Discussion
A few weeks ago i was idly considering replacing my Alfa 156 and was mostly looking at 7-10 year old CLK's and generally 6 cylinder German stuff.
Anyway i popped into a MINI dealership just to have a nose around, and they had a Cooper S in a lovely spec. I took it out for a quick test drive and i was pretty much sold on it, despite having to double my budget (both man-maths and real maths were used to justify this )
After a few weeks and some back and forth the deal was done, i then went on my honeymoon the next day, which gave me something to look forward to on my return. I picked it up yesterday.
So its a 2011 Cooper S manual in Eclipse Grey.
IMG_3046 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3049 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3050 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3026 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
The spec is pretty much exactly how i would have specced it myself, the important/nice bits being Xenons, Sat Nav / Media pack, Chilli Pack, Cream Lounge Leather (this is lovely and really sets of the interior, making it feel like a lovely place to be), 17" Conical spoke wheels with non-runflats and being a 2011 car it has the later, less troublesome 184bhp engine
Its the little details that make these cars feel a little special to me, the chrome filler cap, little toggle switches in the interior, the nicely integrated nav/media system.
IMG_3040 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3037 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3035 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3030 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3027 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
First impressions are that it feels pretty fast, if not ballistically fast. In short bursts of acceleration between bends it feels really rapid. Prolonged acceleration highlights the turbo'd nature of the engine and without the rush towards the redline that you get with a N/A engine it feels fast without feeling very fast. To be honest i would say its ideal for fast road driving as you can use the performance, although putting the hammer down in second and third sees you very quickly getting to 90mph. It hides its speed very well for a small car.
Ride and handling are great, it feels so planted in the corners and changed direction really nicely. Despite being on 17's the ride seems pretty good to me, despite what the internet would have you believe. Maybe the non-runflats are helping here.
The engine sounds a bit humdrum on tick over and isn't the loudest whilst pressing on, although it does make a nice gruff noise. Maybe i need to do something with the induction... With the sport button pressed the pops and bangs on the over-run are pretty hilarious. But this has encouraged me to drive around in 1st gear in built up areas to hear the echos of the walls
And whilst finding this all out i have averaged 38mpg, not too bad!
I love the car and am really pleased with it. Only problem is that both me and my wife have MINI's now, and im pretty sure thats not very cool
Anyway i popped into a MINI dealership just to have a nose around, and they had a Cooper S in a lovely spec. I took it out for a quick test drive and i was pretty much sold on it, despite having to double my budget (both man-maths and real maths were used to justify this )
After a few weeks and some back and forth the deal was done, i then went on my honeymoon the next day, which gave me something to look forward to on my return. I picked it up yesterday.
So its a 2011 Cooper S manual in Eclipse Grey.
IMG_3046 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3049 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3050 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3026 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
The spec is pretty much exactly how i would have specced it myself, the important/nice bits being Xenons, Sat Nav / Media pack, Chilli Pack, Cream Lounge Leather (this is lovely and really sets of the interior, making it feel like a lovely place to be), 17" Conical spoke wheels with non-runflats and being a 2011 car it has the later, less troublesome 184bhp engine
Its the little details that make these cars feel a little special to me, the chrome filler cap, little toggle switches in the interior, the nicely integrated nav/media system.
IMG_3040 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3037 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3035 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3030 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3027 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
First impressions are that it feels pretty fast, if not ballistically fast. In short bursts of acceleration between bends it feels really rapid. Prolonged acceleration highlights the turbo'd nature of the engine and without the rush towards the redline that you get with a N/A engine it feels fast without feeling very fast. To be honest i would say its ideal for fast road driving as you can use the performance, although putting the hammer down in second and third sees you very quickly getting to 90mph. It hides its speed very well for a small car.
Ride and handling are great, it feels so planted in the corners and changed direction really nicely. Despite being on 17's the ride seems pretty good to me, despite what the internet would have you believe. Maybe the non-runflats are helping here.
The engine sounds a bit humdrum on tick over and isn't the loudest whilst pressing on, although it does make a nice gruff noise. Maybe i need to do something with the induction... With the sport button pressed the pops and bangs on the over-run are pretty hilarious. But this has encouraged me to drive around in 1st gear in built up areas to hear the echos of the walls
And whilst finding this all out i have averaged 38mpg, not too bad!
