MINI Cooper D or 320d
Discussion
Missus is looking at a new company car, the short list is down to either a nearly new MINI Cooper D or slightly older E92 320d (family firm so she can choose her own car). The BIK is higher on the 3 Series of course but that's not a deal breaker. Big attraction of the MINI is the 70mpg claimed fuel consumption although the E92 should return 50-odd mpg so the economy trade off for a bit more room and refinement isn't huge.
Be interested to hear what kind of mpg 320d owners get, and whether the MINI actually can do nearly 70mpg in the real world.
Be interested to hear what kind of mpg 320d owners get, and whether the MINI actually can do nearly 70mpg in the real world.
If driven very gently on A-roads it's possible to get an indicated 63mpg out of the Cooper D but in the real world with traffic and overtaking etc I'd say 54-56 is more likely. If a lot of town driving is involved you'd be looking at high 40s. All still very impressive!
That being said though the performance of the 320d is a lot more sprightly and you'd only be getting about 5 miles less out of every gallon!
That being said though the performance of the 320d is a lot more sprightly and you'd only be getting about 5 miles less out of every gallon!
Matt UK said:
Does she do a lot of miles? If so I'd accept the lower MPG and run the 320d.
If not, I'd go for the MINI but try and go for a petrol one if possible.
I've got to ask why? The non S petrols I've driven have all been gutless and required thrashing to get anywhere resulting in poor economy. The diesels on the other hand are smooth, have much better power delivery and deliver decent fuel consumption without any effort.If not, I'd go for the MINI but try and go for a petrol one if possible.
The Wookie said:
Matt UK said:
Does she do a lot of miles? If so I'd accept the lower MPG and run the 320d.
If not, I'd go for the MINI but try and go for a petrol one if possible.
I've got to ask why? The non S petrols I've driven have all been gutless and required thrashing to get anywhere resulting in poor economy. The diesels on the other hand are smooth, have much better power delivery and deliver decent fuel consumption without any effort.If not, I'd go for the MINI but try and go for a petrol one if possible.
And I've got a long-held belief that diesels used for short journeys give rubbish mpg and it does them no good in the medium term (based on my experience)
No experience of the MINI derv though or MINI n/a petrols, more a general ramble
Matt UK said:
Fair point, the only petrol MINI I tend to think of is the Cooper S.
And I've got a long-held belief that diesels used for short journeys give rubbish mpg and it does them no good in the medium term (based on my experience)
No experience of the MINI derv though or MINI n/a petrols, more a general ramble
Fair enough, to be honest I'd choose the S as amongst the more obvious advantages the economy is still decent! However even in the depths of winter running 15 mile journeys, the girlfriend's diesel convertible still turns out 45 mpg, and will do 55 on a longer run. Not awesome for a 1.6 diesel I know, but her old petrol struggled to hit 30mpg and generally was a horrid thing to drive.And I've got a long-held belief that diesels used for short journeys give rubbish mpg and it does them no good in the medium term (based on my experience)
No experience of the MINI derv though or MINI n/a petrols, more a general ramble
I know where you're coming from though, I had a 123d and although it was a great car, I wish I'd taken the hit on fuel economy and gone for a 130i. The Mini on the other hand is one of those examples where it really isn't worth bothering with the N/A petrol IMHO.
bennyboydurham said:
We're off to the local stealer, where the salesman tells me that the 318d has nearly all the performance of the 320d with cheaper tax, BIK and better fuel economy. Anyone opinions on the 318d, gents?
I wonder what his story is when people try to P/X a 318d? "I'm sorry sir, the market prefers the 320d, the economy difference is minimal and they're a second slower 0-60."In all seriousness, both are very good cars. The 320d has 30bhp more. It depends on your style of driving whether that matters to you or not.
Would imagine there are some good deals on nearly new or ex demo 3-series at the moment, with the new F30 arriving in the showrooms.
bennyboydurham said:
We're off to the local stealer, where the salesman tells me that the 318d has nearly all the performance of the 320d with cheaper tax, BIK and better fuel economy. Anyone opinions on the 318d, gents?
I borrowed one from the pool the other day. If all you need is a good motorway cruiser with adequate poke and low running costs, this engine is 99% of all you will ever need IMO.
Okay chaps here's what happened. We drove a Cooper D, a 318d saloon and 118d auto coupe. They didn't have a 320d available to drive. The 118d sounded like a bag of old nails but was reasonably brisk and felt pretty well screwed together. The 318d felt and sounded much more refined. The Cooper D was a hoot to drive and was genuinely pretty quick so I'd imagine that the Cooper SD with the 2.0 engine is a riot. There's plenty of room up front but the back is for people with no legs and the boot is pointless.
A 320d is a bit Ronny-Rep but it's such a good all rounder it's easy to see why every other BMW on the roads is one. If I can find one in budget with Idrive and a few other toys with sensible miles then I think that will be the choice.
A 320d is a bit Ronny-Rep but it's such a good all rounder it's easy to see why every other BMW on the roads is one. If I can find one in budget with Idrive and a few other toys with sensible miles then I think that will be the choice.
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