R50/53 My new 2005 MCS - thoughts and comparison to 2002 MCS
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Coordinator :: St. Louis MINI Club
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 570
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From: St. Louis
My new 2005 MCS - thoughts and comparison to 2002 MCS
Two weeks ago, I traded my 2002 MCS (FLASH) in for a new 2005 MCS (FLASH2). I bought both cars at Roadshow MINI in Memphis. Here's quick review of my thoughts on differences between the old and new model, etc.
Old Car:
2002 MCS
Dark Silver/White Roof/White Bonnet Stripes
Premium Package
Black Leather
New Car:
2005 MCS
Dark Silver/White Roof/Checkerboard mirror caps/sunroof (bonnet stripes from mightystripes.com)
Premium and Cold Weather Package
Black Leatherette with Anthracite trim
Auto-dimming mirror and rain sensing wipers
H/K Stereo with Aux Input
Checkerboard stuff-the mirror caps and sunroof cover from MINI look awesome! I ordered the bonnet stripes from mightystripes.com and they look great as well. Thanks Matt!
Leatherette-I wanted black seats so I decided to save $1300 and just get leatherette. I like it better than the leather I had before. It is less slick and firmer than the leather. If I wanted colored seats, I would have sprung for the leather, as it is very nice as well.
Anthracite trim-I love the look of this, almost a carbon fiber look, less glare in the sun too.
Auto mirror and wipers-well worth the $. The auto dimming mirror is great at night, it saves having to constantly flip the mirror up and down and gives a better view in partial light conditions. The auto wipers are also very cool. My 2002 always annoyed me because it didn't have a good intermittent setting.
H/K Stereo with Aux Input-AWESOME! Much better range and clarity of sound than stock. At 80mph, I can hear details I never heard with the stock stereo. My aux input was installed under the radio behind the new cubby and it looks great. I use the Belkin auto adapter with an iPod and the sound is wonderful. Well worth the $.
Three spoke steering wheel-At first I really dreaded having this wheel. Now that I have used it, I really like it. I would still prefer the 2 spoke design and buttons behind the steering wheel, but the three spoke is working great! It is thicker and softer than the old wheel.
Interior lighting-much needed and welcomed. My 2002 felt like a black hole at night; the 2005 is lit up just the right amount. The orange led lights from above are very cool!
Ride quality-My 2005 with 16" wheels and the Dunlop runflats, rides a little smoother during daily driving without sacrificing handling or cornering, compared to my 2002 with the same setup. It will be easy to live with the runflats until they wear out at 25k or so. I will be getting a set of track wheels and tires, so my runflats should last awhile with just street use.
Power-The 2005, even with the half throttle I am using now for break-in, pulls a lot stronger than my 2002. The throttle response is much quicker and the engine definitely has more low-end torque. My 2002 would hesitate for a moment when doing a 60-80mph pass, for example. The 2005 just rockets away with no lag. The revised gear ratios feel great; I can't wait to see how it handles on the track!
Exhaust-The 2005 exhaust is how the S should sound! It is much more throaty than the 2002 exhaust, noticeably louder (but not too loud everyday) and has that great raspy tone when you let off the throttle. It will even burble a bit, like a little Ferrari (OK maybe not, just me wishing!) I know that hearing the new exhaust at the track with the windows down will be great. The other plus is that I have the sound I want from the stock exhaust, which leaves more $ for other mods!
Overall the car feels nearly the same as my 2002, just slightly more sorted with some new tasty bits, like more power, exhaust, lighting, etc.
These are my impressions of my new 2005 S vs. the 2002 S. All of this is subjective, but will give you an idea of what changes have been made. I loved my 2002 and was sad to see it go, but I am very glad I got a 2005!
One more review; my impressions of Roadshow MINI. Both times I have bought from them, the experience was simply flawless. This time, I motored down to Memphis early in the morning with my buddy Mike from the St. Louis MINI Club. We didn't get to Roadshow until 11:30am (I got a speeding ticket on the way which slowed us down!). When we got there, Mo Jacobs (my MA) had a BBQ lunch waiting for us, as well as some BBQ from Corky's in a cooler with dry ice for us to take home! The delivery process went super smooth and they even gave me a great value for my trade-in, which the ended up selling one hour later. Mo and Warren (the Sales Manager) were great! I had a great experience there and would recommend them to anyone!
Here's a link to pictures of FLASH2 and our trip to Memphis:
http://www.aarongeiger.com/mini.htm
Thanks for reading and happy motoring!
