I have been driving my wife's car around all week.. Taking a few 75 mile trips, errands, etc. It's a new Honda Accord EX-V6 auto. Very nice ride.. quiet comfy and pretty quick with a responsive 246HP V6.
The mini has been sleeping in the garage feeling left out...
Tonight I had to run out again.. Took the mini this time.. Right away I felt the pedals vibrate after start-up.. some dash buzz, etc... Started driving and the raw feel of the road was there.. The steering wheel felt responsive, quick and just about perfect. I was once again one with the road. I zipped around the on-ramp and felt like I was on rails.
Dashed up to speed in a blink. It was so nice driving a nimble, light weight car again.
I enjoyed all the vibration and noise that allowed all the feedback of the road to come thru....

It was nice missing the mini again.. makes you realize how much fun it really is...

 

When I drive my sister's 2005 Honda Accord VP sedan with the 2.3L I-4 engine (160HP) I feel the urge to get back to my MCS.

Her Accord, for being the "bare bones" version of the lineup is a pretty nice car, accelerates just fine (Makes me question the choice of the V6 engine, which I have driven before, but the standard 4 banger seems lighter and pretty peppy).

 

Try going from an 18 wheeler to a Mini, its awsome.

 

I agree with you.. I find the I4 accord to be better balanced and more nimble.. The next one we get will be a I4.. We tried the new Camry I4 and it was horrible.. Sounded raspy.. even the Camry V6 was about the same as the Honda I4... The Honda V6 is sweet.. but the engine needs a better home..

 

Let's see....I've had to go over a week w/o my MINI at least three or four times. Once for over a month. Every time it was a pure pleasure to get re-acquainted with my MINI. I'm afraid I'm ruined now when it comes to other cars.

 

I ping between 3 different cars...

My wife's 2k4 BMW 325i, my 2k3 MR2 spyder and my 2k5 MCS.

All three have a very different feel, the BMW is extremely comfortable (comfort and convenience pack) and pretty quick, not to mention fine handling (sports pack suspension, wheels and seats), but it is a little soul-less.

The MR2 is extremely fine handling but you have to work hard to go fast, the engine is old-school in that it requires revving and the gearbox gets a workout every time you drive it. The brakes and turn-in are excellent but the ride is 'firm'.

Then there is the MINI - I put 95% of my miles on the MINI, its not as comfortable as the 325i (nor the MR2) nor is it as focused as the MR2.

But it is certainly more fun and easier to drive on a day-to-day basis, the mid-range is fatter than the MR2's - not exactly tough that - but the supersmooth 325i is stunning in the mid-range.

In many respects the MINI is somewhere between the two but I love it none-the-less......

 

I just get to motor in 2 MINIs these days. Poco, an"old" 03 Cooper, and a new fangled 05 MCC. The cabrio is very slick, looks great, and handles very well in the twisties, what with the stiffened stuff.

But when my butt settles down in Poco, and we run, well after all these miles together, we feel the road, know how to handle what ever comes up, and just feel like we will motor for many, many more happy miles

Mark

 

When did you get the '05 MCC? didn't know...

 

Life does that sort of thing

Mark

 

I agree. The guys at work think I'm crazy for owning such a small car. They don't understand the appeal, but then they haven't had the pleasure of driving one.

 

I drove one of those rented oversized cargo vans, without any side windows and the back window completely blocked for three days when moved my daughter into NYC...this past sept 11th.....when I got back to driving my hardtop MINI, I felt like I was driving a cabrio with all the visibility ,.....the MINI handles a wee bit better than the oversized overfilled overweighted overused cargo van

 

I LOVE driving Leif's Jetta for about a week or so (honestly, I do like the Jetta) then going back to Ollie -- even better, though, is when I go home for an extended period. If I fly there, I have to drive my mum's auto Golf around the whole time. I like both cars, but neither is an MCS and both feel like 18-wheelers

I don't know how I'd feel after an extended period driving Leif's Z4 -- hard to gauge when all I get to do is stand around and look at it / ride shotgun

 

Strangely enough, that is exactly how I feel after getting out of the MINI and into a smaller car.

 

The difference is beyond night and day.
Have you noticed the MINI drivers don't readily respond to the wave when your in the work truck?

 

i like my 06 civic for the commute. no need to clutch or shift,
just sitback, enjoy the stereo (i put in aftermarket speakers),
and cruise to work.

by no means is this "driving" but it gets me from A to B in
comfort and very nice mpg which is always a plus.

then comes the weekend. hehe

 

got my 06 MCS in august but wasn't driving it on a daily basis due to my business trips every week so i was only driving my mcs for 3-4 days out of the week for the past 3 months and it seems as though my mcs is hurting. i was away again for 4 days due to Thanksgiving weekend and my MCS was sitting in the garage by itself and it finally had gotten to him. my check engine light is on for no reason. i think my mcs is rebelling on me for not giving it 100% attention.

my other car is '06 Lexus GS300. i love this car but i bought it for my wife and she loves it even more. my wife is pregnant and the ride in my mcs doesn't appeal to well for her so every time we go together, we needs to take her GS300 and again my MCS is left alone in the garage.

im in a bind and i dont know what to do. i only get to drive my mcs to work and back. on errands that i need to go for my wife, my wife wants to tag along making me drive her GS300 i/o my MCS. nothing wrong driving the lexus but cant help thinking about my MCS being left out. i had my mcs for about 4 months now and the mileage is only at 2k. is this good or bad....
just wanted to share my concern....

 

While my wife was pregnant, she enjoyed taking trips in my MCS. But then again, she also owns a MINI ('02 MC).

At the end of her first trimester, we took a 2K mile roadtrip from Miami to Nashville, TN and back. We did the Dragon, etc. No complaints.

Our baby boy was born 11/8/06 and he took the trip home from the hospital in her '02 MINI.

We are a full time MINI family.

 

ASK- my wife use to tag along with me in my MCS when she was
pregnant. I use to driver her everywhere the last few months of
her pregnancy in my MCS. not that im saying that you should do
the same, but to her the ride was not THAT bumpy. My son learned
cars while he was still in mommy's belly. He loves cars, only wants
car toys and only talks about cars and fixing its flat tires.

If you keep driving your baby in the Lexus, the baby could end up
not liking cars at all.

 

I drive a borrowed '96 saturn too and from work (due to the questionable area..), it has 226277 miles on it and is like driving a loose goose..

I miss my MINI every time I have to drive that thing...

 

Just got back from a holiday trip to Denver where I couldn't rent a MINI so I wound up with a Dodge Stratus... Boy, that made me miss my MINI!! Can't wait to get back into Luie again, even if it is only to go to work.

 

Almost everything else I drive feels fat, loose and dull..There are only a few cars out there that can match the feel... regardless of price..

 

Her Accord, for being the "bare bones" version of the lineup is a pretty nice car, accelerates just fine (Makes me question the choice of the V6 engine, which I have driven before, but the standard 4 banger seems lighter and pretty peppy).[/quote]

My wife's car is an 05 Accord I-4 also, with the stick shift. Its a smooth, lively, economical, quiet, great car but its no MINI!

T