q

 

You have to give it more gas than with a normal stick shift..

 

There's nothing wrong, 1st gear in the S is a very tall gear. Combine that with a 1.6L engine and a supercharger that hasn't spooled up yet and yeah, it's not gonna want to leap off the line unless you give it a little more gas to get some boost going.

 

I agree wholeheartedly about 1st gear, especially since I currently drive a 96 Jetta with plenty of giddie up in 1st, but then again, 1st was never a favorite gear for me anyway, it's only used to get the rpm's up enough to blow through 2nd, into 3rd (has always been my favorite gear). So, a little having to be a little heavy on the accelerator in 1st is a small compromise to having some solid gears to follow.

 

True that! I have a 95 VW Golf that jumps off the line quick but then you have to shift right away so it doesn't matter. With the cooper S, I just boost the RPMs a little more and stay in 1st all the way to 35mph!!! I love the long gear.

 

 

I don't have the S but I'm not too thrilled with 1st gear on the Cooper. It's adequate. But space in the car is there, although not sure about the size of the amp you mentioned. My son, who claims our Cooper as his, has gotten a Fender 50 Watt Amp and 4 guitar cases in there. He also plays baseball and has stuffed in 4 or 5 large equipment bags. He started by removing the (cheezy) package tray and throwing that in the trash. You just fold down both the back rear seats and pack carefully. All and all, your take on the car is pretty much on the button. The major "pro" point you didn't mention is that in the overall picture, this car is just too much fun.

 

>>Cons (in no particular order):
>>No trunk space (geez,will a 10 inch sub fit back there?)
>>No room for my amps

Sub? Amps? Dude you don't need that stuff, just listening to the engine scream it's way to redline provides all the "in flight entertainment" you will ever need I still have the sounds of the test drive car in my head, besides my 96 Z28, I know the break in period on this car will be the hardest thing to get through when I get mine.

 

There is no spare? My Cooper has a spare mounted underneath and I have run flats....

 

>>There is no spare? My Cooper has a spare mounted underneath and I have run flats....
>> The "S" does not have a spare.

 

RJ....the amp and the subs are for his system...and yeah there isn't a lot of room for all of that in the trunk...if I get a small sub then it will fit and that is all I would really need....I didn't have any existing equipment before I got the car!

 

Hmmmmm....no spare.....news to me.....

 

>>>>Cons (in no particular order):
>>>>No trunk space (geez,will a 10 inch sub fit back there?)
>>>>No room for my amps
>>
>>Sub? Amps? Dude you don't need that stuff. . . . . . . . . . . . .


I was talking about guitar amps and other large items that could (or not) be transported in the car. Not talking about installing amps in the car. As far as the sub, I think he's talking about a sandwich.

 

>>Hmmmmm....no spare.....news to me.....


>>>>Really, the S has no spare. That's what's so great about dealers that have put overpriced aftermarket tires on cars to jack up the price. Many of them, at least at first, didn't know the S has no spare. That's why the run flats are needed.

 

Oh I believe you! I wasn't being sarcastic....I really didn't know! :smile:

 

q

 

>>Basically both of my amps are both around 11 inches deep. One is about 14 inches long and the other is around 17 inches long. Basically, I'm just gonna have to get rid of the bigger one which is fine as long as I can find a deck that has at least 50w per channel and has a built in crossover. My smaller amp will fit on one of the fold-down seatbacks. Hopefully a 10 inch sub will fit in the trunk.
>>>

All kidding aside, regardless of what ever you can squeeze in the car sound-wise, you'll love the car. As I mentioned in an early post, my son does claim our Cooper as his. He's a guitarist and I cannot imagine that anyone loves music more than he does but, most of the time when he drives the car there's no music on 'cause he likes listening to the car instead.

 

Funny, I hope to get my MCS next week but tonight is the first time I actually drove one. Drove the Cooper before and it was nice, but the 'S' is sweeeeeeeet. 1st gear alittle tall, but thats okay the rest are fine. The ride (17"run flats) was great. I was following the posts on rough rides, man, you want a rough ride try a MKI Mini. Driving this MINI is no comparison to the Classic Mini. For along time I wondered if I made the right choice, tonight I know I made the right choice.