I posted this in the Car Talk forum at Miata.net. I figured someone might be intrested in the perspective of a new Mini owner, from a guy comming from a Miata background. Sorry, it's long..

Original thread on Miata.net forum. [font=Verdana, Arial][size=2]

I've been planning on submitting my first impressions of my newly delivered car, but I've spent too much time driving it! 500 miles on the odometer, and I picked it up yesterday.

My desire was to buy a fun car that both my wife and I could enjoy, that was somewhat practical, and could competitively Autocross. Not to replace my Miata, but to supplement it, to give me a fun car to drive, no matter what the weather report said.

At the 2004 DC Auto Show, my wife took one look at a Mini and said “I'd drive the he** out of that car!” - that was enough for me! Not the most scientific buying process, but I felt the Mini was at least worth a test drive. I test drove a 2004 MCS, and came away very impressed – I placed a deposit the next day. I did not bother cross-shopping anything; my friend has a Mazda 3, it felt too pedestrian – and based on my poor experiences with my current Acura, the RSX was out of the question. I had wanted to test drive a RX-8, but my wife shot that one down – I needed a car that we could both enjoy, and one that I could convince her to try Autocrossing in

I ended up ordering a January build 2005 Mini Cooper S. Options included 6-speed manual transmission, LSD (one of the first cars locally to arrive with the factory LSD), Xenon headlamps, Cold Weather Package, Space Gray cloth seats, and Anthracite interior. Body color is Purple Haze with a black top and side mirrors. Total cost, with the Mini factory alarm, came to $25300.60.

Performance: The car is fast, period. It wants to run, it takes quite bit of effort to not exceed the posted speed limit by 20 or 30 miles an hour. The supercharged 1.6L does not have the grunt of a larger engine, but once you get up in it's power band, it's very satisfying. Driving around town, it takes effort to not spin the wheels at stoplights, and on the freeway, it pulls solidly from 5t h gear, no need to downshift to overtake slower traffic. When making a quick launch, it's easy to chirp the tires going into second gear. I am SERIOUSLY impressed with this engine, I wish I could compare it to more “serious” performance cars – but it feels as least as fast as the 1987 Corvette I drove once. The rev limiter is quite nice, not as jarring as my Miata's, and the exhausts subtle “burble” is nice. My wife – who normally hates loud exhausts – thinks the Mini's exhaust is “fun”. Fun, indeed!

Some minor issues, that I learned to ignore moments after noticing them for the first time. Throttle response is a bit soft. I prefer the Miata's “proper” throttle, not a fly-by-wire electronic pedal. Its easier to modulate the throttle in a corner with the Miata, with the Mini you pick your throttle setting and hang on. It's not bad, but I strongly prefer the Miata in this respect. Same goes for the shift linkage. Mile long shift throws, and slightly imprecise gear selection. I never missed a shift, but it did not feel as precise nor as quick as my Miata. But, as compared to my old 89 VW Golf, it felt pretty good. To be perfectly honest, I only really noticed these issues after I drove the Mini immediately after a spin in the Miata.

Suspension: Taught and confidence inspiring. The chassis exhibits stiffness that my Miata could only dream about. It's a little harsh on poor roads – but I like my cars that way. I have not had the chance to really push the car's limits, and I think it's really being held back by the OEM tires. Still, driving gingerly, I could still take corners as fast as my Miata. Turn-in is immediate and the Mini felt very agile in traffic. Quick transitions did not induce any noticeable body roll. Steering feel was nice, a tad heavier than my Miata's power steering, but I did notice some torque steer during hard acceleration. Nothing major however. Braking was excellent, the ABS was not obtrusive at all – hardly noticed it engaging.

I cant wait to get some proper performance tires on this car!

