It's not just narrow-minded, but also misinformed as well. It's just,...bizarre really. I started to write a long response, but I have to believe this is some kind of troll. That is the only way I can justify how extreme the perspective is.

 

I admit I'm weird. I had (and still have) it stuck in my mind, coming from classic Minis, that Coopers were great tuned cars and CooperS's were for a whole other class of driving. I guess I had that lodged in my noggin' when it came to MINIs, too. I always thought of a MINI as a Mini and so never really looked to it being a rocket, but a quirky, nicely balanced blend between ample power and superb handling. That was my expectation, and so I've always totally loved Coopers and never quite got the MCS...it just wasn't what I needed/wanted in my personal Mini/MINI. Again, I know I'm the one out-of-step here but it's worked for me.

 

When I test drove both the Cooper and the S, several times, before I bought the Cooper. The one thing I noticed that really stood out. No matter which one I drove, I was grinning from ear to ear when I got out.

Only the S scared me once due to its torque steer. Caused an inadvertent lane change when I was not ready for one. That is when I looked over to the Wife unit and said, the Cooper has more than enough power.

It really is simple. Both cars are a hoot, but only one is right for you. Regardless which one you get, you are probably going to have a blast with it.

 

You're not weird. It's never weird or wrong to be content with what you have. Far too many people spend their life saying "coulda, woulda, shoulda."

These threads comparing the Cooper and the S always end up with someone slamming the Cooper. It's a shame, really, because it's contrary to the spirit of the MINI community. Whatever you drive, enjoy it. And let others enjoy theirs too.

Welcome to the content minority, gokartride.

 

It's just ClubmanS's personal view and preferences - and he stated this like 3 times in his post.

I went from an R50 to R56 S as well - because I realised with all that the money I put into modding the R50 for power and handling (intake, MTH, suspension) - I was better off buying an S in the first place.

With the R56 S JCW - I don't see myself modding it until the warranty expires in 3 years. I really enjoy the power and handling, but again- it's just my personal taste.

I don't care about sunroof, leather seats or other expensive options.

But I can see how other people would - convinced my cousin to buy a MINI but failed to convince her to buy an R53 about a year ago - she went with an MCa and totally happy with it - she doesn't care about power and totally happy with the coolness of the car and handling compared to her SUV.

Like somebody said in the beginning of this thread - you got to drive both and decide which one do you like better and sit down and think what is important for you in the long run...

 

Not to put to fine a point on it Bor, but he made serveral declarations and rebuttals. Had he stuck to his opinion only, then no one would have had any problem with it.

His opinion is he likes the S better than the Cooper. I have no problem with that, and no one else would either, but stating "they are not a good value" without "I think" or "for me", it becomes a declaration. Similar instances are found in his post.

For me, the S is a lousy value. In the 10 years I will keep my car, it is pretty easy to surmise I will spend less on maintanance than I would had I gotten an S. I will spend less on insurance. I will spend less on gas. The Cooper, is chocked full of value. It just depends on what your sense of values are.

I could go on, but I hope you get the point. Whether it was intentional or not, the post reads badly.

 

That's what I like about every thread that ends up as MC vs. MCS: A certain number of MCS owners feel the need to let the MC owners know they made a mistake, rather than to each their own.

It's almost as if they have to justify in their minds their reasons for choosing the MCS.

If I wanted a muscle car, I would have stayed with the 1968 Camaro and the 1969 "Dukes of Hazard" Charger of my youth.

 

What he said (and what I was pointing out).

 

Yep, I just can't see a MCS doing this......



I have a MCS, but I have to say I really like the Cooper. With gas prices going to the moon the mileage of the Cooper is very attractive to me.

I do track days, but the fun for me is the cornering speeds not so much the straight aways. A Cooper would be big fun on track too.

In a couple of years I'll most likely buy a Cooper.

 

I agree. My wife has the 2.3L 5-door and even though it says 160 horses (and my MCS says 175hp), they are not in the same league wrt perceived acceleration/passing power. Like I said before I'll bet she would think the MCa is more powerful than her Mazda3 (but we'll find out).

 

The 2008 Mazda3 5-door spec sheet now says 156. I dont own one but have been considering one. However, I have a problem replacing a 1992 BMW 525i that gets 21city/27hwy with a barely better 22/29 Mazda3. It seems 15 years of auto evolution has failed to improve things much in the MPG category.

That's where the MC comes in:

Based on my rough calcs, a MC is chocked full of value. Compared to a Mazda3, driving it 12,000 / year will save ya about $400.

 

I went from a 2007 Focus ST to a 2006 R50. The ST had essentially the same 2.3L four-cylinder that's in the Mazda3. It was faster than the MINI, mostly due to the 154 lb-ft of torque, but not tremendously faster. And the Focus was not even remotely a match in the corners. The thing rolled liked a pig and would understeer like crazy.

