RE: Fastest Mini debuts at Geneva
Discussion
mph999 said:
OK, I admit, I have a mini, but why ....
Well, compared to most cars (for the money) you get a car that corners, in standard setup, like nothing else. Don't believe me, drive one.
M
Hmmm....same here, for the same reasons......
And £22k.....well if you spec one properly we all know it's easy to go £3-4k more without too much trouble.......
And yes you could buy "something proper" for that kind of money, but that's not the point is it......???
£22k, 6.5 seconds, 146mph?
Brings to mind the original Clio Cup, Renault knocked these out for less than £13k and it managed a shade over 6.5 seconds and 140mph, so virtually no real world difference. Yes its like a tin can inside compared to a Mini's royal palace but it feels incredibly raw and fun and handles like a dream (on sensible lightweight 16s)
I'm sure this new Mini is great but I was hoping for a proper lightweight raw Mini, which should have brought with it a cheaper price too.
Brings to mind the original Clio Cup, Renault knocked these out for less than £13k and it managed a shade over 6.5 seconds and 140mph, so virtually no real world difference. Yes its like a tin can inside compared to a Mini's royal palace but it feels incredibly raw and fun and handles like a dream (on sensible lightweight 16s)
I'm sure this new Mini is great but I was hoping for a proper lightweight raw Mini, which should have brought with it a cheaper price too.
ukaskew said:
£22k, 6.5 seconds, 146mph?
Brings to mind the original Clio Cup, Renault knocked these out for less than £13k and it managed a shade over 6.5 seconds and 140mph, so virtually no real world difference. Yes its like a tin can inside compared to a Mini's royal palace but it feels incredibly raw and fun and handles like a dream (on sensible lightweight 16s)
I'm sure this new Mini is great but I was hoping for a proper lightweight raw Mini, which should have brought with it a cheaper price too.
That's a good comparison. It's funny how some car manufacturers seem able to strip out weight to improve performance and reduce the price (Renault) and others strip it out, and increase the price (BMW, Porsche)
hendry said:
Mine has the 17" Minilite alikes and it tramlines too. They also weigh a ton and kerb badly. I have long considered an upgrade to something lighter and perhaps less damage prone (oxymoron?), but wasn't sure how comfortable I was hossing out the runflats for regular tyres and then no spare.
Thoughts? Anyone got a pic of the Bullets? Anything else recommended?
i used to have a picture in my profile but i have replaced it with the honeymonster!
look for secondhand cabriolet photos - they usually have bullets, at first you could only get them on the cab but on the saloon from last year...
ukaskew said:
£22k, 6.5 seconds, 146mph?
Brings to mind the original Clio Cup, Renault knocked these out for less than £13k and it managed a shade over 6.5 seconds and 140mph, so virtually no real world difference. Yes its like a tin can inside compared to a Mini's royal palace but it feels incredibly raw and fun and handles like a dream (on sensible lightweight 16s)
I'm sure this new Mini is great but I was hoping for a proper lightweight raw Mini, which should have brought with it a cheaper price too.
Good comparison, but remember if you specc'd a "normal" Cooper S with the JCW conversion and all the other bits, you'd be at the thick end of £30k, so using that as the benchmark, then £22k represents quite a reduction....the only thing is you'd have to live with the less than cohesive exterior styling....IMHO!
Personally I'd do the former, and go with a std MCS with the JCW toys....
FestivAli said:
Think it looks allright and sounds fun, but you could always buy a real sportscar and not look like a Chav.
Ali.
Seriously, I mean, if they take out the back seats anyway, why wouldn't you buy a proper two-seater instead? The allure of the Mini Cooper is that a) it's fun to drive b) the wife thinks it's cute, so she approves, and c) you can sit the kids in the back. There are lots of $35,000 two-seaters I'd prefer over this car.
mini1400 said:
What a silly concept indeed. Take an already dubious attempt at a car, with a trashy interior, no spare wheel(!) and dodgy, single cam, powerplant, minimalise it and charge £22k?! Save a little extra and get an Evo/Scooby with rear seats and a spare wheel. Get an Elise or a VX220 both built with two seats in mind and no huge rear parcel shelf in sight, even if it does 'Z' fold!! Thinking about it, get anything other than this!
>> Edited by richiefly on Tuesday 21st February 12:55
Buy a REAL Mini, not a MAXI !!!
My '86 Mini will do 60 in 6.5 secs and it only has 100bhp... Oh yeah, that's cause it weighs nothing
www.mini1400.co.uk
www.zcars.org.uk/montecarlo/index.htm
wobert said:
I thought the Minis struggled with 17" wheels, best was 16" when I last saw.
This one has 18"?
Depends on which wheels....S-Spokes (Minilite stylee) are the worst, cos they're the heaviest.......Bullets (17" 5 Spokes) are fine, as are 16"ers.......not driven one with 18s so can't comment, but have heard they do tramline somewhat.
Driven the S Works with the 18" Works wheels and LSD.
