Which way to go ?
Discussion
paultownsend said:
Remember that if you get the F56 3 door then the JCW none valved exhaust just bolts on to the Cooper S. Evolve didn’t change the cat to get their 300hp (which seems too high for me. It’s a good increase whatever and they happily post their before and after RR figures).
The best thing is you can pick up a JCW exhaust for £75 on the Bay!
And yes. The 5 door is Fugly!
I really like the basic cloth seats in the MCS. I just think that coming from a M135i you’ll need something with a good top spec so it doesn’t feel like too much of a downgrade.
Would you not want to get into a manual M140i /M240i and do a few choice mods to get up to M2 performance?
I did ponder that, my mate has a manual m135i but not had a go, mine has a tuning box on it so about 370 bhp and I have sort of decided I dont want to go chasing power figures as even at that level of power, i.e. fast but there are a lot faster available it feels like laboring a point for the sake of numbers. The best thing is you can pick up a JCW exhaust for £75 on the Bay!
And yes. The 5 door is Fugly!
I really like the basic cloth seats in the MCS. I just think that coming from a M135i you’ll need something with a good top spec so it doesn’t feel like too much of a downgrade.
Would you not want to get into a manual M140i /M240i and do a few choice mods to get up to M2 performance?
It is so easy to miss the point with cars and play top Trumps and before you know it you are in a tuned M5 and though its an amazing piece of kit the performance is so easy to extract it is, rather than just going a bit quick, its blatting through every limit in the country in a couple of seconds, speed for the sake of it as its a big luxurious saloon for crossing continents. These cars have their place but for the mileage I do, want a bit more interaction, some pace but dont need 400, 500 plus bhp,
Also, the M135i, the manual box may sort that aspect, though the manual isnt that well regarded in these, you still have the woolly steering, lack of an LSD and suspension that isnt really up to the job. So even with a manual one, would need to add an LSD, some suspension mods and the steering I dont think you can do much about. So not going to mod this as its an auto.
I need to try a few cars and get something that isnt too hardcore/hard to live with but also I want to just go for a drive, never feel like it with the BMW, its ok but would never take it out for the sake of it.
Not bothered about leather seats, but prefer Sat Nav, Bluetooth connectivity, air con and heated seats but not overly fussy, wouldnt be going for anything too old, been there done that.
So the Minis are top of the list, the Fiesta ST, The Hyundai I30N really impressed me, wouldnt mind trying a Megane RS. Not really thinking pure 2 seaters.
Understood. I can imagine that turbo 6 can get you into trouble easily.
And I think this is exactly why you will like the Mini. Even at the slowest speeds it’s fun to drive. So manual is the only option.
In sport mode the F56 JCW sounds silly (great) with its exhaust. My direct neighbour has one and it’s my weekday 7.30am alarm clock
The Cooper S exhaust is a little more silenced. And I think the 5 door has more insulation than the 3. Ours also has that double boot floor which kills even more noise.
The wife’s old standard R56 MCS was hilarious in sport mode. Popping and banging all over the rev range when hot. But unlike an A45 or Golf R which sound chavvy doing such things, with a Mini it’s just a little bit cheeky!
If not done so already check out Evolve on YouTube. They've done a few videos from purchase to sale. It was going really well to the point they put the intake on it, which sounded pants, and put the silly wheels on.
And I think this is exactly why you will like the Mini. Even at the slowest speeds it’s fun to drive. So manual is the only option.
In sport mode the F56 JCW sounds silly (great) with its exhaust. My direct neighbour has one and it’s my weekday 7.30am alarm clock
The Cooper S exhaust is a little more silenced. And I think the 5 door has more insulation than the 3. Ours also has that double boot floor which kills even more noise.
The wife’s old standard R56 MCS was hilarious in sport mode. Popping and banging all over the rev range when hot. But unlike an A45 or Golf R which sound chavvy doing such things, with a Mini it’s just a little bit cheeky!
