>>Wow.....for once I am actually in agreement with some of the things that Nolan said.....

 

Nolan I seriously think you never actually owned a MCS, I have driven both cars on closed corses, and my time on the MCS was faster than that of the Base Mini. 200lbs is a person, not very signifigant when your adding all that boost. Plus if you buy a Regular cooper with all the options, the weight adds up.

 

>>Hasn't this MC vs MCS topic been banned yet? Geesh, every few weeks it seems to pop up, and it could not be any more pointless....
>>
>>Rocketboy_X
I agree, it IS pointless. Get what you like, but an S owner is no better or worse than a regular Cooper owner. Just my $.02. Get what ever color/model/package that suits your individual needs. That is precicely what the MINI is all about individuality!

 

Hi all you mini owners!! This bull about owning a cooper or a S makes no difference. Some seem to have bought the wrong car cause they are correcting the powercowboys in cooper and S's to behave and not speed etc. How cares who owns what as long it's a MINI!!!! And by the way we do not all live in the States, I'm from Holland and veryy close to the German autobahn and Yes I'll take my 6 gears their!
And have no frustrations on what you own it's always a th@m good MINI!!
That's what I like about the classic mini so much, no body cared what shape,size,colour,type of mini you drove as long it was a mini. So to be ownest i would like there not to be any battle between cooper and cooper S,s. What would all those poor people with a MINI ONE in Europe have a frustration then. So to all you mini drivers in general be nice to ours and others mini's
Seeu Dutchie

 

Nolan I seriously think you never actually owned a MCS, I have driven both cars on closed corses, and my time on the MCS was faster than that of the Base Mini. 200lbs is a person, not very signifigant when your adding all that boost. Plus if you buy a Regular cooper with all the options, the weight adds up.

yep...I owned a mcs....I kept the sticker off the window and had it framed along with the free t-shirt showing I received the #7 mini from the dealer....I framed it also and it is hanging on my wall, laugh!

Regarding times on the course, I never raced my mini, just going from the reports I've heard from the tracks and the reviews comparing them on cornering. ....if you don't think 200 lbs is much, put another person in the passenger seat and feel the difference and I guess my mcs was missing all that boost, one of the reasons I sold it...plus the 2K profit I made after I drove it a month also helped....doubt I could get that profit today as I now see MCS in the papers lately right at msrp.....and as I said in my post I wouldn't add any options on the mc except the leather seats which probably aren't that much heavier than leatherette....I like the idea of a s cooper in the future, but they need to get a bigger performance difference in my opinion.....driving around town, there is no question in my mind the mc is the better car.....on the race track if there are longer straight aways, then the msc has the edge...my take here is most are driving the minis around town and not on the track....both cars are fun, but for my money the mc is the better bet...but when they get that 250 s, I'll be back big time, laugh!...cheers!

 

What would all those poor people with a MINI ONE in Europe have a frustration then. So to all you mini drivers in general be nice to ours and others mini's
Seeu Dutchie

if we were paying $5 plus per gallon for gasoline here in the states, we would all be driving mini ones or the honda insight, laugh!

 

To "S" or not to "S".... so i had to go w/the regular Cooper.

I'm going to add an exhaust kit to her so that will add a little pep to my PiP.

can't wait for her to get here!! I also wanted Pepper White and that is only available in the Cooper - unless you want to drop at least 2K on a custom paint job.

my .02

 

to S or not to S. I got my cooper from MINI of Hawaii, As luck would have it, I did not need to special order my car. The black with white top/mirrors, sport package, and extra chrome that was sitting in the show room was perfect. I had no interest in the S for a number of reasons.

The lower gas mileage is not worth it, either for me or everyone else who must breath my smog.

A blower is yet another part to wear out over time.
The hood scoop screws up a beautiful design.

The stock cooper has more power than it or I need.

Driving like an idiot racing from light to light does NOT promote good fuel economy, The extra power would have been a waste.


The car I test drove at the dealer was a cooper with no extras, and I was amazed at the quick response, the perfect handling, and the more than ample pep. I couldn't immagine a car better designed and more drivable than my little cooper, who would want to screw up such a great machine by throwing silly stuff like a blower on it?

 

AAARRGGHH!! WHO CARES!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Next thing this thread needs is a spilt cup of coffee... BUY WHAT YOU WANT... easy as that...

And what's up the assupmtions that because you have an MCS, you drive like an idiot, get speeding tickets, and cause death on the highway? You've never seen the granny in a k-car in an accident?

