Mini Cooper S or SD
Discussion
I am looking to purchase a MIni Clubman but can't decide on which engine is best to have under the bonnet.
The petrol S or the diesel SD.
I tried both the Diesel and petrol cooper engines and was impressed with the diesels torque which is why I am now considering the SD.
Does anyone own either of the above in any of the model and if so would you recommend the engine you chose?
I am doing quite a few miles on a daily basis which is mostly B roads but driving pleasure is more important.
Thank you
The petrol S or the diesel SD.
I tried both the Diesel and petrol cooper engines and was impressed with the diesels torque which is why I am now considering the SD.
Does anyone own either of the above in any of the model and if so would you recommend the engine you chose?
I am doing quite a few miles on a daily basis which is mostly B roads but driving pleasure is more important.
Thank you
I assume you mean the original Clubman(2007 - 2015) and not the new?
I had a petrol R55 clubman for about six years. It was great fun and fairly reliable. The petrol engines are not as reliable as the diesel unit (or reading the forums it seems so). I had a thermostat housing fail at about 60k. The timing chain can be troublesome. And mine liked a drink of oil too (approx. a litre every 800 miles). The later engines (post 2010) are alledgedly more reliable
Having said that, it was great fun and was marginally quicker than the SD (I have not driven one though)
I had a petrol R55 clubman for about six years. It was great fun and fairly reliable. The petrol engines are not as reliable as the diesel unit (or reading the forums it seems so). I had a thermostat housing fail at about 60k. The timing chain can be troublesome. And mine liked a drink of oil too (approx. a litre every 800 miles). The later engines (post 2010) are alledgedly more reliable
Having said that, it was great fun and was marginally quicker than the SD (I have not driven one though)
mike9009 said:
I assume you mean the original Clubman(2007 - 2015) and not the new?
I had a petrol R55 clubman for about six years. It was great fun and fairly reliable. The petrol engines are not as reliable as the diesel unit (or reading the forums it seems so). I had a thermostat housing fail at about 60k. The timing chain can be troublesome. And mine liked a drink of oil too (approx. a litre every 800 miles). The later engines (post 2010) are alledgedly more reliable
Having said that, it was great fun and was marginally quicker than the SD (I have not driven one though)
Sorry should have mentioned it is the new model.I had a petrol R55 clubman for about six years. It was great fun and fairly reliable. The petrol engines are not as reliable as the diesel unit (or reading the forums it seems so). I had a thermostat housing fail at about 60k. The timing chain can be troublesome. And mine liked a drink of oil too (approx. a litre every 800 miles). The later engines (post 2010) are alledgedly more reliable
Having said that, it was great fun and was marginally quicker than the SD (I have not driven one though)
Thank you for your advice. Always been a petrol owner but the diesel seemed impressive.
The other issue is the governments condemnation of diesels now which seems to be a issue.
My wife bought a new Cooper S end of last year. Having been used to driving a Clubvan Diesel Cooper I thought the petrol engine was horrible and much preferred the standard turbo'd diesel engine and I'm a right petrolhead!! We sold it after 5 months and 5k miles, very glad to see the back of it. The engine had absolutely no character, soulless and sounded like a hoover.
Crazy4557 said:
My wife bought a new Cooper S end of last year. Having been used to driving a Clubvan Diesel Cooper I thought the petrol engine was horrible and much preferred the standard turbo'd diesel engine and I'm a right petrolhead!! We sold it after 5 months and 5k miles, very glad to see the back of it. The engine had absolutely no character, soulless and sounded like a hoover.
Wow. Driving the 1.5 petrol kind of left me the same way. Just felt a bit flat but I thought it was down to the weight of the Clubman.We just picked up a few weeks ago, a 2016 Clubman Cooper S (2.0 petrol auto) - mainly for the missus 
Its a punchy little car, very responsive (for an auto). I drove it back from central London to the North East and it was a nice place to be for 5 hours.
There are some good deals around on used Clubmans in the dealer network.
If it's my own cash, I don't think I'd be putting it into a diesel car.
I wanted a Golf GTE (hybrid) for her, but she knows best and decided she didn't like all the tech!
Its a punchy little car, very responsive (for an auto). I drove it back from central London to the North East and it was a nice place to be for 5 hours.
There are some good deals around on used Clubmans in the dealer network.
If it's my own cash, I don't think I'd be putting it into a diesel car.
I wanted a Golf GTE (hybrid) for her, but she knows best and decided she didn't like all the tech!
When we were first looking at MINI's we test drove both the Cooper D (~120bhp) and SD (~170bhp). Ended up going for the SD, as although we found the "D" was perfectly capable and had plenty of torque for everyday use, the SD offered so much more performance in comparison, and feels like a proper (baby) hot hatch. Loads of torque in any gear, and the engine doesn't sound too bad for a diesel. Perhaps a little loud, but doesn't clatter like your average diesel car. Plus there's a bit of noise from the turbo which adds to the fun.
We probably average mid 40's mpg on a 45 mile B road commute (although I'm sure this could be improved
).
My only complaint is that the ride can be a bit unsettled, but then we went for the 3dr hatch. I imagine the clubman is a little more refined.
We probably average mid 40's mpg on a 45 mile B road commute (although I'm sure this could be improved
).My only complaint is that the ride can be a bit unsettled, but then we went for the 3dr hatch. I imagine the clubman is a little more refined.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff