This is my first post here and I have only two days of MINI driving under my belt having just picked up my British Racing Green Mini cooper (non-S) on Wednesday.

I test drove both and chose the non-S version. When I was making my decision, I looked at the S as an option just like any other option that was available to me. My reasoning was pretty simple. The standard MINI has enough power for the way I use the car: commuting daily on a mostly busy expressway. In practice I have been very satisfied with my ability to, when necessary, weave in and out, or pass another driver. For these uses, although the S would have been slightly better than the standard Cooper at passing, that did not offset the MPG difference between the cars and that was important to me as well.

Having driven both, I also think that the specs suggest a bigger difference between the cars than actually exists in practice. They share the same engine, after all, and are similar in the amount of fuel that they burn. It certainly is a noticable difference, but it is not night and day. The "dog" comment is just not deserved, in my opinion. I also do not agree that the MINI is "underpowered." It think it is fairer to say that it is properly powered and that the S is nicely overpowered.

The S is a good choice and I would never say that someone threw money away on it. I just decided that the extra MPG in the standard Mini was worth more to me than the extra horsepower. Some day in the near future, I believe that people will pay more for a car that has better gas mileage than for one that has a bit more power. Adding power is always easy from a design standpoint, saving gas while preserving performance is not.

 

Wow, this thread got way off track didn't it. Not to join the debate, but I do have to agree with LynnEl and Skuzzy that saying the MC is a dog is a bit antagonistic. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but that was more of a statement than an opinion. If he said that he *thinks* the MC is a dog, that would be a little less antagonistic as it is more like an opinion, and less like telling all MC owners that their cars suck.

Anyway, getting back on track, when I bought my car I could have easily lived with either model. Both are a ton of fun to drive, a whole lot more fun than any other car in that range that I have ever driven. I did end up getting an MCS, but it is only because I feel more comfortable having that bit of extra power when I need it.

Sit and drive both cars and let that make your decision, not strangers from an internet forum. By nature you are generally going to get a biased opinion based on what someone has bought.

 

Well after reading this thread and posting this morning I drove to work. I had the opportunity to demonstrate the agility of my MC, better than I have in the past. I was making a right onto a two lane freeway ramp. There was some traffic a little ahead of me making a left onto the same ramp. An 18 wheeler (gas truck) was in the traffic that had turned left. He was probably empty, accelerating very fast and moving a little into my lane out ahead of me. Not to worry, my 'under powered' MC accelerated nicely to about 4,000 rpms and left all that traffic behind me. It didn't throw me in my seat, but when needed it behavd rather nicely.

 

Welcome, lawguy! I love your last sentence. A nice conclusion indeed. Enjoy

 

Well, we have both so we're equal opportunity here.

 

^ Me too !

I'll rank our MINIs in order of driving fun:

1st place = CR MC
1st place = JB MCSC
1st place = PW MC

Well, the PW doesn't see as much fun motoring as the other two because the primary driver of that one doesn't use the Sport Mode very often.

 

I have been considering the "dog" remark and my resposne to it and believe both were less than helpful. While the poster of the "dog" remark may have not intended to insult or antagonize anyone and was using the term solely to express his view that the Cooper is slow, it was, no doubt, antagonistic to some people here, especially ones who own Coopers. It's somewhat akin to telling someone with glasses that glasses are "geeky." But, more importantly, such a post does little to inform the OP. When someone posts a question, we should do our best to give the poster an answer he/she can use. Contrary to what another poster said, opinions are very useful, but only when provided with their basis. Too, my response to the "dog" post was not ideal, especially to a new poster. I, too, should have explained my opinion of his remark. (On the other hand, when I see such a post from a 6th gear NAMmer, who is also an officer of a MINI club --- and I have seen such a post ---- I have no problem being blunt). So, now having said this, I can sleep again.

 

But it's morning!!! You can't sleep now.

 

Very clever!!!!

 

Yes, but I'm at work.

 

Oh, well, then go back to sleep.

 

With some experience you get used to compensating for torque steer.

 

Glad that some of the bad feelings are getting worked out. One of the first things I noticed on NAM is that you have to figure out what perspective each person is coming from.

I was concerned about the ride comfort of the MCS before I bought. I test drove an MCS with sport suspension and 17in runflats. I figured that's about as bad as the ride would get and it didn't bother me at all. I found a many posts here that thought the ride was bad and others that thought it was fine. One of the most vocal posts was adamant that ride comfort was a huge problem. My concerns were put to rest when I found out this person was coming from a BMW 7 series.

I'm coming from a VW Jetta Wagon (now that car was underpowered). These are 2 completely different perspectives. We see that to be the case here. The person who has been driving 300hp cars is going to bound to have a different take on the Cooper than someone who's been driving that Jetta Wagon, which had the same hp and about 500 more pounds.

 

Back to the original post. I did a quick internet search and found this (and lets not quibble over exact numbers). Maybe this will help give some perspective on performance - and what might best fit your expectations.
The MCS has a 0-60 acceleration time of about 6.5 seconds
The MC manual is about 8.5 seconds
The MC auto is about 9.5 seconds
In comparison:
2007 Chevy Tahoe SUV with 5.3L auto is about 8.6 seconds
2007 VW Rabbit with 2.5L manual is about 8.5 seconds
2007 Toyota Camry with L4 auto is about 9.2 seconds (article said that 75 percent of Camrys sold are L4 versions)
2007 Toyota Camry with V6 is about 7 seconds
2007 Honda Accord L4 manual is about 7.9 seconds. Auto is about 8.5 seconds
2007 Honda Accord with V6 auto is about 7 seconds

 

A link to this review of a MC was posted on motoringfile today:
http://www.wheels24.co.za/Wheels24/R...154571,00.html

A good review. Seems the OP has disappeared since page 1.

 

Some fool didn't know how to put it into Sport Mode.

 

Wow camry and accord are blazing!

 

Very true, which is why it is imporant for a poster to give some perspective, as opposed to just making a flip remark. For example, one could certainly assign different value to some one who is comparing the MINI's ride to his former BMW 7 Series vs. a VW GTI.

 

Generally I find that if you make sure your brain is in gear before engaging your mouth (or in this case, fingers), you can usually avoid nasty posts like what occurred here. Simple addition of words so that you are forming an opinion instead of being insulting can go a long way.

Anyway, my opinion still stands, drive both and let that make your decision.

 

While these are probably the correct official times, it is true that the MCa was faster than the MC on the track at the U.S. R56 rollout in Arizona. Someone mentioned this earlier. The shifting on the MCa is darn quick!!!

 

The MC Auto is a fast little ride. Hard enough to keep it under 70. First day out...30 mi to the gallon.

 

going to TD MCa and MCSa again today

 

^ Ewwwwwwwwwwwww... lucky you !!! Have fun !!

Let me tell you... they are BOTH a load of fun. And I know of what I'm talking about.

 

Nice....first test drives?? Make sure and turn sport mode on and off to see how shift point are affected (also impacts throttle and steering). IMO, when they say "sport mode" they mean it...I generally leave it off for my daily driving. Give yourself some room when you floor it in the MCS!!! Personally, I can't use all that extra power so I opted out...but it is there!!!

 

Wasn't that at an autocross? There wouldn't be much shifting going on there anyway. Possibly only one 1->2 upshift and that's it.

And, if I remember correctly, the automatic had the sport tires and the manual had the all season tires. Put the same tires on both and the results may change.