RE: Mini Cooper S JCW: Driven

[Clivey]

ORD said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Glad you said it so I didn't have to!

Agreed! There aren't enough real enthusiasts here in the UK (hence the struggles of Lotus, TVR etc.) but far too many ponces that want something that looks flash so they can pose at the gym or golf club.

ORD said:

Not a lot of car for the money.

But then, how much is a c230 horsepower Golf nowadays?

[kambites]

I know the MINI has grown, but surely it's not Golf sized?

[Quickmoose]

I think and Elise/Exige, and especially a TVR, are pretty handy at gathering looks in the car park for those that seek to show off.
The more run of the mill perfromance cars such as this Mini, TT, etc get ignored as they are ubiquitous now...

I reckon this Mini ain't far off Golf sized... lets check some stats.. (generalisations taken from Wiki)

Length:
Mini 3.8 (3.98 5-dr)
Golf 4.2

Width:
Mini 1.7
Golf 1.76

Height:
Mini 1.4
Golf 1.4

Edited by Quickmoose on Tuesday 12th May 11:12

[redddraggon]

texr2000 said:

Almost seems down on power compared to the rival 2L turbo's on the market. only has a new more BHP than most 1.6T's

I'd agree, but what are mini holding back for a bump in power in 12/24/36 months time? I wonder what a remap would produce?

[kambites]

Quickmoose said:

I think and Elise/Exige, and especially a TVR, are pretty handy at gathering looks in the car park for those that seek to show off.
The more run of the mill perfromance cars such as this Mini, TT, etc get ignored as they are ubiquitous now...

I reckon this Mini ain't far off Golf sized... lets check some stats.. (generalisations taken from Wiki)

Length:
Mini 3.8 (3.98 5-dr)
Golf 4.2
Polo 4.0

Width:
Mini 1.7
Golf 1.76
Polo 1.68

Height:
Mini 1.4
Golf 1.4
Polo 1.45

Edited by Quickmoose on Tuesday 12th May 11:12

So much closer to the Polo in size than the Golf. I guess the Audi S1 and Polo GTi would be the closest competitors in the VAG stable.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 12th May 11:26

[Quickmoose]

your idea of 'much' differs from mine

virtually indistinguishable as far as I can see.... all 3 of them...

[kambites]

Quickmoose said:

your idea of 'much' differs from mine

virtually indistinguishable as far as I can see.... all 3 of them...

Well OK, just about all four seater hatchbacks are about the same size because they're designed around four people and a smallish boot. The MINI is, overall, slightly smaller than the Polo though. Size-wise it's a Fiesta ST/Polo GTi competitor, not a Golf one. I think the Countryman is about Golf sized (although much taller, obviously).

[Quickmoose]

Quickmoose said:

Length:
R56 3.72
Mini 3.82 (3.98 5-dr)
Golf 4.2

Width:
R56 1.68
Mini 1.72
Golf 1.76

Height:
R56 1.4
Mini 1.42
Golf 1.4

Fair to say the Mini has grown... millimetres in it now....
and millimetres between Pole/Golf/Mini.... crazy really...

[kambites]

Yes, it does appear to have grown a bit faster than the competition. These days it appears to have lost its MINIness (both in terms of size and styling) and is just BMW's VW Polo competitor.

[TaylotS2K]

Impressive, I like these a lot. BUT PLEASE RE-STYLE THOSE HIDEOUS FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS. What were they thinking......

[Dale487]

Quickmoose said:

hettonmassive said:

Who buys a car for the looks? Its expensive, popular and like our lass, does the business. That does me.

me to a large extent.
I don't have the disposable income to do track days.
Very rare I find a bit of road to drive at 9 or 10/10ths where I live... even if it were legal. Roads are just in bad nick, or traffic is terrible - all those types of things.

How it drives IS important of course, along with the financials, the engineering, the build quality, relability, economy, performance etc...but personally I gain a lot of satisfaction owning a car that appeals to me aesthetically.
I wouldn't buy a car if beauty was it's only saving grace, but it is one of/the most important aspect to me.

The least most important aspect is how other people feel about my choice.

.... Who buys a car based on the looks - most of the country! Why else do M-sport, S-Line & the like sell so well here? We love all the show without paying for the go.

Good point well made.

[Axionknight]

It sounds like a really good motor but the BINI is one ugly mutha' these days, which is a shame, it certainly looks crap compared to when they first released 'em in the early 2000s, IMO

[ORD]

Dale487 said:

.... Who buys a car based on the looks - most of the country! Why else do M-sport, S-Line & the like sell so well here? We love all the show without paying for the go.

Good point well made.

M-Sport sells, in part at least, because the non-M-Sport suspension on F30s is bloody terrible. The styling is, at least for some people, neither here nor there.

[iloveboost]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I've heard this. Overall they prefer automatics to manuals, except when it comes to performance cars. They seem to think (like a lot of people here) that manuals are more involving so they should always be an option in a performance car.

[iloveboost]

TaylotS2K said:

Impressive, I like these a lot. BUT PLEASE RE-STYLE THOSE HIDEOUS FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS. What were they thinking......

They're a bit strange but possibly they grow on you. Lots of car styling does over time. Saw a new Cooper the other day in car park and they're a bit big, tall and slabby to be a 'Mini'. They look ok I guess.

[iloveboost]

ORD said:

M-Sport sells, in part at least, because the non-M-Sport suspension on F30s is bloody terrible. The styling is, at least for some people, neither here nor there.

Strange. Maybe they've made all the suspension types a bit softer, so the M-sport is now like SE suspension with less of a comfort compromise?

[ORD]

iloveboost said:

Strange. Maybe they've made all the suspension types a bit softer, so the M-sport is now like SE suspension with less of a comfort compromise?

The standard suspension is certainly soft and wallowy. I don't find it remotely comfortable (as it puts me on edge not to be able to feel the road), and it makes the steering feel vague.

I expect that some people prefer it to the M-Sport adaptive suspension (which we have on my wife's 3er) because even the "Comfort" setting is reasonably firm.

[nunpuncher]

The quirky retro mini looks just aren't working on the car now it's so large. They are having to resort to trying to apply optical illusions to make it seem smaller like making it just a little too tall so it actually appears squat and just simple things like making the badges huge so it isn't so apparent that the panel to which it is applied is so big.

For me the R53 is by far the best. I quite liked the R56 but the engine issues will put most off. The design was just right on the R53 and the supercharger gave it something unique. The passing of time has favoured them as well. I drove one recently and it really put a smile on my face.

[Quickmoose]

nunpuncher said:

The quirky retro mini looks just aren't working on the car now it's so large. They are having to resort to trying to apply optical illusions to make it seem smaller like making it just a little too tall so it actually appears squat and just simple things like making the badges huge so it isn't so apparent that the panel to which it is applied is so big.

For me the R53 is by far the best. I quite liked the R56 but the engine issues will put most off. The design was just right on the R53 and the supercharger gave it something unique. The passing of time has favoured them as well. I drove one recently and it really put a smile on my face.

amen to that.

[CooperS]

I dont know, loved driving the old S but my Dad's new Roadster S is just as perky and characterful but without that awful runflat and steering wheel whine issue.

Saying that the supercharger whine at full chat was just brilliant