While I do miss the power of the ST, I can definitely live without it because the handling, economy and build quality of the MINI more than make up for it. I have considered an S, and have even driven a couple, but dropping the handling and build quality from the argument, I think I am still satisfied with my R50.

As most of the good folks in this thread have said, you just have to make up your mind for yourself. I would like to own an S someday, but for now, my little R50 is plenty, and then some.

 

Wow... 80-some responses. I'll throw in my own thoughts.

I chose a MCS because I had the spare cash and knew that I wanted to have some modding fun and get into motorsports a bit... the MCS gives you more room to grow in that area. I could afford to get what I wanted so I didn't have to think too hard about it.

Honestly though, in day-to-day driving from home to office to grocery, I infrequently get to use the additional power that is between a MC and a MCS. It definately comes in handy on the track or Auto-X, but that's about it. I know a very talented driver, however who would kick my **** at Auto-X with him in his MC and me in the modded MCS... probably on the track as well.

When my local MINI club has fun-runs (spirited back-roads driving), the 'just-a-coopers' keep up just fine.

 

I took out my '02 R50 for a spin tonight and had an absolute BLAST with it!

 

I ordered MIB as a MC with a good ammount of options. Was 1000% happy untill the fatefull day I came accross a MCSc. I learned the words Super Charger Envy. I told myself that it was the best we could do at the time. I joined MINICCI and felt at home when we took the twisties but re-learned the Super Charger Envy on the interstate back home from the twisties. I then got to test drive a 2007 MCS. My next MINI will be a MCS. The question is will it be a used 2006 MCS or a 2008 MCS???

 

If it's super charger envy you're experiencing, you had better go with the 2006. Otherwise, you might be disappointed when you find out the 2008 has a turbo, instead.

 

Quite a shame. Made a mistake? Or made two since we just brought home our second MC in a month and a half this past Saturday? I think not. These little cars are amazing, regardless of whether they're puttering along at 118 hp or 172 hp.

In fact, on the trip back from the dealership Saturday, I had a big old SUV butt in front of me and cut me off from my partner who was in his new MC ahead. We started going around a curve involving a steep uphill climb, so I decided to show that SUV just how spirited these cars can be. Quite a thrill to go tearing around a vehicle 2.5x your size in the bend of a curve. That ended with the infamous grin from ear to ear. Needless to say, for our non-auto-x'ing needs, our little MC's have more than enough oomph for us.

 

 

.

I have 260+ horses coming off the crank and my car doesn't torque steer hardly at all. Were you holding on to the steering wheel when you put the pedal down? How on earth did you get a car with 160 HP to torque steer into another lane .

 

Skuzzy's got tha mad SKILLZ!

 

I realize this doesn't "prove" anything, but in the test results table on page 125 of the Jan. 08 Road and Track magazine there are results from their 07 MC and 07 MCS road test. The MC is slightly quicker through the slalom, has a slightly higher skidpad G-force capability, stops a bit shorter from both 80 mph and 60 mph, and get's a little better mileage. The MSC is 2.7 seconds quicker to 60, 1.9 seconds quicker in 1/4 mile, and tops out at 139 mph vs. the MC's 126. The handling differences are very small and could be the driver or the track or weather conditions on the test day, but, a stock MC should handle as well as a stock MCS, it's only in speed contest like 0-60 that it comes up short compared to the MCS. The table also shows the MC to be 120 lbs. lighter than the MCS.

 

???? Here, go get some groceries:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3s...elerating_auto

 

This struck me as somewhat strange as well. I have an MCSa with a few ALTA mods on crappy 195/55/16 all-season run flat tires and have never gotten that amount of torque steer. Granted it's definitely present, especially at WOT from a stand still, but not to the point of being any type of danger. Also I'm quite far from being a professional driver and usually have just one hand on the wheel. So it's really hard for me to imagine such a dramatic scenario.

 

The road was uneven and contributed some bump steer to the issue. I rolled on the throttle from about 10MPH in first gear. I have driven professionally. I had both hands on the wheel, but was caught off gaurd by the amount of force wanting to take the wheel out of my hands. I was also surprised how constant the force was. You should have seen the Wife unit hanging on to the passenger handle.

Maybe that particular Mini exacerbated the effect, but it was such that there was no way I would enjoy driving that car.

I was glad to get out of that Mini. For me, it was not fun to drive.

The second test drive of another MCS, I consciously avoided putting my foot down. While driving it, I realized, why should I have to worry about that?


Rustyboy, the amount of horsepower is irrelevant, It's the engineering of the design that will either increase or decrease the amount of energy imparted to the steering system.

 

Well, you drive a Cooper S JCW. He is referring to a Cooper. And really, straight-line driving is not the best way to measure MINIs anyway (unless you drag race).