Yesterday my wife and I took the MINI Challenge. Great idea, loved the cars. Only wish they had a WRX and MazdaSpeed3 to compare with. Both cars I love.

Now I've driven the new GTI several times before and wasn't too impressed other than the excellent interior quality (sorry MINI), ergonomics, and space. But was always disappointed in the handling compared to the R53 and R56. In short, I went in expecting the GTI to be a boring car with the MCS a clear winner.

So at the MINI Challenge I drove them back to back on the track 4-5 times each and have to say, the GTI is one kickass car. It has ever so slightly more body roll, and a fraction of a second more turbo lag, but I was getting consistently better times in the GTI than the MCS!!! And the DSG is something else to talk about. Here's hoping the MCS will have a similar system in the near future! (Common, I'm waiting!)

Now I'm still waiting to hear back from my MA if the MCS had sport suspension, but both cars had 17" wheels.

Has anyone else driven them back to back and can comment? I've been dead set on a MINI for over a year and I love the MINI enough and realize it's not a completely rational decision, but the GTI has too much to ignore. I should also say that the #1 thing for me in a car is fun handling. Next week I'm trying the WRX STi and MS3 again.

 

I haven't driven the GTI and Mini back-to-back, but I've driven both a fair bit. The GTI is definitely an excellent car. I found the DSG to be a bit abrupt/hesitant at slower speeds, both in manumatic mode and as an auto. The space would be nice if it were an issue for me, but it's not. I'm sure its handling could be vastly improved with some aftermarket upgrades, but I found the chief difference was in the fun factor. I also prefer smaller lighter cars, and the Mini wins there. It's hard to go wrong either way, but the Mini was better for me personally.
The MS3 is definitely a quick car and handles quite well. I was surprised at the quality of its interior and the bang for the buck. Again, the fun wasn't there. The Mini was the only car that consistently put a smile on my face.

 

I've driven them. If your priority is fun handling, the MINI has no match. If you are looking for the fastest and the quickest, there are plenty of contenders. IMO the closest competition for the MINI is the GTI. Mazdaspeed3 is made for speed. WRX used to be a contender....

 

We own an 04' Audi TT 3.2 V6 DSG (25k miles & holding) & I just sold my Audi A3 2.L T (APR) DSG (19K miles) to buy my 3rd Mini in 5 years. My perspective as an Audi DSG owner and also a former BMW M3 SMG owner is biased:
-All servo-electric "quasi-manual" transmissions such as the fine VW/Audi and the not-so-fine BMW SMG are a matter of driver preference. A subjective taste debate to a large extent.
For example:
-DSG coupled w/ a turbo engine is less seamless & transparent than the same tranny in used w/ a normally aspitrated engine. Think turbo response (lag) in relation to DSG software quirks. The combination can be very frustrating in city driving where one has to "wait" for the two to get it together (too often.) At WOT in the manual mode (driver select's the gear) the DSG/turbo is frankly unbeatable compared to any manual transmission. No human can shift as fast as the DSG.
-The DSG is excellent BUT some people will fine it forever frustrating as a daily driver. Keep in mind the DSG is all about software & currently it's not perfect by any means.
Dependability:the DGS is a twin-clutch tranny that has not yet proven it's durability in long-term real-world driving applications. One should think carefuly before modding ANY DSG car since VW/Audi will yank the DSG warranty at the merest sign. Also the DSG is dead in the water with electrical failures, software glitches and certain thermal extremes.
-DSG repair cost is generally very high and most VW/Audi dealers are woefully inexperienced with repairing the DSG. Maybe this will change in the future. Mandated DSG oil change intervals !!! $$ (sealed unit that needs careful attention and owner awareness)
DSG w/ normally aspirated engines: Simply a better fit IMO. Throttle inputs, RPM matching (up & down) and daily driving seems much less artificial in this context. Software is very well suited to the normaly aspirated powerplants. Impressive.
-Be sure to read the various VW/Audi blogs before taking the DSG plunge.
As for the GTI being measurably better than the Mini R56? It's a matter of great complexity; something that can not be reduced to simple data/spec comparisons. I sold a fast Audi A3 DSG for my 3rd Mini. After a lot of time & $ w/ the Audi I came to the conclusion that the lower weight, platform and modding potential of the R56 out-weighed the VW/Audi advantage. Also the visual blandness of the GTI & the Audi A3 is an impediment to my enjoyment of either car.
In the end the VW product is impressive but so is the Mini.

 

It's true, if you're looking for fun then, IMO, the Mini has no peers. The GTI is much more user-friendly in the real world but it feels more like an appliance than an entertaining vehicle, which is why I gravitated toward the MCS.

 

For me, I drove the 6MT,GTI and it handles very well and has an excellent powerplant in the 2.0T. But the overall seating and dashboard layout seemed rather unsporty and almost truck like. The styling is just bland, same goes for the A3. In the end I was looking for something unique, sporty, light, quick and fun, for every day driving (not racing on a track) and the Mini meets this requirment on all accounts. There is NO other car available in North America that accomplishes this, at least in my opinion.