Aaron
Old Car:
2002 MCS
Dark Silver/White Roof/White Bonnet Stripes
Premium Package
Black Leather
New Car:
2005 MCS
Dark Silver/White Roof/Checkerboard mirror caps/sunroof (bonnet stripes from mightystripes.com)
Premium and Cold Weather Package
Black Leatherette with Anthracite trim
Auto-dimming mirror and rain sensing wipers
H/K Stereo with Aux Input
Checkerboard stuff-the mirror caps and sunroof cover from MINI look awesome! I ordered the bonnet stripes from mightystripes.com and they look great as well. Thanks Matt!
Leatherette-I wanted black seats so I decided to save $1300 and just get leatherette. I like it better than the leather I had before. It is less slick and firmer than the leather. If I wanted colored seats, I would have sprung for the leather, as it is very nice as well.
Anthracite trim-I love the look of this, almost a carbon fiber look, less glare in the sun too.
Auto mirror and wipers-well worth the $. The auto dimming mirror is great at night, it saves having to constantly flip the mirror up and down and gives a better view in partial light conditions. The auto wipers are also very cool. My 2002 always annoyed me because it didn't have a good intermittent setting.
H/K Stereo with Aux Input-AWESOME! Much better range and clarity of sound than stock. At 80mph, I can hear details I never heard with the stock stereo. My aux input was installed under the radio behind the new cubby and it looks great. I use the Belkin auto adapter with an iPod and the sound is wonderful. Well worth the $.
Three spoke steering wheel-At first I really dreaded having this wheel. Now that I have used it, I really like it. I would still prefer the 2 spoke design and buttons behind the steering wheel, but the three spoke is working great! It is thicker and softer than the old wheel.
Interior lighting-much needed and welcomed. My 2002 felt like a black hole at night; the 2005 is lit up just the right amount. The orange led lights from above are very cool!
Ride quality-My 2005 with 16" wheels and the Dunlop runflats, rides a little smoother during daily driving without sacrificing handling or cornering, compared to my 2002 with the same setup. It will be easy to live with the runflats until they wear out at 25k or so. I will be getting a set of track wheels and tires, so my runflats should last awhile with just street use.
Power-The 2005, even with the half throttle I am using now for break-in, pulls a lot stronger than my 2002. The throttle response is much quicker and the engine definitely has more low-end torque. My 2002 would hesitate for a moment when doing a 60-80mph pass, for example. The 2005 just rockets away with no lag. The revised gear ratios feel great; I can't wait to see how it handles on the track!
Exhaust-The 2005 exhaust is how the S should sound! It is much more throaty than the 2002 exhaust, noticeably louder (but not too loud everyday) and has that great raspy tone when you let off the throttle. It will even burble a bit, like a little Ferrari (OK maybe not, just me wishing!) I know that hearing the new exhaust at the track with the windows down will be great. The other plus is that I have the sound I want from the stock exhaust, which leaves more $ for other mods!
Overall the car feels nearly the same as my 2002, just slightly more sorted with some new tasty bits, like more power, exhaust, lighting, etc.
These are my impressions of my new 2005 S vs. the 2002 S. All of this is subjective, but will give you an idea of what changes have been made. I loved my 2002 and was sad to see it go, but I am very glad I got a 2005!
One more review; my impressions of Roadshow MINI. Both times I have bought from them, the experience was simply flawless. This time, I motored down to Memphis early in the morning with my buddy Mike from the St. Louis MINI Club. We didn't get to Roadshow until 11:30am (I got a speeding ticket on the way which slowed us down!). When we got there, Mo Jacobs (my MA) had a BBQ lunch waiting for us, as well as some BBQ from Corky's in a cooler with dry ice for us to take home! The delivery process went super smooth and they even gave me a great value for my trade-in, which the ended up selling one hour later. Mo and Warren (the Sales Manager) were great! I had a great experience there and would recommend them to anyone!
Here's a link to pictures of FLASH2 and our trip to Memphis:
http://www.aarongeiger.com/mini.htm
Thanks for reading and happy motoring!
Aaron
7th Gear Gal
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 36,087
Likes: 3
From: Weeblegabber West (aka WLA)
Wow, great pics and great report, Aaron! I love all the chex on your new MCS! Especially the bonnet stripes...very sharp! 
Have as much fun motoring with FLASH2 and you did with FLASH1! Happy New Year! Clover
Thread Starter
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Coordinator :: St. Louis MINI Club
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 570
Likes: 1
From: St. Louis
Just sent you a PM
Originally Posted by speltzer
Nice 2005! If you don't want to respond I understand; How many miles did your 2002 have ,and what type of financial compensation did they give as a trade-in?
2nd Gear
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 100
Likes: 0
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