I am waiting for my Mini Cooper S. I put my name on the list last June and there is a year waiting list. Anyway, I was wondering how the Mini S's drive in the winter. Do they handle well, etc.? I was also wondering if anyone knew about the safety ratings of the car. The dealership last summer did not know anything because they hadn't been tested yet. Thanks for you answers.

 

People are saying they handle great in the snow as long as you don't have to plow it with the bumper!

 

Well I had my 1st winter.MCS driving experience today in NY.
To preface this story...people in NY forget how to drive when it snows ...regardless of the amount of actuall snowfall :smile:
We got about 7-9 inches of snow today., so I new I was in for an adventure.....lol
How did she handle is the question?????
We'll 1st let me give you a general make-up of what my MCS has....
17" all-season run flats... ROH black ice alloy wheels...no extra aftermarket anything.... & all packages....except navigation.
I spent the entire day wathching all this snow fall from my office window and finally got into my MCS @ round 3: 30 PM...after a good 7 inches had fallen.
We'll I started my drive and about 3 seconds into it.... the passenger side windshield wiper....flew completely off during it's intense workout with a steady snowfall. I was a bit shocked to say the least. I pulled over, took off what was left of the wiper assembly and got back in the game
Traction was ...OK.... by my standards. Most of the roads were not plowed and had approx 4-6 inches of traffic packed snow. DSC lite was blinking like crazy.... and she almost stalled ......on many, many, many occasions. I eventually decided that DSC was not gonna help me with this ride home. I switched it on and off as I felt the need to regain my personal control versus computer control. My MCS held its own with just about every car on the road. The only real exception was a "real" Hummer..that just cruised by .... like a rocket. I was trucking along at a a comfortable 30 MPH, and felt.....safe & secure.
My biggest problem were the "other" drivers, who had little to no control on the snowpacked roads.
Two hours later, compared to a drive that normally takes me 40 minutes to complete... I was home.
My MCS did very well. I'm pleased with the performance in the snow. I would recommend snow tires,as these all seasons... could use a bit of help in this type of snow condition.

Peace,
D

_________________
2002 MCS:PS/B, w/Lapis Int.

 

Did you clear snow off the windscreen & hood before you started driving?
Or did you hope the wiper would do it for you?


>>We'll I started my drive and about 3 seconds into it.... the passenger side windshield wiper....flew completely off during it's intense workout with a steady snowfall. I was a bit shocked to say the least. I pulled over, took off what was left of the wiper assembly and got back in the game

 

I cleared both windshields completely, before I engaged the wipers.
I let the car warm up for a good....10 minutes.
Been there...done that :smile:

Peace,
D

 

Dennis, thanks so much for your critique of the MCS's performance on snow. My Mini will have a similar set up as yours and I was wondering how the 17" all-season run flats would do. I could tell when I test drove the Mini that it had the potential to be a little tank in the snow. I've been debating about snow tires, and I think I will likely get some.