My MCS has been in for various things in the 50,000 mi I've had it, and I've ALWAYS gotten a car with an auto transmission as a loaner.

I enjoy driving the cooper cvt, but I've always wondered what the 5-spd was like. Welp, wonder no more! Today I got an 06 cooper 5-spd loaner with 300, yea, 300 miles on it.

THIS is how the cooper should feel! I really like it. I love how you have to keep the revs way up to keep her going, and the sound is a great change from the whine of the MCS. This car is much more fun, in my opinion, in 5-spd form than it is in auto.

Looks like I'll be enjoying the next few days.

Also - the shifter is much more crisp in this car than mine.

mb

 

Glad you like it! It's still a slow car for the money, but it is so agile and there is this sense of responsiveness and stability about the Cooper that makes it great for around town fun.

 

Slow? I beg to differ. If you know how to drive it NEVER feels slow. It's all a matter of getting to know the tranny and having a good feel for the car. Plus, off the line, it can smoke an "S".

 

If you can smoke a stock S with a stock Cooper, Then whoever is driving the S doesn't know how to drive.

 

The numbers are there for anyone who cares to look.

 

whee too.

I'll take your word for it.

 

Hehe, so you do agree it IS slow, just doesn't "feel" that way. As a Cooper owner for over a year I can tell you it is slow, I get smoked by Odessey minivans for God's sake!

And no, I don't really care. As slow as the Cooper is, it's still great fun to drive, really easy to get over the speed limit, and great on gas.

 

If you're actually TRYING to beat the Minivan and you can't, then I think it's more operator error than the lack of HP or torque.

Granted, the MC is not a Porsche. But it's snappy and zippy if you use the tranny the way it's meant to be. You are giving the MC a bad name with that kind of driving, man !

 

With all that money that you're saving on gas, you should be able to get some time in at a driving class.

 

No, I think it's been proven that the MC is faster off the line than the MCS, for the first 30feet until the MCS hits 3k and the SC kicks in.

-Cody

 

Unless of course you dump the clutch on the MCS to get a more powerful start...

 

Not that I am doubting your claim, I would like to see that proof.

 

Which claim?

 

Coopers might be slow off the line, but once up to speed they can leave lots of cars in the ditch if there are curves.

As for being faster I think it is a combination of transmision and smaller wheels that give it an edge out of the gate vs a S. But the S catches and passes and then leaves the Cooper in the dust very quickly.

 

I drive a MC and it's pretty neat being first off the starting line at the stoplight, but I'm certain a MCS would catch me. I've heard a strange rumor floating around about a supercharged engine???

 

I was thinking about this thread today while motoring around Orange County. After having owned a WRX, 914, Civic Si, and a Volvo S70 Turbo, I haven't ever felt that my MINI is slow. Having driven a few "S's", I can feel the difference though. The Cooper feels SO much faster until you get to about 45-mph (on a flat surface). After that the drive has a lot more of an average feel to it. I don't have any trouble going from 45 to 80, but it certainly won't do it as fast as an "S"; I don't think anyone doubts that.

Suffice it to say that the Cooper reasonably fast car, but not as fast as a Cooper S. They are both fun to drive and attract a different crowd. Comparing the two is difficult for me. They look a lot alike, but are very different cars.
I prefer the Cooper and, as a fairly knowledgeable and enthusiastic motorist, I've never experienced slow in one. The "S" is fun, but I don't like the feel of super-chargers; I prefer turbos. So it really is a matter of preference and driving style. But don't go around calling the Cooper slow, because that just ain't so.

 

Well the one thing I think hasn't been debated is
IT HAS 300 MILES ON IT, keep the revs down so you don't hurt it for future MINIacs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have wondered what it would feel like to drive the Cooper if I would notice any huge changes or readily find myself just as pleased I'm still a firm believer it would be the latter.

 

Im sorry but if they gave me a loner id be ripping it up!!!

 

Shhh me too But mine was well out of the break in so I had no moral issue having fun

 

I'm willing to bet that there is someone in Chicago who would let you take a drive.

 

Well I'm going to the dealer this week, might as well ask if I can take a test drive while I'm there

 

Theres nothing slow aout the Cooper. I never realized how it ranked to other cars, until my friends got an STi, and a supercharged M3. It can sure weave traffic better, but it just doesnt have the thrownback in your seat-factor. BUt neither does the MCS.

 

I don't understand why this is confusing to people...The MCS has to get an additional 150 pounds moving off the line!

While I don't want to promote yet another MC vs. MCS argument, I'd just like to recommend that everyone should drive them both. My guess is that you'll come away from the experience with the sense that they are very different cars in many ways, and comparisons are really apples to oranges (except for the fact that they are both a blast to drive).

 

Why would anyone argue... one is supercharged, the other isnt...

I would just like to see a version of my MC beat a MCS off the line... I need the ego boost

*pumps chest up like hes all that*

 

It's all up to the driver. As stated before, the MC is about 150 pounds lighter, and often has lighter wheels too...

However, the additional power of the MCS can easily make up for that if the driver is willing to dump the clutch at a higher RPM. Of course, if you give it too much power at launch, you'll just spin tires!

NOTE: Automatics need not apply.