This is a little bit of a Noob post so be warned.

I currently have an Audi S4 but really like the new Mini. Think the turbo finally made it right. I am just not sure about making the switch. So give me some totally biased input (since this is a Mini forum ).

Car would be mainly a daily driver....but I REALLY like to modify cars so it would be a bit of a toy also.

Would you get rid of the S4 for a 2007 Cooper S?


Here are some pics of the S4 for reference.

 

KEEP THE AUDI.

 

I have to agree - keep the Audi... and get a MINI.

The Audi S cars are niiiice cars, a totally different class than the MINI. The MINI is a completely different animal.

If you make the switch, you will love the MINI, and you will also miss parts of your S4. It will be a trade-off. That's why I suggest having both.

Now, if you only had an A4 instead of an S4, I would just say "go for it".

 

Nice dog.

 

Thanks.

There are actually 2 of them. The wolf was hiding in the other picture.

 

Keep the Audi!

 

LOL... see Cole... what you'll find here is that for the most part, we here aren't the typical "fanboy" attitude people, where our cars are the best and everything else sucks. We LOVE our MINIs, and most of us do believe that dollar for dollar and pound for pound, the MINI Cooper is the most fun to drive car (on a daily basis) that you can buy. It isn't the fanciest, the fastest, the most bad-***, but damn is it fun, and will put a grin on your face every day.

That's what keeps most of us in them - the sheer fun factor.

Yet we can still truly appreciate many other fantastic cars at the same time... S4 included!

 

I have a good friend who is a client advisor with BMW. He drives an S4, and he told me today that he is getting rid of it, and ordering an '07 MCS. I asked him why, and he said that he never hauls any passengers in the S4, and he thought that the Mini would be a change of pace.

 

I appreciate the response so far guys. Sadly the Audi has about the same interior space as the MCS (learning your terminology ). The obvious difference would be the trunk space.

I have had the Audi for quite a while and it is a VERY expensive car to own. Chauk that up to stuffing a big V6 with twin turbos and AWD into a platform that should have only had a 4 banger. (of course that is what makes it fun to drive too )

Love the MCS, just have a hard time stepping away from the power and AWD. Now if the MCS was AWD

 

You can't beat BMW/Mini's full maintenance plan, as far as $$ go for cost to own.

I'm moving from my second X5, so I was worried about AWD as well. I bought another set of wheels which I'll run Dunlop WinterSports on for winter. With FWD and DSC, I'm not too worried about losing AWD.

 

When I test drove the MCS I found it pretty easy to get the front end squirly coming out of corners. My concern would be that with the potential power of the turbo car traction will be the limiting factor. I forgot to check to see if the car I drove had LSD.

 

I thought the same thing. Torque steer was scary on the first non LSD MCS that I drove. On Saturday, when I went to place my order, I requested one more test drive on a MCS with LSD. The difference, at least to me, was night and day. There was still torque steer, but not nearly as much as I had felt with the non-LSD MCS. In Sport mode, with the steering tightened up, and more linear throttle response, it was more than acceptable. You should test drive one with LSD and see if you can perceive a difference.

 

For fun here are a couple of links to the topic on Audi forums.

http://forums.audiworld.com/s4/msgs/2637382.phtml


http://audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=134483

 

i am familiar with the audiworld forums because i used o drive an audi TT. so i posted my reply in both forums:

in the last 3 years i have had a 2004 MINI cooper s, 2004 nissan 350Z, 2005 MINI cooper, 2002 audi TT, 2006 scion xB and now my only car is a brand new 2007 MINI cooper S. ill tell you what, this new MINI is better than all those other cars. the build is outstanding, the drive is solid and the new turbo is strong and powerful. once you have been bitten by the MINI bug there is no turning back (all it takes is a test drive). and it sounds like you have been bitten, go get the MINI S. you wont be sorry.

 

as an owner of a MINI and S4, both heavily modded, i say get both or keep the audi.

 

I think alot depends on how you use your Audi. The new Cooper S gets 38mpg (I was getting this yesterday on the highway, doing a little over 60 in sixth gear) so if you are commuting, that's a pretty significant fuel savings. I live near DC, and the MINI's short wheel base makes parking quick and easy. There are many areas, like Georgetown, that would be impossible to park a sedan, but the MINI just fits. Lastly, MINIs are alot of fun. Of course the best of both worlds is to have both cars! (My other car is a Z3 3.0 coupe) Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

I wouldn't be so quick as to tell you to keep the S4. Its all about what you're looking for. When I was trying to decide what to buy I was looking at getting a used S4 or M3 (among many other options). After test driving all different kinds of cars in the 20-30k range I realized that for my purposes it wasn't about having the fastest car or the car that will pick up the most chicks. I just need a car for the weekends when I'm looking for something fun to drive around New England in. I was looking for something fun and unique and the MCS fit the bill better than anything else I drove.

Another bonus is that the insurance is pretty cheap on the MCS (relatively speaking). It was the cheapest of any of the cars I was looking at. Also can't complain about 36 months of free maintenance.

 

I would keep the Audi, but that's just me, in bad weather the mini wouldn't even be nearly as good as the quattro.

 

Have you driven a MCS yet? You may be suprised...it's a lot more than just good looking! I would also say to get a Mini S on top of the Audi!

 

Since it hasn't been suggested yet, give me the S4 and know that I'll take excellent care of it while you enjoy your new Mini. If you play your cards right, I might even let you drive the S4 now and then.
Seriously though, the S4 is a fine auto, as you well know. I would imagine they are completely different beasts. To me, coming from a tweaked CRX, the Mini was the only car that came close to capturing that agility and raw sense of driving enjoyment. The new turbo motor really sold me based on its stock performance and what I'm sure will be excellent mod potential.
I think you're fortunate in that either way you can't go wrong.

 

What year is your audi?

 

dont get me wrong, i love audi (my favorite car maker). but a 2000 S4 looks alittle dated. i say either get the cooper s or the new audi TT.

 

I'm with those who say keep the Audi and add the Mini. I have a2004 (V-8) Audi S4 Avant for long road trips, for snow days, and for those times I just want to feel brute power. I also have a 2005 Cooper S for motoring. I cannot imagine having to choose between them.

 

I've been lucky enough to own two S4s (as well as a couple of other HP beasts), and I'm really loving my new MC (not even an S!). 95% of my driving is tame, 5% is aggressive toying around. The MINI is just more fun and is a better, more affordable all-arounder. The Audis were clearly more luxurious and faster, but I never got to push them hard without risking a big ticket or worse. I can drive the MINI at 5/10ths and have a ball. Not so with the Audis.

Of course, it's simply unfair to ask which is the better drive; Audis have their place, as do MINIs.

What I can tell you is that I miss my Audis far less than I expected. The MINI is a complete blast and puts a smile on my face every time.

 

I've owned a variety of Audis, but not a current S4. Great ride, handling, snow performance seems to exceed the laws of physics, but heavy, slo off the line. I've only tested a MCS w/lsd and it's much more fun to drive. Lighter on it's feet than my old Porsches. Brakes are great, serious acceleration(higher than advertised). Small in a good way and awesome mpg. If you're not in sno country, I'd lean to the MCS. I've got one on order and am a skier, tho the Suburban will handle that chore.

Off topic, we've also got an Aussie, great dog! Much easier to train than our ex wolf breeds.

Overall, both great cars, just diff flavors of fun.