If not done so already check out Evolve on YouTube. They've done a few videos from purchase to sale. It was going really well to the point they put the intake on it, which sounded pants, and put the silly wheels on.
Yeah, watched the Evolve videos, interesting stuff.
i mentioned to my wife I fancied a Mini, she said its a bit of a "Spoilt teenage girls car"
My CLS was a "Town Councillors car"
BMW "Tossers Car"
She liked my 350Z, Porsche 944 S2 she liked but it was " A bit rattly".
TT didnt offend her from what I, was just the amount of time and parts it required that raised an eyebrow.
Trouble is, I am a nuisance for changing cars, had the BMW 2 and a bit years now, a long time for me, want something I gel with and couldnt imagine getting rid of, if the M135i went tomorrow, I wouldnt be all that bothered.
i mentioned to my wife I fancied a Mini, she said its a bit of a "Spoilt teenage girls car"
My CLS was a "Town Councillors car"
BMW "Tossers Car"
She liked my 350Z, Porsche 944 S2 she liked but it was " A bit rattly".
TT didnt offend her from what I, was just the amount of time and parts it required that raised an eyebrow.
Trouble is, I am a nuisance for changing cars, had the BMW 2 and a bit years now, a long time for me, want something I gel with and couldnt imagine getting rid of, if the M135i went tomorrow, I wouldnt be all that bothered.
J4CKO said:
Yeah, watched the Evolve videos, interesting stuff.
i mentioned to my wife I fancied a Mini, she said its a bit of a "Spoilt teenage girls car"
My CLS was a "Town Councillors car"
BMW "Tossers Car"
She liked my 350Z, Porsche 944 S2 she liked but it was " A bit rattly".
TT didnt offend her from what I, was just the amount of time and parts it required that raised an eyebrow.
Trouble is, I am a nuisance for changing cars, had the BMW 2 and a bit years now, a long time for me, want something I gel with and couldnt imagine getting rid of, if the M135i went tomorrow, I wouldnt be all that bothered.
With expert advice like that available at home I'm not sure why you're troubling the internet.. i mentioned to my wife I fancied a Mini, she said its a bit of a "Spoilt teenage girls car"
My CLS was a "Town Councillors car"
BMW "Tossers Car"
She liked my 350Z, Porsche 944 S2 she liked but it was " A bit rattly".
TT didnt offend her from what I, was just the amount of time and parts it required that raised an eyebrow.
Trouble is, I am a nuisance for changing cars, had the BMW 2 and a bit years now, a long time for me, want something I gel with and couldnt imagine getting rid of, if the M135i went tomorrow, I wouldnt be all that bothered.
Been using the ST today, really enjoyed it, ride is a bit jiggly and the interior is ok, but the Mini one looks better, and what surprised me, and it may be because I havent been driving my M135i much is it felt plenty fast enough. Much more interactive, mainly for being a manual, the dampers work and it feels much more confidence inspiring.
Hoping to get a shot in a Mini fairly soon.
Hoping to get a shot in a Mini fairly soon.
J4CKO said:
Have an M135i, was fancying an M4 next but not sure if it will be massively more fun or faster which I dont really need, obviously a lot more expensive.
Part of me says F55 Cooper S, maybe with a few tweaks, dont do a great deal of miles and want something a bit more engaging/fun,
193 I dont think would cut it but thinking a remap and some other bits to get it nearer 300 than 200 bhp, maybe an LSD,
Anyone gone in a similar direction ?
Only driven a very old One and we had a previous Cooper S Clubman for a couple of days but it had issues and went back, found the ride very harsh, are the newer ones better in that respect ? was on 17s with the Sports suspensions and Run Flats.
my son has a Fiesta ST which I love but find it a bit hard work, is a Cooper S similar/better/worse in that respect ?