I love the car and am really pleased with it. Only problem is that both me and my wife have MINI's now, and im pretty sure thats not very cool
Edited by jimmy156 on Tuesday 12th August 13:02
sagarich said:
Great write up Jimmy.
Can't wait to see it in the metal.
Thanks! Yup looking forward to our spirited drive!Can't wait to see it in the metal.
TheBALDpuma said:
Looks smart mate! Looking forward to taking it on the track!
we'll see about that...See the ducts on the front bumper, they are functional and direct air to the brakes. So we shouldn't have the brakes peeing out smoke like they did on the ST220
95 fiesta si said:
like the sat-nav in the speedo dial. I Like the unique interior styling and design.
Yeah i like that too, looks miles better then some systems where they look bolted on (im looking at you, Mercedes Benz)Edited by jimmy156 on Tuesday 12th August 15:52
TheBALDpuma said:
It's also not a 230bhp, 1600kg estate car with the same brakes as the 2.0l ghia!
I didn't realise the brakes weren't uprated, that would explain a lot!Thanks for the nice comments, really pleased with the spec. I much prefer the cleaner look without the body kit (Aero/JCW kit?) that a lot of them have.
JamesD1 said:
Very nice indeed. I have a soft spot for these, although anyone I know who has owned a mini has result in financial ruin and therefore puts me off a bit (didn't want to sound to jovial).
I think Jimmy will be ok with a full BMW approved used warranty...My wife on the other hand has spent a fortune keeping her 03 Mini Cooper on the road.
JamesD1 said:
Very nice indeed. I have a soft spot for these, although anyone I know who has owned a mini has result in financial ruin and therefore puts me off a bit (didn't want to sound to jovial).
My wifes car (MINI one) has been nearly faultless in the 2 years she has owned it, it has only needed 1 service and and air-con regas in its 23,000 miles. Still got plenty of tread left on the original tyres too's!Went for a drive with sagarich the other day, a few snaps below. PH brownie points for guessing the location, near a place of PH interest.
IMG_3064 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3068 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3080 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
Further thoughts on the car, it really is a hoot to drive. It feels very planted during change of direction and under braking. It is still feeling pretty quick to me and i am enjoying the torque from about 2500rpm it pulls pretty nicely.
The looks of the car, both inside and out, have really got me hooked. It really does feel like a nice place to be i keep glancing back at it once i have parked, which is surely a good sign.
I am loving having xenon's too, my alfa had candles for headlights so driving at knight is a whole new experience!
I am averaging to 40 to the galloon with mixed driving which seems pretty good to me. Having played about with the MINI connected software i have found that you can get an engine temp gauge up on the infotainment screen, along with a power and torque output, which is gimmicky but i quite like it.
You can also download 'apps' that give you badges for certain achievement in the car. One is for managing the 0-60 sprint in a certain amount of time! It does keep telling me that my braking and cornering is dangerous though, and my acceleration CRAZY!
Even with a later car still keep an eye on the oil level. more so then you would with a normal car.
Put a JCW exhaust and it sounds a lot better. I have an 08 cooper S, does torque steer and they are a fun little car. mines my sensible daily economic car and my cerbera my mad weekend, summer toy or when i'm bored of 175bhp
Put a JCW exhaust and it sounds a lot better. I have an 08 cooper S, does torque steer and they are a fun little car. mines my sensible daily economic car and my cerbera my mad weekend, summer toy or when i'm bored of 175bhp
pmessling said:
Even with a later car still keep an eye on the oil level. more so then you would with a normal car.
Put a JCW exhaust and it sounds a lot better. I have an 08 cooper S, does torque steer and they are a fun little car. mines my sensible daily economic car and my cerbera my mad weekend, summer toy or when i'm bored of 175bhp
As the owner of a car with an alfa twin spark engine for the last 4 or 5 years i am well used to weekly oil checks, a good habit to be into! That car would use a litre every 650-700 miles or so, hopefully this will be better then that! I checked the oil today and it was pretty mucky which does point to it being consumed a bit, plenty in there though Put a JCW exhaust and it sounds a lot better. I have an 08 cooper S, does torque steer and they are a fun little car. mines my sensible daily economic car and my cerbera my mad weekend, summer toy or when i'm bored of 175bhp
Wish i had a Cerb for the weekend. One of my favourite cars and fav TVR. I did work experience at Fernhurst TVR when i were a lad, i have been hooked ever since. The MINI is my commuter, fun car, ikea car (hah!) and hopefully track car!
