R&T has 6.3 for the JCW

MINI says 6.8 for MCS

Edmunds said 7.7

Clearly different mags have different times

 

wow... any reason for such different times? i mean a driver couldn't just do so bad. sure it wasn'tlike a base?

 

There is a reason.

MINI quotes 6.8 and 7.3 (for manual/auto)

Car mags will test cars. They all test differently. Some may abuse the cars driving in a way no owner would abuse his car. However, its a competitive business and they want to sell their mags ... get readers. Do you want to read 6.3 or 6.8?

Over the years you will know which mags to listen to and which to ignore. For example, its been said that C&D, usually the lowest numbers, will dump the clutch at very high RPMS in an Elise and pull a 4.3 time. The factory says 5.0 or so. Other mags get around 5.0 + or -. So if you own an Elise, your gonna quote 4.3 (maybe) ... after all its, in print.

Other mags like R&T, I believe, treat the cars more like owners will. So if they say 6.3 for a JCW, I will believe that. You believe what you want to believe. I think many times the same car is passed between mags. If your at the end of the line, the car may perform poorly because its been trashed. I've actually read reviews where the author thinks that is exactly what happened.

The other issue to consider is the variability in engine HP. While MINI claims 168 BHP, do you think every MCS has exactly 168 BHP? Somebody on MINI2 discussed dynos on hundreds of OEM MCS and some were 168 but others were 160 or less. Huge variability but usually on the downside. If you read some of the dyno threads here, one person will question why his car is 10 bhp less than someone elses with the same mods. Simple, all cars are not created equal.

Its all about quality control. So if MINI says 6.8, is that their best car or the worst car they sell? Or the average Car?

 

thxxxxx but its possible to get almost 1.5 seconds less?

 

I was giving our new friend the benefit of the doubt.....

Point still remains, if you are going to brag about how fast the Mini is in a straight line, look at the numbers. There's alot of *ahem* not-so sporty cars than can beat you at the drag strip.

Toyota Avalon anyone?

 

Yeah - check any issue of Car and Driver:

Compare their 0-60 (Dig) and 5-60 (Roll) times. 1.5 seconds difference is not excessive.

 

I used to work, and still drink, with a gaggle of reviewers. Some reviewed cars, others food, etc. The car guys are the first to admit that solid numbers are hard to come by. HP will only tell you so much. Testing an acurate 0-60 time is extremely difficult. It's 50% driver, 50% car.
But honestly, no one should buy a car for the 0-60 times. That's ridiculous. Buy a car for performance (all around), looks, reliability and whatever else.

I had a WRX (non STI). Nice car. Fun to drive, but ugly as sin...at least in my opinion. The interior feels and looks cheap; especially the seats. The mods weren't any more pricey than MINI mods. She was a great rally cross car. Ran 3 SCCA Rallies in her before I sold her off.
To compare the WRX with a MINI is like comparing apples to giant ugly hood scoops. They're very different cars. The WRX is no less or more fun to drive than a MINI.
If I had to choose, I'd stick with the MINI.

 

k.

 

5 - 60 is relatively new. Some cars do better at 0 - 60 but not as well at 5 - 60. A much better performance mark is like 40 - 70 or something where people may normally use the power for passing.

I would agree much of it is about the driver. However, that said, same driver, different cars should bring relatively the same results. In other words, Driver A drives Car A quicker than Car B. No matter how many timed runs they make, it should be relatively the same each time

 

But you also have different cars in this list you just spewed out.. R&T is JCW MCS while MINI's number is just MCS..

So of course its going to be different.

 

I met a nice young gentleman who works for BSSP (MINI's advertising agency) who drove a stock MCSc for the first time this weekend. He said he was disillusioned by the MINI's actual performance compared to the advertising claims he propagates.

 

Yeah, Chows - stop spewing out lists.

 

as I've said before on this forum (and been attacked for it), "marketing owns you". MINI fanbois (and girls) have bought the marketing hook, line and sinker - look how many say 'I motored this weekend', or 'under the bonnet' or 'in the boot'. If you talked like that to a non-NAM member, they'd at you. True story.

 

Of course he was. He drove the convertible. (200lbs and excessive chassis flex don't do much for performance.)

 

Each time you express your cabrio-phobic sentiments, I become more convinced you're really a closeted cabio-phile.

 

Nope. Overweight and flacid are not on my list of "turn ons."

 

That is true. The masses dont talk MINI-speak

Twisties ... If you hadn't heard that word from MINI, who would use that?

 

Dear confusedxpanda, Having read most, but not all the posts on this thread, some things come to mind. Lots of people are way too sensitive, and opinionated, or not very funny. Lots of people like to argue numbers that can be proven or disproven on any given day. Now, some words from an old geezer (you asked for opinions, remember?). I'm nearly fifty-nine and have never had a moving accident. Did I say I never went fast, no,or that I never drove foolishly, no. But I never got caught (that is, wrecked). I agree that you can go too fast in whatever,if you want to. You can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and get smashed. What, I believe many are trying to say, is don't trust what you think of yourself and your abilities. Train yourself and try to stay healthy. Yeah, you have to push the limits sometimes, just pick your places and times, when its not likely to hurt anyone else. Be careful and try to grow up to become an old geezer! What you buy is totally up to you. And no matter what draws "chicks" now, they all eventually learn to value trust and stability in a "real man". Good luck!

 

i see waht your trying to say.. i think alot of people were trying to say that above somewhere. most people just go off topic though

 

i used many of those terms before... but i am from england... but i do agree, mini did very well with marketing and have developed a whole mini-'british' sub culture that i find very refreshing

 

All the irrevelant opinions have been tossed out by the members here, but the most relevant - yours - hasn't been expressed.

To get back on-topic, tell us where are you at right now? What are your priorities, concerns, and thoughts regarding which car to purchase?

 

Care for some tea and crumpets with that MINI-"British" sub-culture, guv'nuh?

 

i would love some old chap

 

people expect it from you and it sounds normal! it just sounds so ridiculous coming from 'Sal from NJ' 'in da boot' 'unda da bonnit'

 

Well, as a midwesterner who now lives on the east cost, I have to say that just about everything that "Sal from NJ" says sounds ridiculous

No offense meant to anyone, I just think the accent here is fun