get the s its worth it

 

welcome to NAM and get the S

 

Are you guys kidding??? Coopers rock!!!

 

Keep in mind this forum tends to slant more towards the 'enthusiast' (i.e. 'S') population. And that's OK. But keep an open mind.
I'm more in line with the thinking of 'Skuzzy'. I have a MC and find it has plenty of power for me. Even with the performance loss that comes with living at high altitude.
It will run at any legal speed limit. I might have to drop a gear (or maybe even two) on steep hills. But I DO like the 40mpg I'm getting most of the time.
You should drive the MC first. If it suits your needs - fine.
However, if you really feel those brief legal moments of 'press in the seat' g-force acceleration are really that important then go for the 'S' and be happy. Or, if the design features of the 'S' pull heavily on you that's fine too.

 

I was in the same boat, MC vs MCS... I ended with the "S" and have never looked back.
Absolutely no regrets and have the Auto box. The turbo does generate a lot of heat, nothing abnormal than other turbo charged car I have owned.

The cooper has a nice feature that the car keeps the turbo cooling even after you turn off the car, unlike before with my other cars; I had to sit there and wait a minute to shut off the car while the turbo was cooling...

Enough rambling, SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

My MPG's are running around 28.7 with Auto tranny....mostly city driving.

 

I drove the auto MC for one day and the biggest difference I noticed from my manual MCS is that because MC has a lot less power the automatic tranny searches for the right gear all the time when going up a hill. It shifted back and forth between two gears because the engine just doesn't have enough power. In my MCS, I would have just left it in either 4th or 5th and it would have been fine. The extra power makes things much smoother, IMO.

 

Which report?

 

I have the regular (auto) and like it just fine. Gas mileage was a big factor for me - I do mostly city driving, and it's pretty flat here, so figured the S would be a waste.

 

It depends on what you want... I went for the S. It was a no brainer for me. If you think you'd be happy with the MC, save some money and get one (you could always spring for the S next time!!!) Whatever is most appropriate at this point in your life, and what suits your needs.

 

I own a 2006 MC and I am going to pick up a MCS on Saturday. I missed the power. I went from a BMW M5 to the MC (children started coming). The MC is a blast to drive, but I do miss the power. I also live in Germany where on certain autobahns I can really open the engine up. If I were in the states, I think the MC would be enough for me. Bottom line is the choice is yours. If you want the power go with the "S", because if you don't you may look back and say "I shoulda..."

 

S all the way, hate having regrets!

 

If you're already on the fence about which one to get, then get the MCS, because if you would have bought a MC, at some point you'd have that little voice in your head start pestering you; making you wonder if you made the right decision. "Would I have liked to have more power? Maybe I should have gotten the S".

Now, if you get the MCS, you'll never worry about your buying decision. You can acheive excellent gas mileage in both cars, if you can avoid being lead-footed, (good luck with that!).

Yes, most of us posters here on NAM might be biased towards the slightly higher performance that a MCS can provide, I'll admit it. But life is too short to drive an underpowered car!

(MC owners, I'm sorry about that...)

 

Depends on why you're buying a MINI in the first place.

Daily commuter on roads you can't open it up on anyway ? MC.

Daily commuter on wide open roads with high speed limits and no traffic, or for a weekend toy to go motoring ? MCS.

It's not brain surgery.

 

[quote=r56mini;1665328]I drove the auto MC for one day and the biggest difference I noticed from my manual MCS is that because MC has a lot less power the automatic tranny searches for the right gear all the time when going up a hill. It shifted back and forth between two gears because the engine just doesn't have enough power.

Can't say I have experienced this issue. However, I can imagine this could be true on a really steep hill. The beauty of the MCa is that you have options to get around any (perceived or real) lack of power: use the manual shift, or use the shift paddles. Preferably with Sport mode My daughter says this is "cheating", but I've been around the block long enough with sticks to truly enjoy not keeping that left knee moving all the time anymore in heavy traffic, or stop and go situations.

Best solution: buy an MC and an S. I could definitely get down with that

 

It's also not so black-and-white. My S is, for the most part, a daily commuter, in rush hour traffic. But I still get to spin the turbo and have some fun. It comes down to this and this only: Do you want to have what the S offers, even if you can't use it all the time? If you want it and don't get it for "practical" reasons, all you will notice when you get in the car is that it doesn't have a turbo.

 

By the same token, an MC shares the same MINI-esque handling characteristics and range of appointments as an MCS....and it drives/accellerates with attitude. So, in short, an MC is all MINI. What you get in an MCS is thrown back in your seat when you hit the gas...and some people love that in a big way. I myself do not need or want that and so, matching my wants to the right MINI, chose an MC (the stick version). I've driven lots of MCSs...I'd still choose a Cooper hands down. Apparently the head of MINI-USA, given all the MINIs he drives as part of his job, also prefers the R56 Cooper manual. Go figure.

The point is that neither model is better or worse....it's a match up to the driver, their expectations out of the car (power, fuel economy, appearance, driveability, overall balance) that counts. No one can make that decision for you, and as you can clearly see all of us have definite reasons (which we will defend) for buying the MINI we chose.

Questions like this will often leave the new MINI enthusiast in a state of :impatient because the input you get is all over the map, but that's the way it is. There is no right answer...just the right answer for you.

 

Exactly, gokart. Which is why I say that what counts is what you want.

 

Depends on your perspective, Lynn. I just can't see wasting all those horses on a long commute when you have no opportunities to drive over 50 or 60 mph and accelerating to that point is slow due to traffic.

The trade-off on MPG's just doesn't make sense to most people.

 

maybe the MC's I test drove were broken, or running on 2-3 cylinders


I have a short commute, 35 miles, speed limit is 35-45 the whole way, the mini is my daily driver, and every stop sign my foot is to the floor, all the way to the floor

 

^ Operator Error.

The MC is plenty zippy if you drive it right !

 

No, it depends on your (each person's) perspective. It comes down to you either want it or you don't. What "makes sense" is paying for what you want. For you, it's "wasting horses" so, for you the Cooper makes sense. For me, it's wanting those horses, so the S makes sense.

 

^ I think we're saying the same thing, just in different ways.

 

Ape Ear Rent Leah

 

I love my non-S Cooper. It has plenty of power for my purposes. I am curious about the S models and I imagine if I drove one, I would become addicted to it as I did the standard Cooper. That's why I don't plan on driving one for a while. At least not until I can afford to have two MINI's. There is no way I could part with Norton.

 

Again...expectations. Most Cooper owners do not have this issue. If you want a fast car, that's fine...but remember, this is a Mini/MINI. Minis aren't famous as muscle cars, but for their superior handling and frankly, plain fun.