Interior: Fun, unique, but very intuitive interior. Initially I had the steering wheel adjusted a bit low, and I could not see the top of the tachometer, but moving the wheel up an inch or so fixed that. The seats are nice, the cloth breathed very well, and I did not notice any discomfort during a three hour long drive today. The seat heaters are very nice, a must for any Mini driven in cold climates. The seating position is high, with good visibility all around. I did find that the large rear view mirror created a bit of a blind spot, pretty noticeable when making right hand turns. The windshield sits far in front of the driver, I could not reach the glass from my regular seating position. When you get out of the Mini, you step down and out of the car – not climbing up and out as in the Miata. The power outlet sits very low, by the shift **** – my V1's power cord had to stretch quite a bit to reach the detector. I'll eventually rig a power cord running along the dash, the normal cigarette lighter cord gets in the way too much.

Exterior: The car turned heads everywhere we went. The Purple Haze color is a beautiful, deep, and complex hue that really accentuates the cars curves. The Xenon headlamps are amazing – my first experience with HID's. At night, you get about 100 feet of daylight in front of you – no hotspots or shadows, a totally smooth and consistent light pattern. The high beams illuminate the distant road very well – stop signs over a quarter mile away were clearly visible. I had wanted to install auxiliary lights on the grill, but with the HID's I think that would be unnecessary.

Final thoughts: The Mini is not a Miata. It lacks the visceral quality of a Miata, you feel a bit removed from the road and the whole driving process. Nothing can compare to top down motoring in a Miata during a nice summer day. But, the Mini seems more composed, refined, and faster. Everything happens quickly in the Mini; acceleration, turn in, breaking – the driver's inputs are immediately translated into action. I don't feel as deeply connected to the mechanics of the car, as I do in my Miata, however. I cant emphasize enough how impressed I am with the Mini's performance. The car virtually incites hooliganism – if I picked up the JCW Works package I'd be sitting in jail right now.[/size][/font]

 

beautiful color!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yes, Purple Haze is NOT a "girlie" color. My wife would have prefered BRG, but the PH just looked sooo nice.

I really wanted Red, with a red top, to match my Miata (parked next to my Mini) but, was overruled... :-|

 

Funny, I would have never thought to compare the two! Love the comment about JCW package.

 

I once had someone on this forum (or maybe Roadfly) refer to the MINI as a "sport utility Miata". I thought that was pretty clever and accurate.

I've wondered how the MINI compared to the Miata, so it's nice to read your thorough review. I wish you many miles enjoying both of them!

 

As another Miata owner (two, actually), I'd have say I agree point per point with you, Craig.
You used the EXACT word I came up with during my cross country MINI drive to distiguish the MINI from the Miata: Visceral. Where the MINI is smooth, the Miata is choppy - not bad, just different.

Advantage MINI: tight, tight, tight; smoothness; creature comforts; great interior; cute as hell; utility

Advantage Miata: Shifter; throttle modulation; weight

I haven't been able to drive them back to back, but the MINI feels faster than my Eaton supercharged '91 Miata. I don't think it is, and the Miata certainly SOUNDS faster, but the MINI just goes. At 110mph, it's just smooth. Then again I've always got the top down on the Miata, so you really feel the speed.
I had the same issue with the V1 - it's a LONG way to the windshield.

Life is good.

 

As yet another MINI and Miata owner, I think Craig nailed it. Thanks again for the review! That's a beautiful car. I'm really liking Purple Haze, ever since I saw it in person at the Detroit show.

Mark

 

One other comparison.

Miata is great for height-challenged people.

MINI great for normal sized persons!

I can't even get in a Miata...

Saludos

 

Great write-up Craig. I only wish you had bought a convertible so you could truly compare apples to apples for my benefit. :smile:

I truly love my '94 Miata but will be swapping it and my '00 Passat for an '05 Cooper S convertible. Living in a snow belt, with a 2-car garage, and having 2 young kids, I find my Miata sits outside under cover most of the time while the Passat and wife's Pilot occupy the garage. Sadly the Miata just does not get driven like it should (33k miles on a 11-year-old car). I want a FWD affordable 4-seat performance convertible that can be enjoyed (and garaged!) year-round, and the MINI is the first car to truly fit the bill for me.

I will surely miss the Miata's shifter (best by far of any car I've ever owned) and the purely-wonderful driving experience of the car. I will not miss the somewhat-gutless motor and the cheesy cheap-o interior (though I love the cloth seats). The MINI, with all the bells and whistles I've added, will be far more car than my Miata for not too much more $$$, considering I paid $20k for the Miata 11 years ago. Sure the MINI will cost half-again as much, but seems twice the car from a features & quality standpoint. Progress is good. Too bad they couldn't have thrown in a good short shifter.

