Cooper S Fuel Economy & Ride

[jcelee]

I'm weighing up my options for a work commuting car - will be 20-25 miles a day and a fair bit of it urban but little other use and very rarely carry any passengers. I like the idea of a hot hatch of some sort and the Mini is certainly high up the short list. It would probably be a 2004 or 2005 slightly revised car.

However, my concerns about the Cooper S surround reports of a very very hard ride - combined with not the best seats and lousy fuel economy.

What fuel economy are you guys typically achieving? (30+ or less?!)
From a drivers perspective how comfortable / uncomfortable is it?
Are there now any decent aftermarket seats about?

Thanks!

Jon

[jcelee]

Those JCW sports seats look great but what price do they start at? Any ideas?

I'm looking for the most comfortable setup so would probably try to find a car on the standard 16" wheels and ultimately switch to non run-flats. Ultimately cornering speed is not important to me for a commuting car - I have a Caterham for that