Hey Senior love that color! Looove the red! Very nice I could definitely use a vehicle I enjoy getting in after a bad day at work!

 

Of course you love it. I mean, it's only the best color out there.

BTW...get an S!

 

I think you need to test drive both. But drive the MCS first. Then drive the MC. You should be able to tell which MINI best fits your style of driving. My MCS fit my style of driving best. My wife thought the MC was quick enough for her driving style. She wanted it more for style and gas economy than high performance so this is what we ordered for her. (We should get it next week!) And yes, the MC comes with almost all the goodies you can get on an MCS including a sunroof. There are just a few differences, besides the engine size, the one that really stands out is the 5 speed as opposed to the 6-speed. But buy the stick, not the automatic.

I agree with some of the above posts....buy the MC to upset the MCS boyfriend! Then again, he might not care. He'll be impressed that you made the switch to a MINI.

 

Don't forget about the MCSa if you think about the MCS. If you ever have to drive in heavy traffic like DC owners do, then the MCSa gives you the fun of a manual when you're not in traffic and also the comfort of an auto when you are in traffic. Test drive both the Cooper and the S in both auto and manual.

 

Is the MCSa the one with the CVT option? I read about it a little while building a MINI on miniusa.com

 

I would choose the S... the extra power is really nice!

 

No, the CVT is on the base cooper. The MCSa uses a traditional 6-speed auto with a "manual mode" that has paddle shifers mounted on the steering wheel.

Forget that though, get the manual.

 

Ahh I see - so Chili Red manual (not automatic because the you guys will get me :impatient - noted

 

Our first trip with MINICCI was an eyeopener. On the straight roads the MCS's could walk away at will. But when we got to the twisty stuff, the MC hung with the MCS's. It was more of the skills of the driver rather than the ability of the car.

 

My husband has a S and i just went and drove a MCc and i loved it. I think alot of it has to do with what your coming from. I am coming from a Kia Sorento.

Yeah he wasnt so happy when I told him i wanted a MC, but in the end it was my decision.

Again it is about personal preference go drive it and see what you like.

 

Hey, Hngn on n the psnger seat

A Kia sorento is about the same size as a CRV - from what I'm seeing on pics right now. So was it a big adjustment for you?

 

I bought an MCS about a year and a half ago. 33,000 miles later I love it. I went back and forth about the MC vs MCS issue. Cost, HP, gas milage... Thought about it for a long time (about 6 weeks) and choose the S because I did not want to be disappointed in performance.

I do not regret the decision however one of the times that I had the car in for service I was placed in a MC auto. After 3 days in this car I realized that I could have been very-very happy with this car. I would have had no regrets about an MC. It was a super fun car.

If you want a great car at a great price get an MC.
If you want a little more under the hood go MCS
If you want an expensive MCS get the JCW. Wow now thats a lotta power.

 

If you want a great car at a great price get an MC.
If you want a little more under the hood go MCS.

Oh if only they could make a cheap MCS then all would be right with the world

 

Well, if you can wait a little longer, I think the '07 Mini Cooper (after the redesign) will come with ~140HP. Not quite MCS power, but it should be noticeably quicker than the 115HP.

Myself, I bought a base Cooper and don't regret passing up the S at all. In my mind, for the price of the Cooper S there were simply too many more desireable cars available (Mazda RX8 - admittedly a bit more money than an MCS, but incentives are insane on that car, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo RS - again, more money, but SO much faster, etc). But for the $18k I paid for my Cooper, there's nothing I'd rather have... Well, the new Civic Si is quite a car for a couple grand more, but I think I'd still take my Mini.

Edit, my experience is probably strange in that I have never driven a Cooper S on the road. However, I have autocrossed an S back to back with my Cooper. The S is easily quicker, but it does have some lag as the super charger spools. I'd say up until about 2.5-3k RPMs, the base Cooper feels just as quick, although I have no numbers to back that up, just seat of the pants observation.

 

They Kia might be a smidgen or so bigger than the CRV.

Not a huge adjustment because i drive the hubbys MCS whenever i can and i am pretty flexiable with switching cars. I drove the Cabrio which was really really nice.

I decided on a MCc for 3 main reasons:
Gas mileage, i get 16 in my Kia and the hubby gets like 22-24 in his MCS. I figure with my nine mile commute a tank of gas should last awhile

Our Dealer doesnt have a mark up on MC but they do have a $2400,, mark up on MCS

It was plenty "zippy" on my test drive, and i figured if i ever need an S fix i can steal Bumble's

Also i decided on the Cabrio i figured it would be my "treat" for not getting a MCS

Hope this helps some, aagin it is a very personal decision for you

Good Luck!

 

Engine size is the same - the S just has a supercharger and some forged/beefed-up parts.

Definitely pay close attention to MC options that are standard on the S (sport seats, sport suspension, larger wheels). You get a lot more for that 3k than just a supercharger.

 

funny, I was in the same situtation, only reversed. My GF loves her MC, indie blue on white. Sunroofs are available on both models. If you arent particularly focused on driving hard, you might want to consider an auto. either way, they are both great cars and basically the only difference is the supercharger slapped on. good luck and hope he is really surprised!

 

I own an MC, and I've driven a JCW loaner for a day (100+ miles), based on numbers alone (JCW at almost twice the horsepower on paper), one would expect a huge difference in driving characteristics. But no, the loaner only felt slightly faster, and only in third gear and beyond. I'm not smart enough to adequately explain the reason for that, but that's how it felt to me.

 

OK all USA bound MINIs have the Sport Suspension...
The S package adds Sport Suspension plus a $500 option on the Cooper. Yes it adds grip but it also makes the car more harsh. Some feel that the Cooper is too harsh especially on bumpy roads.

Lately on NAM and locally there seems to be a trend for 15 inch wheels for autocrossing. Smaller wheels mean less rotating mass, therfore they accelerate quicker. And if you have some HEAVY 17+ inch rims you will feel it more on a Cooper than on the CooperS. The taller sidewalls of the 15 and 16" rims tend to soften the ride a touch.

Also if you read the MOTD forums it seems that larger wheels also tend to decrease the amount of brains in your head. The guy with dubs on his MINI was a total jerk and passed on turns... An absolute NO NO!

 

Oh I know all about 'dubs'. Had that experience last year and this year. Anyway, I think I'll go with the base cooper. My new "problem" will be how much my current vehicle is worth vs. how much I have left to pay on it. I just hope everything will work out and I can get a Cooper soon.

 

When we test drove recently, it was just the opposite (MC first, then MCS, and then later a MC convert) and I'm actually glad it worked out that way. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of zip the MC had, and of course the handling was superb. For many people, this will be plenty of performance.

But then I drove the S, and there was no turning back. The difference in power was substantial. We were fortunate enough to be by ourselves on the test drive, so naturally I drove both cars the way I drive rental cars: all out. I was glad to have driven the MC first as a basis for comparison. If I'd driven the S first, the MC would have been a huge disappointment.

Whichever model you test drive, I'm pretty sure one of them will speak to you. That's what happened to my wife and me.

We also drove the MCSa, and again I was pleasantly surprised. I used the manual shifter rather than the paddles, and picked it up pretty quickly. I would never want the auto, but if you were forced to have one (e.g., hate clutches,) you wouldn't be unhappy. The main thing I didn't like in full automatic mode was that the computer didn't dowshift/upshift when I would. Plus, if you're gonna go to the trouble of doing the paddle/manual thing on a regular basis you might as well go for the six speed.

Good luck deciding.