 

when you share an opinion about an argument that has two distinct sides, it'll probably raise the hackles on at least half of the people that read it. i think that's why this thread has three pages already.

just wait until we are in between model years. then we'll have another cost versus options debate no doubt. it's already started a little bit with the trim color and no one has even seen it (the trim) in person yet.

then, as years go buy, we'll have a classic versus new mini debate...prestige will be attached to the first model year that was released (in limited numbers) in the states.

its a never ending cycle. best to stay away from this topic (i am also guilty of participating). there obviously is no right answer to the original question. all the facts you need to make the decision are at your friendly neighborhood mini dealer. go there, get all the literature, drive them, and decide for yourself.

 

>>I'm ordering my mini tomorrow. But before I go to the dealer, a few questions. Is the base model quick or is it doggy? I have a 99 honda accord coupe with the 4 cyl and I really feel it's underpowered. I want something fast and fun. I test drove an s and loved it, but should I consider the base? I really like the pepper white with black top look. That color isn't available on the s. Also, is the premium package worth it? I've had a couple of cars, (78 rabbit, 93 civic si hatch) with sun or moon roofs and I definitely dug it. Oh, and my wife says I'm joining a cult, but.... what are you gonna do?
>>
>>So many mini's, so little time.

 

This thread seems to pop up from time to time and it is a pointless debate. This is like debating what color is the best to get on a car. How much more subjective can you get? It is all up to the individual. Neither is better than the other. For some, they like the styling of the Cooper, the better gas mileage and lower price. Others want more power and opt for the S. Some people, like me, are in the minority and are gonzo over the hood scoop on the S. Get whatever you want. There is no wrong or right. Enjoy your MINI!

 

>> Nolan I seriously think you never actually owned a MCS, I have driven both cars on closed corses, and my time on the MCS was faster than that of the Base Mini. 200lbs is a person, not very signifigant when your adding all that boost. Plus if you buy a Regular cooper with all the options, the weight adds up.
>>
>>yep...I owned a mcs....I kept the sticker off the window and had it framed along with the free t-shirt showing I received the #7 mini from the dealer....I framed it also and it is hanging on my wall, laugh!
>>
>>Regarding times on the course, I never raced my mini, just going from the reports I've heard from the tracks and the reviews comparing them on cornering. ....if you don't think 200 lbs is much, put another person in the passenger seat and feel the difference and I guess my mcs was missing all that boost, one of the reasons I sold it...plus the 2K profit I made after I drove it a month also helped....doubt I could get that profit today as I now see MCS in the papers lately right at msrp.....and as I said in my post I wouldn't add any options on the mc except the leather seats which probably aren't that much heavier than leatherette....I like the idea of a s cooper in the future, but they need to get a bigger performance difference in my opinion.....driving around town, there is no question in my mind the mc is the better car.....on the race track if there are longer straight aways, then the msc has the edge...my take here is most are driving the minis around town and not on the track....both cars are fun, but for my money the mc is the better bet...but when they get that 250 s, I'll be back big time, laugh!...cheers!

WHATEVER!

 

also regarding times.....I'm not a rocket scientist, but the numbers according to Car & Driver, 1/4 mile times for cooper 16.5 seconds & 83mph, MCS 15.5 & 90mph. ...let's see at 1320 feet, the MCS crosses the line 75 feet earlier or a 1/4 length of a football field....looks like 5 % increase in performance for an almost 20% increase in price....maybe I'm missing something in the math like I was missing something when I owned the MCS....read one poster said the MCS felt 30% faster than the mc, that would put it in sub 12 sec 1/4's or 911 or Viper territory..for that I would pay 20% more, laugh!

 

75 feet is quite a few horse-lengths!

 

That topic is really interesting, not because there is one answer to the debate, it is because, for my part, I was hesitating and still is.

I ordered a MCS in beginnind of april which was delivered 4 weeks ago. I like performance and I own a sport motorbike. When I roadtested MCS and MC in the end of may, the dealer had finally got a coopers for testing, I was amazed by the fact that the MC was faster and easier on street corners, and we were for adults in the car, the rep, my two full grown kids and me. I wanted to know how the cars would drive in that situation.

In my mind , this is when the debate started.

The difference in price, if you consider the equipment like sport wheels, sport seats etc is not that much...in fact it is half way.

I roadtested both cars another time, this time I was with the rep only...

I would say that there is a difference in overall performance but far less than would be expected when comparing numbers, and I like to compare numbers, so let see what I mean.

If you appreciate or need acceleration at driving speeds, the MCS is at home, do not try to fool around with MC.

If you plan to buy sport wheels and seats on MC, think twice, the budget for MCS is not far away...

The MC is cheaper and will be much more confo if you do not go for sport wheels. It will be fun to drive and much cheaper (a lot) on gas.

I prefer the look of the MC, the shape of the hood is not the same and the front gril looks much better and unless you want a dark silver or elctric blue car, color choice is better on MC.