 

I think I've come to the same conclusion between these two cars. The MINI just seems more fun. It has a good attitude. The GTI & VW seem like a snob.

Although I think the WRX will give good bang for the buck. Except that the styling is %!@#.

 

I've always liked the WRX and STI as well. Love the sound of the boxer engine. But Subaru styling is always about 5 to 7 years in arrears and the 4-door sedan, just doesn't cut it.

 

My thoughts exactly. Beautiful to drive, and even though I don't care too much about the looks, yuck!

 

i went to the mini challenge today as well. and i have the same thought as you. the GTi was pretty good. I have to say its the best car in the event. But i still like the look of the mini. And also one thing, the MCS auto is actually pretty good compare to the R53. I even like it more than the Manual.

 

I would have to say that the auto dsg in the vw is awesome compared to any other auto out there, the vw dealerships in my area lack quality and customer service skills. The mini is a car that is like an extension to your body and it just makes you smile, the gti handles well but it lacks that sixth sense with you and the road. The interior in the vw is sweet, but it is heavy and has a big blind spot in the 3 door hatch. The wrx is reliable and awesome but the paint is cheap and the interior is outdated and kind of cheap. The Mazdaspeed 3 is the quickest of the bunch but it's still a mazda and it has way too much torque steer. I'm opting for the mini, I'm just wondering if I should wait until the 08 models come out? Hands down the mini seems to be the nicest overall in my opinion. I juist drove an 08 lancer and I thought that it looked really nice and is mad roomy, but it has no engine at all, I wonder if they will bring out another model before the evo comes out to compete with the wrx instead of the evo, that would be as Borat would say Very Nice.

 

Thank you, YG!!!!!! I have been struggling to find a term. Appliance is perfect!!!!

 

My seat of the pants guess is that no, it didn't have sport suspension.

My friend has a new 4-door GTI (just wrong, if you ask me) and it has a ton more body roll than my R56 with sport suspension. Maybe the 2-door coupe has less, or VW offer a stiffer option, but I didn't see it.

 

The plain styling, weight and milage are the only negatives I had about the GTI. There's a bit more sports car in the MINI vs. GT in the GTI. The 4dr GTI and Audi A3 will compare even better with the R55.

 

Many think the gas mileage of the MINI is a disappointment. I don't agree. But it really is no economy car.

 

The GTI is a car that I admire very much so and if it weren't for the MINI it would probably be the car of my choice. But I drive cars until the wheels fall off and something tells me that the exterior design isn't something that will age very well. Another example of the advantages of evolutionary design MINI adopts - timeless good looks.

 

Have things changed with the suspension set up ? The MCS had sport suspension before just by virtue of being an MCS (I think it was only an option on the MC and perhaps 'verts) - so if that is still the case that R56 MCS would have had it.

No idea if the VWs come standard with sports suspension, but in the past when I went to any of those car comparos it was amusing howthe competitors cars were frequently not as well equipped as the sponsoring manufacturer's cars, didn't have equal suspension or tires, and probably were not as well maintained and kept in form. I don't know if that is what Mini did or if it was conspicuous, but I always take those events with a pinch of salt, and if I really want to see what a car is like, try to drive one equipped as I'd want on the street since a smooth parking lot closed course can only reveal so much.

 

I can't help you on whether there is a difference between the standard suspension on the R56 MC and MCS, but there is a sports suspension as a $500 option on the new MCS. Stiffer springs with larger sway bars on the sports suspension. The MCS does ride 4 mm lower than the MC, FWIW.

I don't recall the GTI having a sports suspension option. To me, I really felt the weight in the twisties and came away with that sense lack of involvement that is somewhat in the bein of the appliance sentiments others have mentioned.

More fun=more better.

Oh yeah, I second the notion that this sort of setting is not ideal for getting the true feel of a car.

 

In short, things did change for the R56.

 

Got it That is too bad though, it made sense that the "S" version was already set up to be 'sporty' and that it did not cost more to add sport suspension.

 

You get sport seats.

 

By "still a Mazda" do you mean a good value that's fun to drive and reliable? Too much torque steer? An extra 90 horses will do that. Honestly, I don't remember it as being much worse than the 2004 MCS I drove a while back.

I'm going to have to have a back roads throwdown between the two to make up my mind this summer. We'll see. I really want to like the Mini better but unless dealers are still marking up the MS 3 it will be an interesting contest.

 

While I tend to agree, this seems to be an area where MINI is trying to hit a slightly more "middle" market while not completely alienating the enthusiast. Like you say, though, too bad the enthusiast now has to pay more to have the sportier model remain "sporty."

 

buy both.!

 

At the Pitt Meadows airport?

The MCS auto isn't bad, except that it didn't have LSD and was wasting too much power in those curves. I got the "slow down" command with that car, smoke was just flying off those tires. I'd like to get the full specs of the cars we were driving.