Understeer hell... (But then again, I am used to RWD cars)
Apart from that, it drives ok.
karll said:
You will always pay a premium for something which is well made , if you are looking for a group to blame then start with yourselves as i see most of you drive arround in German vehicles .... everything is an expensive option !
That must be the smartest thing that i have heard on this forum!!
A friend of mine took me out in one of these recently, now I can't say it's worth 22 grand, but it is an amazing drive. We took it through some country lanes and the car was so responsive, it just seems to pull and pull.
I don't know the actual times, but 0-60 felt quicker than 6.5. I'd have a look at one in a couple of years when the price had chilled out a bit.
I would imagine most people will enjoy this car if they get a drive in one, it was impressive.
I don't know the actual times, but 0-60 felt quicker than 6.5. I'd have a look at one in a couple of years when the price had chilled out a bit.
I would imagine most people will enjoy this car if they get a drive in one, it was impressive.
I bought a Mini Cooper for the girlfriend just over two years ago. Poor girl - in the last two-odd years, I've driven her car at least twice as much as she has. I've owned 4 Caterhams, an Elise S2, and am ordering an Exige - so I'm kinda picky about driver appeal. When I bought the Cooper, I thought it would be a good looking pram and came to it with some prejudices of my own. Wrong. It's well built, I think it looks fantastic, and it's a hoot to drive. Ours hasn't given a second's worth of bother in over 25,000 miles and I've ordered a GP. The GP is going to cost me 21k on the road here, and there are no options to hike the price. A/C and traction control are available at no extra cost. That's it. If you were to spec a Cooper Works car to the level of a GP, it'd cost 30k. So in fact - I think the GP is a bit of a bargain and am expecting fantastic residuals.
Dismiss it as ugly, pick holes in its pricing or spec - whatever. Unless you're in something seriously tasty, I'll have a good laugh as I feckin' hoon past you on anything other than A-roads or Motorways. If the Cooper S Works Challenge I tested before ordering the GP is anything to go by, this car has a mid-range pull and an ability to carry speed through corners that belie the on-paper numbers. If you haven't put a well specced Mini through its paces on a B-road, then you should probably save your conclusions until you have.
Dismiss it as ugly, pick holes in its pricing or spec - whatever. Unless you're in something seriously tasty, I'll have a good laugh as I feckin' hoon past you on anything other than A-roads or Motorways. If the Cooper S Works Challenge I tested before ordering the GP is anything to go by, this car has a mid-range pull and an ability to carry speed through corners that belie the on-paper numbers. If you haven't put a well specced Mini through its paces on a B-road, then you should probably save your conclusions until you have.
colin5577 said:
I bought a Mini Cooper for the girlfriend just over two years ago. Poor girl - in the last two-odd years, I've driven her car at least twice as much as she has. I've owned 4 Caterhams, an Elise S2, and am ordering an Exige - so I'm kinda picky about driver appeal. When I bought the Cooper, I thought it would be a good looking pram and came to it with some prejudices of my own. Wrong. It's well built, I think it looks fantastic, and it's a hoot to drive. Ours hasn't given a second's worth of bother in over 25,000 miles and I've ordered a GP. The GP is going to cost me 21k on the road here, and there are no options to hike the price. A/C and traction control are available at no extra cost. That's it. If you were to spec a Cooper Works car to the level of a GP, it'd cost 30k. So in fact - I think the GP is a bit of a bargain and am expecting fantastic residuals.
Dismiss it as ugly, pick holes in its pricing or spec - whatever. Unless you're in something seriously tasty, I'll have a good laugh as I feckin' hoon past you on anything other than A-roads or Motorways. If the Cooper S Works Challenge I tested before ordering the GP is anything to go by, this car has a mid-range pull and an ability to carry speed through corners that belie the on-paper numbers. If you haven't put a well specced Mini through its paces on a B-road, then you should probably save your conclusions until you have.
out of genuine interest -can you no cost option delete the body kit..? that's the only real issue i have with it.
So does my other half - she Hates (capital H) the rear spoiler.
I don't think so - the specification is fixed. Whatever - it could be worse, so I've decided to live with it. At least the rear wing is in carbon fibre. As for the silver bits at the front, they look a bit naff, but what can you do? I'll wait to see the car in the flesh, and if some of the bits look really sh*t, I'll get them repainted or changed. If the rear spoiler comes off easily enough, that's going into a box for safe keeping as well. I'll try to keep changes to an absolute minimum, though, as it would probably hurt resale if I mess with it too much.
I don't think so - the specification is fixed. Whatever - it could be worse, so I've decided to live with it. At least the rear wing is in carbon fibre. As for the silver bits at the front, they look a bit naff, but what can you do? I'll wait to see the car in the flesh, and if some of the bits look really sh*t, I'll get them repainted or changed. If the rear spoiler comes off easily enough, that's going into a box for safe keeping as well. I'll try to keep changes to an absolute minimum, though, as it would probably hurt resale if I mess with it too much.
Gassing Station | New MINIs | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff