In the past, it appeared that the MINI was typically compared against a VW GTI.

With the Scion FR-S just starting to become available, I'm wondering if that is the better car to compare to the MINI Cooper S.

Any opinions?

 

the FR-S may be my next vehicle, if / when i ditch the mini. it looks cool! neat engine concepts (8 injectors!) but id miss the power adder (turbo / SC).

not sure if you can "compare" the 2 cars just straight up, 2 different classes seems like: hatchback w/ turbos / SC's; and a coupe' with RWD.

what about the new VW beetle? thats a hatchback, and IMO, looks pretty bad*ss these days! they made them look "beefy-er"...

im still stuck on my supercharger. love the power and sound. id buy a car if it was twin charged, or SC'd, turbo at minimum, but dont care for the slight lag. if the FR-S was turbo, id probably go swap out my vehicles!

 

Mini and FRS in your garage is the answer.

The FRS is nothing like a Mini. The FRS is more like a street friendly S2000 with a better trunk. The S2000 has more to offer as a pure driver's car but on the street the S2000 is taxing on the driver even at slow speeds. The S2000 and FRS both want to be revved up in to the speeding ticket zone but the FRS will get fewer tickets due to unintended excessive speed. The FRS is a very nice coupe (I like the looks of the BRZ more) and I don't even think about the Mini box hatch when I drive the FRS. The seating in the FRS is very low and feels great. CG is very low in the FRS. The motor is exposed and you can get to the oil filter without burning your arm off. The Mini S feels like it has more torque and torque steer. The FRS needs to be driven hard because it is a kinda slow car that you can drive fast (more like the just Mini). Mini drivers are fun and interesting. I don't think the FRS community will have as many female drivers like the Mini does. The FRS is not a cute bulldog that wants to have apologetic stickers applied to it referring to size or scale. The FRS is the new RWD Integra (or AE86 / coupe like 80s Scirocco).

 

We looked seriously at a Subbie BRZ before getting the 2012 MCS. It was a nice car with great handling, but it was considerably more expensive to lease. Also, it was just a little too "boy racer" for this 59 year old man. The spoiler in particular screamed "ricer". Also, the only one available was bright blue with black wheels -- not my style.

 

I can relate. I was thinking that a Gray FR-S might not screem little boy race car quite as much as some of the other colors - such as red.

 

Indeed. A more subtle color would be more age-appropriate. The base BRZ does not have the radical spoiler, nor does the FR-S, I believe. One thing these cars do have is a loud exhaust, with some of sound deliberately piped into the cockpit. However, it has the flat 4 layout and sound is a little harsh for my taste. The sound of the MCS is distinctive but more refined, IMHO. Other advantages of the MCS are that the outward visibility is better, easier to get in and out of (there's that 59 year old thing, again) and the boxy styling also provides real-world cargo hauling abilities. All that said, I would not throw a BRZ or FR-S out of my garage.

 

What about the hyundai Velociter or Velocitor? They even copied the middle exiting exhaust like the Cooper S.

 

Oh and the new Ford Focus. Just saw the commercial, 254HP.

 

I would go BR-Z in a heartbeat for the simple fact of it having a RWD/6spd combo... and enough power to drift around town like Keiichi Tsuchiya.

 

For me the Veloster is over styled like a children's sports shoe or tacky boom box. It is interesting but difficult to love.

 

Haha, its Veloster people... I'd say the GTi and 500 Abarth are the direct competition for the Cooper S

 

Thanks for tip on the loud exhaust for the FR-S. Something to pay attention to on a test drive.

As for a subtle color - such as gray - to tone down the kiddie car look, too bad MINI hasn't taken a similar hint for the base/Justa hardtop. I was hoping that Eclipse Gray would eventually be offered as an option on the base/Justa instead of only on the MCS.

 

I don't mind the brighter colors on the Mini. Seems to go well with the classic British heritage. We are on our second Chili Red one, this time with body colored roof, which I like. I do have difficulty with the dark wheel look - nothing classic about that. It screams "ricer". But It does hide the ever-present brake dust, though.

 

Guess I'm showing my age wanting a (dull) gray car instead of a bright colored car

 

Oh yeah the Abarth. Im just mad cuz its smaller than my car lol.

 

That FRS/BRZ thing will look horribly dated in a few years, mark my words.

 

dont give the hyundai veloster a second look, trust me.... i sell hyundais and the veloster is crap. even the turbo isnt that great. we had one come back on a roll back a couple days ago because the car caught fire two days after the lady bought it... if i was to choose any hyundai at all it would be the genesis coupe, either the 2.0t rspec or the 3.8 track... those are the best

 

im still on the fence about the genesis. it looks "normal" from the front, and IMO its hard to tell its even a sports car until you see the side / rear of the car (unless you spend 2k on a body kit). also, doesnt the 3.8 v6 suck gas?

 

if you wanted a dull gray car you could get the GP

 

Smart four two there is a waiting list for them

 

where is my all Electric Sports Car?!?!! something Affordable!

 

Is there really? We see very few around here, which is good since my making fun of the owners has started to annoy my wife.

 

no not really. all the Hyundai cars get better mileage then us except the genesis sedan

 

I'd think the competition is still really the GTI, Fiat 500 Abarth, and now the Focus ST. The Volvo C30 is still out there, but lacking in the out of the box handling. There is a decent amount of aftermarket support for the Volvo, including that factory power upgrade to 250hp. Just too exspensive for me, given what it is.

 

We looked at the C30 as well. I also felt it was too expensive for what you get. That, and I don't want to look like Twilight driving around in that thing.