One otherthing I like better about the MC is that it is more anonymous I would say. The old Mini Cooper S did not perform as well as the new MC and it was not really distinctive from the standard Mini. The old one was not praised for it's acceleration but for it's handling characteristics, you should remember that when driving a Mini in the late sixties, 400 hp pony cars were everyhere around the place, so owning a Mini at that time was because you wanted to enjoy yourself, not impress the neighbour with a tire burning dragster which needed two attempts to turn the street corner.

At that time, people driving Minis wanted to have fun in a small package, mostly marginal in some way. The same people in 2000 would not burn extra gallons of fuel unless they have been redirected through their working lives and whatever you can imagine, I trust people imagination.

15 years ago I swored that I would never buy a new car again, I could drive used BMWs and Audis at prices that defy imagination, much less in fact than most standard cars. When MINI arrived I was upset I had to change my good habbits.

Drive any of them but drive one and enjoy yourself, get pride of being part of the people enjoying themselves with small things.

Finally, I made up my mind, writing and reading helps.

I would like to thank my MINI dealer (MINI Mont Royal, Montreal) for it's understanding. I think MINI guys went to the right shool.

 

what the heck, I'll throw in my 2cents. The S is definitely quicker but I found it only to be so in a range where you're exceeding the speed limit. In city traffic you'll never get to use the extra horses. If you're going to race/rally or live in an area with lots of open hiway and few police The S is going to give more bang for the buck but, that's 3000 more bucks. Also, although I bought one, I was afraid to buy the Mini as a first year car/project and the more "complicated" S completely scared me off. I know it's not a turbo but same kind of concept and I had a first year Porsche turbo and Volvo turbo and nothing but problems. At least so far, haven't heard of any with the MINI S. In a few years I may consider moving up to an S after the car has a few year's track record. Also, as others have mentioned you can spend a few hundred dollars on after market air filters, exhaust system and the like and boost the hp on the Cooper. As far as styling, color etc. that's just a personal thing. I happen to like the looks of both cars. Bottom line to me was for the extra 3k I didn't see the opportunity to use the extra horses in heavy city (LosAngeles)traffic and the Cooper has performed just fine for my needs. I know this won't help but, you can't go wrong either way

 

75 feet is quite a few horse-lengths!

yep...it's 5% more horse-lengths for 20% more greenbacks...lol! it's a bummer that the law of physics are so hard to distort or as a great philosopher once said "never let facts get in the way of your opinions"....cheers!

 

Its a matter of pereferance folks, and that's it. Nolan, your are to focused on performance here, the Mini and the Mini S are not not going to break and speed records, handleing maybe, but not speed, not yet anyay. I think we can all agree on that. Some people including myself perfer the S, I find it more fun and I live in an area where I can put the extra horses to good use. I was going to get a 3 Series BMW, buying the S saved me 9 grand, so the price difference was not an issue, but I can see that as being the main issue for choosing the MC over the MCS. But if you can swing it and want some more punch out of your MINI, get the S. Don't drag this out with numbers and physics, I don't really think the majority of people here care, you want high performance go buy a Porsche turbo!

 

Grr I hate responding to trolls but I just have to do it.

Nolan seems like the most clueless person about racing on earth. 75 feet is a huge difference in a drag race. In a street race that is nearly the same as one person giving up 4 or 5 car lengths.

Now obviously you will just respond with the same, "yeah its 5% more for 20% more dollars," or however you chose to phrase it the next time you say it. You are forgeting that the S comes with additional features that you have to pay extra for on the MC or that you would have to get from the aftermarket. That negates some of the price difference.

It seems like all you are interested in is straight line performance. If that is so you should just leave since that is not what these cars are about. I can hook you up with a friend of mine who has a mid 10 second 1969 nova if you want a straight line car. He would probably part with it for 15,000 or so minus the wheels and tires he has on it right now. If you want the skinnies up front and the slicks out back then you will have to pay extra.

Nolan is a troll ignore him he will go away. I know I broke my rule but I just could not stand him contantly repeating the same thing over and over anymore.

 

It seems like all you are interested in is straight line performance. If that is so you should just leave since that is not what these cars are about.

actually no.....one of the reasons I like the mc better is from what I have seen from reports on the test tracks through the slalom and cones, the mc is quicker than the mcs because of the weight advantage....straight line in a 1/4 mile, yeah the mcs is one second faster if that turns you on....

once again you just can't ignore the laws of physics and when posters say the mcs is a lot faster or the mcs is 30% faster....I have to just laugh, because it is just hot air.....by all means buy the mcs if you like the styling, but don't buy it thinking it is a lot faster or handles that much better than the mc, because it doesn't...cheers!