I don't normally like people diving in to threads like this and trying to flog stuff. But...might be moving this on in the next couple of weeks if of any interest:Part of me says F55 Cooper S, maybe with a few tweaks, dont do a great deal of miles and want something a bit more engaging/fun,
193 I dont think would cut it but thinking a remap and some other bits to get it nearer 300 than 200 bhp, maybe an LSD,
Anyone gone in a similar direction ?
Only driven a very old One and we had a previous Cooper S Clubman for a couple of days but it had issues and went back, found the ride very harsh, are the newer ones better in that respect ? was on 17s with the Sports suspensions and Run Flats.
my son has a Fiesta ST which I love but find it a bit hard work, is a Cooper S similar/better/worse in that respect ?
2018 Cooper S. 11500 miles. Nice spec. One previous owner. Immaculate condition. Likely to be traded in so anything over the dealer's offer would be a bonus (looking at c£13.5k)! Still in warranty and all paperwork is obviously available, with details matching my home address. No finance.
It's my fourth MINI, possibly making way for a fifth!
J4CKO said:
Been using the ST today, really enjoyed it, ride is a bit jiggly and the interior is ok, but the Mini one looks better, and what surprised me, and it may be because I havent been driving my M135i much is it felt plenty fast enough. Much more interactive, mainly for being a manual, the dampers work and it feels much more confidence inspiring.
Hoping to get a shot in a Mini fairly soon.
I nipped out to get some chips in mine the other night and the roads to the chippy are all quiet country roads(I didn't even see another car), so I basically drove it as fast as I could and it was amazing fun! I said to my Mrs that I will seriously miss it when it goes. It seems to bring the child out in me, and even though it isn't especially light for a Mini(1160kg) it feels small and light and very chuckable. The darty steering still catches me out occasionally though. Hoping to get a shot in a Mini fairly soon.
cerb4.5lee said:
It seems to bring the child out in me
This is it. You just don’t have to drive it fast. As said, ours is a 5 door. Last night I went out with all windows open. In sport mode with the dump valve whooshing and exhaust popping on overrun it just sounds great, even at 30. I have even started to really like the auto blip on downshifts. It just makes it easy to drive. And when changing down at higher revs, is guaranteed to make silly noises! I need to graft a JCW exhaust onto it!
paultownsend said:
cerb4.5lee said:
It seems to bring the child out in me
This is it. You just don’t have to drive it fast. As said, ours is a 5 door. Last night I went out with all windows open. In sport mode with the dump valve whooshing and exhaust popping on overrun it just sounds great, even at 30. I have even started to really like the auto blip on downshifts. It just makes it easy to drive. And when changing down at higher revs, is guaranteed to make silly noises! I need to graft a JCW exhaust onto it!
My 370Z is mega loud(thanks to a custom exhaust and HFC's) so the Mini sounds very tame in comparison. As much as I like a NA engine for noise though...it is the turbo noises that the Mini offers that I really appreciate. The Mini reminds me of the S14a 200SX I had years ago in that regard.
Dolf Stoppard said:
J4CKO said:
Have an M135i, was fancying an M4 next but not sure if it will be massively more fun or faster which I dont really need, obviously a lot more expensive.
Part of me says F55 Cooper S, maybe with a few tweaks, dont do a great deal of miles and want something a bit more engaging/fun,
193 I dont think would cut it but thinking a remap and some other bits to get it nearer 300 than 200 bhp, maybe an LSD,
Anyone gone in a similar direction ?
Only driven a very old One and we had a previous Cooper S Clubman for a couple of days but it had issues and went back, found the ride very harsh, are the newer ones better in that respect ? was on 17s with the Sports suspensions and Run Flats.
my son has a Fiesta ST which I love but find it a bit hard work, is a Cooper S similar/better/worse in that respect ?
I don't normally like people diving in to threads like this and trying to flog stuff. But...might be moving this on in the next couple of weeks if of any interest:Part of me says F55 Cooper S, maybe with a few tweaks, dont do a great deal of miles and want something a bit more engaging/fun,
193 I dont think would cut it but thinking a remap and some other bits to get it nearer 300 than 200 bhp, maybe an LSD,
Anyone gone in a similar direction ?
