Nice. I'll look that up. Thanks

 

I think it's amusing that the R32 owner wanted to compare the handling of the cars: one of the few things that the MINI is clearly better at. He would have had a better argument had he compared quality of construction, materials, engine note, exclusivity, to name a few. I'd be amused to see what people would say about the handling of those two cars on a VDub board. No doubt the consensus would be different than the one here, but that consensus would be wrong.

 

Nah, on vwvortex, most owners aren't a fan the stock R32 handling.

 

Funny! When I first got my MCS, I'd pass another Mini, especially one that'd been clearly modded, and try to make eye contact. I think of all the Minis here, I've actually gotten a wave from one.

 

If I ever spot your car, I'll be sure to wave! I think everyone has their eyes fixed in front of them due to the over zealous police and abundance of red light cameras!

 

It looks like my sig, but blacked out grill, headlight and tail surrounds and beltline.

 

Yup, blacked out black MCS with Web Spokes, can't be too many of those around here! I have a blacked out PW/PW, chrome beltline, offset front plate and Challenge wheels; easy to spot!

 

if you ever come to the valley, look out for a laser blue S, white top, black sport stripes and black OZ rims
=D
wave !!

 

I assume you're referring to my post. I stand by it. Strongly. I've owned both cars, logging over 30k miles in the R, so I'm not just pissing in the wind here. I have no "pro-VW" bias whatsoever, and really WANT to like the handling of my MCS more than what the R delivered. But it comes up well short. IMHO. If you think I'm nuts, then we'll just have to agree to disagree. After all, we're talking about subjective opinion here, not some measurable difference, such as a skidpad G-rating (which would be largely useless to compare anyways).

The R is a much heavier car. But - and these two differences are HUGE - it's also AWD, with an excellent Haldex transaxle, and also has a vastly superior hydraulic steering system, compared to the MCS's numb and over-boosted setup. My MCS handled absolutely atrociously off the showroom floor, which I attribute mostly to the funky suspension tuning to try to atone for the rock-hard runflat sidewalls. The runflats were tossed the first week of ownership, replaced by 17" Pilot Exaltos, and shortly thereafter the suspension was upgraded with an H&R Touring Cup kit, which were collectively a quantum leap improvement in ride quality and handling. But this setup still falls short of my R's handling and feel, which was nearly stock - I had replaced the US-spec suspension with the OEM Euro parts, consisting of special H&R springs designed just for the car, and special Bilstein dampers, which provided a lower ride height than the US-spec components, as well as being better-quality gear (the US-spec car got no-name springs & dampers).

The MCS handles pretty well, for what it is, and for anyone coming from a larger car, especially if it wasn't of the "sporty" variety, it will indeed feel like it has "go-kart-like" handling. But compared to other cars in its class, especially in stock form, it's not so hot. IMHO. Disagree? Cool. But don't diss my opinion, because it's just that, an opinion, and it comes from ownership experience, and I carry no bias.

 

Okay, this is going to be considered blasphemy here, but I'm going to say it anyway. I agree that the MINI handles pretty well FOR WHAT IT IS. I'll even go one further and say it's probably near the top of the list for stock FWD'ers. It's biggest attribute is its relatively light weight, anyone who knows handling knows that weight is the enemy. That said, it's far, far from being the best handling car on the road which many owners seem to believe. I've had three MINI's and I love them for their lightweight "tossibility" that IMO promotes hooliganism (in a good way.) But pretty much any of the RWD cars that I've owned, and most certainly the mid-engined ones would run circles around my JCW is almost any contest of speed. The JCW came in next to last in Car and Driver's last Lightning Lap issue. It's prowess in extremely tight corners was simply no match for it's lack of speed compared to most of the other cars in their lineup. I guess my main point is comparing handling is very similar to discussing religion or politics, everyone has their ingrained biases.

 

Having owned all three cars ('04 R32, '08 MCS, '08 R32) with both R32's being stock and the mini lowered with H&R Street Perf Coilovers running lightweight 18" rims with PS2's, my favorite is the '04 R32. In the '04 R32, I could rail decreasing radius turns with total confidence under all conditions: dry, wet, bumps. The '04 R32 never surprised me. I still miss that car. The '08 R32 was a mistake. A totally different animal than the '04. To me the '08 R32 felt top-heavy. I traded my '08 MCS on the '08 R32, but, should have kept the MCS and swapped out the soft OE suspension bushings for poly bushings and lived with the torque steer as the MCS was fun to drive and great on gas! Today I drive a '10 WRX HB with some SPT goodies. Fast car that also needs some suspension work (Bilstein shocks, stiffer springs, poly bushings, bars) before it hopefully will handle like my beloved '04 R32

 

Sounds like some of you need to either go back to or get an R53.