MINI Cooper Clubman or Alfa Mito?

[HenryRoyce]

We are looking for a new car for Wifey and are trying to decide between the two. Having driven a MINI we were very much impressed. Mito test drive tomorrow, but it will have to be pretty damn good to beat the MINI. Has anyone been faced with the same choice recently, or had experience of both?

[dibblecorse]

We test drove Mini Coopers S and non S and the Mito 1.4 155bhp, had we not been offered thh car we bought at a real steal (bought 'used' in the end), we'd have bought a Mito, just think the Alfa is a nicer place to be and you dont need to spend silly money to get a great spec, drives really well and the switchable modes makes a real difference.

[IanMorewood]

Make the world a less ugly place buy the Alfa.

[RKDE]

Only issue I see with the alfa is when the mini is 3 years old it will have higher residual value. Where as the alfa will probably do what all alfas do and be worth a hell of a lot less

If loosing money doesn't bother you I would really consider the alfa too, I'm not a huge fan of any other mini other than the classic and the 1st gen R53.

Been a while since I looked at the mito and I thought it looks ok from the outside but I really think the interior looked awful.

Have a test drive and let us know what you think, its not for me but you may love it

[HenryRoyce]

We drove a Mito today and, while it was good to drive, it clearly lacked the finesse of the MINI and was surprisingly cramped and claustrophobic in the back. Likely to be looking at some MINIs at the weekend.

[Onemcs]

I test drove a few cars when swapping my car. Mini came up Trumps every time!

The 3 year value on the mini was outstanding
The drive was better than others although slightly harsher.

A similar example is the Grande punto I traded in for my mini. The first owner paid £11k for it in 2006. I picked it up in 2008 for £5250 with only 17k miles on it. That’s basically loosing half its value. The mini is substantially better!

If you do look at mini's make sure the chili pack is on as a minimum. This is fairly important when coming to resell.

[HenryRoyce]

Onemcs said:

I test drove a few cars when swapping my car. Mini came up Trumps every time!

That is what we found and is why we put the deposit on a Cooper Clubman yesterday. :-) It has Chili pack, full black Lounge Leather and climate control, so I expect it will be very easy to sell on when the time comes. Others were queueing up at the garage to view it while we were on the test drive.

[ian_c_uk]

I've had my Cooper Clubman over 2years now and would still recommend it. Great fun to drive yet covers long distances (often 400miles per day) with ease. Averages over 42mpg no matter on a mix of Mway / country lanes. Used as a five seater family runabout at weekends also.

I went for sports suspension and 15" (non-runflat) wheels, pretty firm but compliant over broken surfaces. Heated screen great in winter, but not essential. Don't bother with auto lights or wipers, both are over eager. Sports button is a bit of a gimmick but is good fun. Pan roof really lifts the <otherwise dark> interior. Sports wheel is a nice thing, especially with stereo controls / cruise etc.

I'll quite miss it when it goes back in October (company car).