My GF has had 6 MINIs, 2 SC Cooper S' and one Turbo S, the turbo S caused problems towards the end with carbon build up and also had a rattly DMF. BMW can walnut blast them to overcome the carbon build up, however I just used SeaFoam every few K to clear it out
She now has a 2013 JCW, and if you think the S exhaust pops, have a go in one of these, at times it can literally be like shotgun fire!
I love it, it has most of your spec bar Lounge leather (hers has carbon punch), but her old S had the Redwood Lounge (I think) which was lovely, so good choice
She now has a 2013 JCW, and if you think the S exhaust pops, have a go in one of these, at times it can literally be like shotgun fire!
I love it, it has most of your spec bar Lounge leather (hers has carbon punch), but her old S had the Redwood Lounge (I think) which was lovely, so good choice
Faxo said:
My GF has had 6 MINIs, 2 SC Cooper S' and one Turbo S, the turbo S caused problems towards the end with carbon build up and also had a rattly DMF. BMW can walnut blast them to overcome the carbon build up, however I just used SeaFoam every few K to clear it out
She now has a 2013 JCW, and if you think the S exhaust pops, have a go in one of these, at times it can literally be like shotgun fire!
I love it, it has most of your spec bar Lounge leather (hers has carbon punch), but her old S had the Redwood Lounge (I think) which was lovely, so good choice
She must know here MINI's then!She now has a 2013 JCW, and if you think the S exhaust pops, have a go in one of these, at times it can literally be like shotgun fire!
I love it, it has most of your spec bar Lounge leather (hers has carbon punch), but her old S had the Redwood Lounge (I think) which was lovely, so good choice
Do you find the JCW is appreciably faster / better drive then the standard S? To be honest the JCW didn't really enter my mind when i was buying mine, i just didn't see any in the MINI dealer network when i was looking.
I am still finding it hard not to roll the windows down when i have buildings either side i can imagine i would have a real problem in the JCW.
Max - Brownie points to you, well done! I looked at your profile thinking you must be local, i grew up in Haslemere, i will keep an eye out for your M135i!
jimmy156 said:
JamesD1 said:
Very nice indeed. I have a soft spot for these, although anyone I know who has owned a mini has result in financial ruin and therefore puts me off a bit (didn't want to sound to jovial).
My wifes car (MINI one) has been nearly faultless in the 2 years she has owned it, it has only needed 1 service and and air-con regas in its 23,000 miles. Still got plenty of tread left on the original tyres too's!Went for a drive with sagarich the other day, a few snaps below. PH brownie points for guessing the location, near a place of PH interest.
IMG_3064 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3068 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
IMG_3080 by jimmyb156, on Flickr
Further thoughts on the car, it really is a hoot to drive. It feels very planted during change of direction and under braking. It is still feeling pretty quick to me and i am enjoying the torque from about 2500rpm it pulls pretty nicely.
The looks of the car, both inside and out, have really got me hooked. It really does feel like a nice place to be i keep glancing back at it once i have parked, which is surely a good sign.
I am loving having xenon's too, my alfa had candles for headlights so driving at knight is a whole new experience!
I am averaging to 40 to the galloon with mixed driving which seems pretty good to me. Having played about with the MINI connected software i have found that you can get an engine temp gauge up on the infotainment screen, along with a power and torque output, which is gimmicky but i quite like it.
You can also download 'apps' that give you badges for certain achievement in the car. One is for managing the 0-60 sprint in a certain amount of time! It does keep telling me that my braking and cornering is dangerous though, and my acceleration CRAZY!
I was super impressed with the little mini.
Following you on the twisties around Goodwood the car looked so stable and agile. Plus I was really surprised how strong your engine pulls, pretty much matching me in a straight line.
Great little car!
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff