High, and Pitt for undergrad and graduate programs). I get back a few times a year to see family and love seeing MINIs around Pittsburgh - it must be a great town for them.

Look for a wild CR JCW Cabrio with Jersey plates and I will be sure to give you a proper wave - and perhaps a chirp or two at the intersection !!

Bill

 

I have driven the S and the MC and to me it was night and day, not belittling MC owners but the MC just didnt have the "Umph" I will state the MC I drove was an automatic not a stick. I am sure JCW MCS owners would say the same about the difference between the JCWMCS and the MCS. I really like the feel of the nascar type paddles on the automatic S it was cool.

I love the fact I have the get out of the Hummers way power in my S just in case.

 

If Monk Edsel has light wheels on his Cooper as his sig indicates it would, in fact, be darn peppy off the line...or traffic light. I drive a Cooper, too, and easily...as in without trying...leave folks at the light, but I think it has something to do w/ one has to launch a Cooper to avoid bogging down. If done right a Cooper has plenty of pep (for me) although I would certainly expect an MCS to overtake very soon should the MCS driver make that his/her intent. Definitely a driver thing.

Years ago there was a serious discussion on NAM about Coopers possibly being quicker from 0-30. Shocking....and I'm not sure if this was ever really substantiated. Both cars have evolved quite a bit by now.

 

How I drive is directly proportional to the number of curves and traffic on a road. 80% of the time, there isn't enough reason for me to run "all out." The other 20% is what I purchased the MINI for.
You were pulling a way from a stoplight which indicates the road was straight and there was traffic. Given that scenario, I would be after MPG's.
While mine happens to be a MCS, if I had a MC driving style would be the same.
Oh, there is one exception to the rule. If there was another MINI in front of me, regardless of all other variables, it's "all out" until the wave is complete.

 

Here, here!