I'm sure I'll love my MINI when it arrives, and hope I won't regret selling my Miata (my first new car, and one I had dreamed of since the first time I saw one). Talk about bittersweet. I'll console myself by loading up the family in the MINI, dropping the top, and spending the day zipping around the tops of the Rockies. It's not just a car, it's a family memories machine!

 

Great review! I hope you enjoy your mini. Its an addiction. . Put a short shifter on ther to make that throw better .


liljack and matchbox

 

Craig, I picked up my '05 MCS/JCW on Friday and immediately compared it to my long gone but very entertaining '90 Miata as well. But I can drive it in the snow, put my (little) kids in the back, and the snowboards on the roof. SUV Miata is awful close to right.

No shifter feels as good as a Miata, though if you want to look on the bright side of things, the MCS shifter is light years better than any of the 911s I've owned.

Cheers, Dave

 

Another MINI/Miata owner here. I still have my 97 Red Miata. I got my first MINI 2 years ago & immediately fell in love but I missed my top down driving. Needless to say, when the Cabrio came out, I had to have one. Even though they were practically giving away the MazdaSpeed, I was not tempted. The top down experience in the Cabrio is the best of both worlds. It truly has an open air feel. Plus the fun of driving a MINI. The top can be put up or down at a moments notice. No more getting soaked by a sudden downpour. It's a safer car than the Miata. BMW has gone to great lengths to make the Cabrio as safe as a convertible can be. No more feeling intimidated by the 18 wheelers out on the interstate. And it handles great in the snow as well as on a bright sunny day. No more 360's in the middle of the interstate. Why do I keep the Miata? It is still a fun car to drive but now only gets taken out on a warm summer day. And on a final note-I don't have to remove the spare to make room for the groceries

Lois

 

Ah, yes. Have I mentioned why we're on our second Miata? In truth, the demise of the first was entirely my fault, but it's definitely not a car I like to drive in the snow. They're great cars, though.

Mark

 

That's one of the aspects I truly enjoy about my Miata. It's tuned with a bit of oversteer from the factory, that, combined with it's crisp throttle response and 50/50 weight balance, allows for some very fun driving. When autocrossing, driving at my personal 10/10's, I always knew I was truly driving on a razors edge - a few degrees too much turn on the wheel, a little too much throttle or breaks - and I'd quickly swap ends. Once you get used to a Miata's handling, you can really get the tail out, and then tuck it back in when needed.

 

Yep, it is indeed fun and I'm glad they didn't dumb-down the car. It has a very raw feel to it that I enjoy. Now that we've got the Mazdaspeed I'll have even more opportunity to play, but no more surprise expressway spins on worn snow tires.

Mark

 

That's exactly what happened to me. Snowy interstate & some idiot cut me off. Sent me into a spin & suddenly I was facing backwards. I rented a Maxima for the rest of the snow season But Miatas are sure fun to do doughnuts in on a snowy deserted parking lot You can't get the MINI to do doughnuts

Lois

 

I know of someone who might dispute that....

http://www.thelivingoods.com/mini/Sn.../WinterFun.avi

 

Probably should have said, "You can't get the MINI to do donuts - without using the handbrake."

 

The Miata didn't need any help You gotta coach the MINI a little

Lois

 

My first (real) car was a Triumph Spitfire. ( Swingaxles, anyone? ) Sometimes I kinda miss all that oversteer.

And then I come to my senses...

 

I test drove a miata, and loved it, but I hated the fact that when my wife sat in it, she looked very uncomfortable in the passenger's seat. I mean really uncomfortable. It is for tiny people. but the mini, well, my 6'4 friend and his 6'2 wife were the ones who convinced us to try it. They fit nicely, and so do we. It's sitting at the dealer right now with it's guts ripped out getting the JCW package installed (brand new, haven't driven it yet even), so I will tell you if I go to jail with it or maybe my wife will have to tell you that