This is my first Mini, I bought it used from someone advertising on this site with 9000 miles. It is a 2008 MCS with Sport, Convenience, and Premium Packages, Dark Silver, Black Top. The first owner also added the full JCW suspension and an Alta turbo back exhaust with CAI.

My overall impression is that the car is more of a downsized BMW than a purpose built "sub compact". It feels tight, solid, and planted on the road. It also feels like a sports car, not an economy car with performance added. The mods may have something to do with that.

The power still seems impressive, for the relatively small amount of hp it really goes! My fuel economy is what I expected, 26/34. But considering the performance, that's amazing.

The driving position and seat are very comfortable (I'm 5'10" tall) and controls are easy to reach. This is also a car you need to learn to use. It seems packed with tech and reading the manual is a must. Oh, and my 7 and 9 years daughters fit in the rear seat just fine and love the "race car" feel.

One word of caution, this is my first front wheel "performance" car and it is a different animal than rear wheel drive. First, it is light and bounces around on rough pavement. Torque steer takes getting used to, I hope to reduce that with some changes. I recommend working your way up to the car's limits if this is all new to you.

So, to sum up, this is a great car and all I'd hoped it would be. If it holds up and continues to run as expected I'm looking forward to years of fun!

 

Agree about the solid, planted feel - it feels very stable and sure at highway speeds, as a bimmer it should. However the car is not packed with tech, just MINI quirkiness, which still takes getting used to. It's an illusion!

 

I came from an 06 BMW 330xi sedan and I agree with this statement 100%.