Only driven a very old One and we had a previous Cooper S Clubman for a couple of days but it had issues and went back, found the ride very harsh, are the newer ones better in that respect ? was on 17s with the Sports suspensions and Run Flats.
my son has a Fiesta ST which I love but find it a bit hard work, is a Cooper S similar/better/worse in that respect ?
2018 Cooper S. 11500 miles. Nice spec. One previous owner. Immaculate condition. Likely to be traded in so anything over the dealer's offer would be a bonus (looking at c£13.5k)! Still in warranty and all paperwork is obviously available, with details matching my home address. No finance.
It's my fourth MINI, possibly making way for a fifth!
J4CKO said:
Dolf Stoppard said:
J4CKO said:
Have an M135i, was fancying an M4 next but not sure if it will be massively more fun or faster which I dont really need, obviously a lot more expensive.
Part of me says F55 Cooper S, maybe with a few tweaks, dont do a great deal of miles and want something a bit more engaging/fun,
193 I dont think would cut it but thinking a remap and some other bits to get it nearer 300 than 200 bhp, maybe an LSD,
Anyone gone in a similar direction ?
Only driven a very old One and we had a previous Cooper S Clubman for a couple of days but it had issues and went back, found the ride very harsh, are the newer ones better in that respect ? was on 17s with the Sports suspensions and Run Flats.
my son has a Fiesta ST which I love but find it a bit hard work, is a Cooper S similar/better/worse in that respect ?
I don't normally like people diving in to threads like this and trying to flog stuff. But...might be moving this on in the next couple of weeks if of any interest:Part of me says F55 Cooper S, maybe with a few tweaks, dont do a great deal of miles and want something a bit more engaging/fun,
193 I dont think would cut it but thinking a remap and some other bits to get it nearer 300 than 200 bhp, maybe an LSD,
Anyone gone in a similar direction ?
Only driven a very old One and we had a previous Cooper S Clubman for a couple of days but it had issues and went back, found the ride very harsh, are the newer ones better in that respect ? was on 17s with the Sports suspensions and Run Flats.
my son has a Fiesta ST which I love but find it a bit hard work, is a Cooper S similar/better/worse in that respect ?
2018 Cooper S. 11500 miles. Nice spec. One previous owner. Immaculate condition. Likely to be traded in so anything over the dealer's offer would be a bonus (looking at c£13.5k)! Still in warranty and all paperwork is obviously available, with details matching my home address. No finance.
It's my fourth MINI, possibly making way for a fifth!
Edited by Dolf Stoppard on Thursday 25th June 23:17
The most I've been quoted off a clubman JCW is about £4500, that was spec'd up to about £39k.
For me it's between the Clubman JCW and Civic Type R at the mo. Two entirely different cars which I'll hopefully be trying out in the near future.
The Mrs has ordered a Cooper which I really liked, otherwise the Mini might not have come onto my radar.
For me it's between the Clubman JCW and Civic Type R at the mo. Two entirely different cars which I'll hopefully be trying out in the near future.
The Mrs has ordered a Cooper which I really liked, otherwise the Mini might not have come onto my radar.
J4CKO said:
12 grand discount ? How !
I nipped down to the local Mini dealer and had a sit in one, pretty impressed, very nice.
Need to book an appointment to have a go, got a brochure.
Missus is like "You dont really want a Mini do you", well, actually, think I do.
List price with options was something like £41200, did the deal at just over £29k. Car has less than a 1000 miles on the clock. It’s a demonstrator which has done very little demonstrating during lockdown! MINI seem to be struggling for stock and so demonstrators seem to be coming available earlier than normal. I think they were pretty keen to get my car, so just a case of right place, right time. I nipped down to the local Mini dealer and had a sit in one, pretty impressed, very nice.
Need to book an appointment to have a go, got a brochure.
Missus is like "You dont really want a Mini do you", well, actually, think I do.
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