Local Ford dealer used car lot has a CR/CR 06 MCS. I stopped in today and they tossed me the keys for a drive.

Yes, it has more power than my MC, although, not as much as I expected from reading MC vs MCS post. The ride was a bit stiffer, though not bad. Also, I'm one of the few who prefer the standard seats......the sport seats aren't made for wide rear ends and the flatter standard seats are more comfortable to me.

I like the grab handle for the passenger.

I noticed a little light on the end of the wiper control stalk, what is it for?

Anyway, I concluded that I'm still very happy with my MC. This was fortunate because they were asking over $26,000 for the 06 with premium and sport packages, DSC and Xenon headlights. Isn't that more than MSRP?

Looking forward to driving an 07, both Cooper and MCS.

 

It flashes when the wiper fluid is low or out...

Donna

 

That's the same reaction I had when I drove and MCS.

My 06 Cooper has that as well.

I've noticed non-MINI dealers sell used MINIs for outrageous prices. The sad thing is that there are probably a lot of people that pay more for a used MINI than they would if they bought it new.

 

We have an MC (mine) and and MCS (the husbands) in the family. Recently, my MC was in the shop for a week and I drove the MCS daily. While I appreciated the extra pick up power, the more comfortable steering wheel (I have the first generation wheel without the litte bumps for your thumbs), and a few other things ... I was REALLY glad to get back into my MC. I also prefer the standard seats to the sport seats.

 

I think it is more a way to get a person in the dealership. "hear drive this MCS.... oh that is too much cash, most likely what you would pay at the MINI Dealership.... Let me show you what we can put you into. Our car gets much better gas milage...."

If gas is the selling point for a customer they will sell the relative price and gas mileage of thier cars, if power is the selling point they will sell the Mustang. An unspecting buyer would not know what the price point on an MCS is. Most people going to a Ford dealer would not be looking for a car that handles well (not true for the Ford GT folks).

Just my guess.

 

I believe the lighted wiper stalk is the alarm system indicator. HTH

 

If the light at the end of the stalk was red, it was a MINI alarm, if it was yellow, it was washer fluid.

 

I noticed your MC is an 03 also. Is it a manual? My "crummy" Midland 5-speed tranny shifts a lot smoother than the Getrag 6-speed, at least the one in the MCS I drove.

 

I purchased an MC and 1 week before delivery I decided to try driving an MCS. The decision was pretty clear, I stayed with my MC. The MCS was a blast but I would be too tempted to get a few speeding tickets and my MC has just enough pep to be fun.

 

i think the MC's are quick off the line, just about as fast as MCS
unless the MCS is in race mode and drops the clutch or something.
but you don't do that all the time so they feel about the same.

 

The MC is okay off the line, but try a 30-50 or 50-70 MPH run and it is downright anemic compared to the S... As for the tranny, the 5-speed is more rubbery, but not what I'd call "smoother."

I'm not trying to hate on the MC. It's a fantastic car, but in terms of straight-line performance and shift feel, there is a reason that the S exists.

 

No argument here. The supercharger may have something to do with that. Just a guess.
I am still impressed with what the Cooper can do on it's high-end; especially when you consider the HP difference. The Cooper is still a lot of fun on the high end.

 

The Ford dealer here in Port Charlotte has one ( there were two) 2005 MCS, 6 speed and Nav panel. They are asking $28000. +
Nothing special about them. The old adage "there a sucker born every day"

 

[FONT=Arial]I’ve owned a wide variety of cars not to mention more than my goodly share of sport bikes so I feel comfortable in saying that the MINI S is the hands down best handling cage I’ve ever piloted. When gassing up my wife’s Beetle convertible, it feels like I’m steering a cloud. The standard MINI is not bad but for a few $’s more why not get the S? The wicked awesome 6 speed is more than worth the expense not to mention the S corners like it’s painted on the road! [/FONT]

 

I've driven some fantastic MCSs, but I always come back to my Cooper and am perfectly happy...it just feels right to me. That is why I will be getting another.

Mark is right...there is a reason the MCS exists. Those reasons don't align with my driving needs/wants, but I most definitely do respect it.

 

If you can't notice a 50 HP difference then what can I say. IMO the MC and MCS have their differences in interior and all but when you push it past 3500 rpm it is quite evident that the MCS is better. When I am in my 03 MCS just putting around the city in 2000 - 3000 rpm it really would not matter at all.

 

I think you meant to say "faster," not "better."

 

Why is that?????? I see crazy high prices on the nam for-sale forum too. People must be nuts to pay these prices.

JohnG

 

Maybe there was something wrong with the shifter on the MCS I drove, but my MC Midland isn't "rubbery" at all, just smoother and less "notchie" than the Getrag 6-speed. I don't know what the Getrag 5-speed is like in the 04 and up MC.

 

How many miles were on the MCS, res? I had an '02 Cooper with the Midlands tranny and it had a very problematic reverse gear. I really like the Getrag's 6 gears on my 2003 MCS. I'm glad you had the test-drive. It's always fun to compare MINIs.

 

The Midlands box has very good feel, imo. Definitely comparable to the Getrag in this application. It's really about the linkage in these cars, anyway. Once you put a cable between your hand and the gears it's all over. The reason the Midlands has a bad rep is reliability, not feel.

 

I like both the MC and the MCS for different reasons. IMHO, the MC "feels" peppier. Picks up speed in a different way than the MCS. I'd almost say that its a better commuter because the gears aren't spaced as closely together, so you're not shifting as often. The only time I noticed the power difference was in the higher RPMs. The MC started to make noise and lose steam.

The MCS...seems like I shift it very often when commuting. There's times I'll even skip gears just because I can be lazy in traffic. Under acceleration, the MCS doesn't "feel" as peppy, but if you glance at the speedometer, you'll see that it is indeed quicker. It builds speed in such a way that you don't notice it until you look at the speedo and say, "Oh crap! I'm speeding!" The MCS engine really comes alive past 3,000 rpm though, and that's when my grin gets even bigger.

I bought my MCS used, but in all honesty, if instead I found an MC with the same options, I probably wouldn't have thought twice about buying it. They're BOTH loads of fun!

 

When I was shopping for a mini I must have drove 10 different cars about 3 were MC and the rest were MCS. The SC just transforms the car into something special to drive in my opinion.

Both are great cars but if performance is the main driver in your decision the MCS is the way to go.

 

The MCS I drove had 5,700 miles on it. Never had the reverse problem with my Midland....just lucky I guess.

 

imho, it has more to do with the driving habits than anything else.

both MC and MCS are quick cars, but neither one is fast. MCS is
better, but still lacking compared to larger displacement...especially
not on street where low-end torque is wat's needed to be fast.

i like my MCS for its balance, but never really thought about it for
its straight line performance. first thing i told my MA after the test
drive was that this thing's kinda slow... well, you dont tell a
MA you're completely satified with the car until after the deal.