Thats what makes the MINI more fun than my 05 WRX (actually 9-2X)... getting caught in the wrong gear was life threatening. Combined with an impossible clutch action, I was always worried about keeping in boost than just having fun motoring. I suspect the stis with 6 gears and the later generations with a bigger base displacement don't have quite the fear factor.

 

wrx vs sti

wrx = garden tractor
STI = race car

 

Isn't that the truth!! I loved my WRX but the STi was so much more than the WRX! I do miss my STi a lot!!

 

so james,

MCS= riding lawn mower
JCW= farm tractor

 

I think the Cooper S vs Jcw comparison has the same outcome as the wrx vs sti results

I rode in my buddys cooper s over the weekend and was not impressed.I do have a question about the cooper s ,does it always feel like the parking brake is on ?

 

Good thing Mini's arent known for their straight line speed. Only thing the bare JCW has on a MCS is the bigger brakes. Or am i incorrect yet again?

 

trans ratios,uprated flywheel and pressure plate ,turbo,pistons,uprated head,air intakepipe,exhaust,ecu tune,downpipe,exhaust,
brakes .

 

OOOps, i meant suspension/handling wise... doh!!

 

just the brakes

 

We always get off topic JamesHunt!! haha

 

I had that feeling for about a split second, then I remembered the last gas-fillup when one of the cities most reknown "ricers"came up and asked what year my "Pocket-Porsche" was.... (He had come off the highway with me).

I like my Pocket Porsche, even though its really a Bini...

and I'm looking forward to the M7-Tuning AGS w/Vortex Scoop......

 

Wow, I'm going to have to get myself into a JCW and feel what it feels like! I may have to give the S to the fiance and get me a JCW!! : )

 

buy one with zero options

 

That may be true. But the price premium sure goes up a lot for the privilege... especially as I bought my 9-2X for several grand less than the WRX (plus 1 more year warranty / free service). Given my MINI was many grand again less than the WRX, I'm pretty happy about the performance per dollar.

I think for most normal driving, the S can be a lot of fun. You're not going to win drag races, but its quite nifty at what I'd call restrained aggressive driving speeds.

 

I've got to comment on this. Sorry.

I have used K&N filters in all of the cars I've driven since 1997. My First being a 97 Trans Am WS6. I have NEVER had a problem with a K&N drop in filter! I clean/reoil them every 10k miles based upon the procedure in the cleaning kit. Does it add noticiable horsepower? Nope. Does it add throttle response? Yup. Does it change the sound of the engine? Depends on the car. Will I be getting one for my '10 MCS? You bet, I pick it up this weekend.

~MattS

 

Yup, that's what I did. I went in figuring I would have to get an S. You should have seen the look on my face when I found out a base JCW was 29 and change. The only options mine came with are bluetooth and the MFW. And that's only because they couldn't find me one with none, and I didn't want to wait to have one made.

The only options I cared about came standard on the JCW.

 

Same goes with the S though... stripping that sucker down gets down near econobox ranges. I was shocked when my friend mentioned she got the non-S for price reasons and ended up paying several thousand more than my S.