RE: Mini Cooper S (R56): PH Used Buying Guide

[TheAlastair34]

HJMS123 said:

For outright BHP it may out perform a JCW but doesn't the JCW come with a good electronic slip diff? Having owned three FWD hot hatches and the last two without diffs I wouldn't want another FWD car with over 200BHP with one again. The body kit, exhaust, strengthened block and bigge turbo etc would also be a nice bonus if it was getting mapped.

i wouldn't say the diff is good, certainly not a match for a LSD in my experience

[Maracus]

Gavin Clark said:

I have a 2008 R56 (not sure which engine, but possibly N18 looking at the above photos).

The N18 came out mid 2010 in the Hatch S and later in the JCW

[Limpet]

Loved our N18 R57. Very difficult car to drive sensibly as it just seemed to love being driven hard everywhere. I also don't think it ever felt underpowered as someone commented earlier. Traction was actually the limiting factor for acceleration in the first two gears on anything other than smooth, dry roads.

Brilliant handling though, and an unusually characterful engine by modern four pot standards. Fun car. We miss it.

[Brompty]

Dr Interceptor said:

Krikkit said:

Annoyingly, because you've got to be eagle-eyed on oil levels, both generations had absolutely dreadful near-unreadable dipsticks! Why they thought a giant coiled one rather than a nice easy-to-read solid rod would work better is a mystery.

But at least it didn't have to bend through 90 degrees (and eventually snap) like on the R53.

However compared to having the engine coke up and possibly the timing chain breaking and destroying the engine completely, I think I'll take the dodgy dipstick.

[ChawenHalo]

Great little cars although these N14 engines are a problem. Bought an early 2010 Clubman from main dealer ignoring that fact thinking the littered may have overblown the issue. Problems started almost immediately and it took a lawyers letter for dealership to deal with it FOC. Got rid immediately with work under warranty.

Beautiful car though and wonderful chassis even loaded up and at high(er) speeds. A bit flimsy I guess. Still lust after a Clubman JCW with Recaros and HK but over here way expensive and like hens teeth. JCW with N18 was around 2012 making it quite a short production run.

Reminded me of a really really hot girlfriend I once had. Complete pain in the ass, Was glad to get rid of her bit missed her gorgeous quirkyness

[firebird350]

WCZ said:

having owned one before imo i'd go for the JCW as the S feels slow and underpowered - just my opinion.

these are easily tuneable though

A few years ago now a friend of mine fancied herself in a Cooper 1.6S, a 2007 car in just the colour scheme depicted, and she asked me to go along with her for a second opinion. I was quite keen to see her in something like this (as I was tired of 'baby-sitting' her old VW Polo Diesel whenever she jetted off abroad somewhere) so duly went along expecting the Mini to be a real 'live wire' of a car - and it just wasn't!

It really was in beautiful condition, straight, one-owner, low miles, everything worked and I was looking forward to the test drive. Squeak-free, rattle-free, that well looked after feel etc, it was all shaping up nicely until I gave it a bit of throttle and then it somehow just failed to deliver. Nothing obvious (ie. no hiccups, coughs, flat spots or hesitations) it simply seemed to have no 'get up and go'.

Also, although it drove as if it were on rails that was the problem. It didn't seem to want to leave those rails. Steering left or right seemed hard work as if the car didn't want to deviate from the straight and narrow (most un-Mini like, I'm sure). In fact, once back on the dealer's forecourt I found myself squinting intently at the front wheels looking for some evidence of poor tracking (as in hopelessly incorrect toe-in or something) but it all looked fairly normal to me.

Apart from the above the only other negative were the brakes. The pedal was mushy and a bit 'dead' with a fair amount of travel but I put that down to it perhaps having sat around at the dealer's for a while - nothing that a good bleed and a bit of road use wouldn't sort.

I left quite mystified actually because I was expecting great things which didn't materialise on the day. I suppose one problem is that, back then, my daily driver was a 24V Alfa 164 Cloverleaf which IS a 'live wire' and, in spite of being a bigger car (though not so much these days compared to more modern cars!), it really does like to 'dance'.

Shame - I really wanted to like that Mini and felt sure it couldn't have been representative of the marque - but if it wasn't I couldn't figure out what might have been wrong with that particular example. It certainly looked the part though, I have to say. I thought we might go and sample another one but, unfortunately, my friend then suddenly decided she needed four doors and ended up buying another diesel - a four-door Focus. Grrrr!

Mind you, I was glad to see her get shot of that diesel Polo. Every time she went abroad she'd have it serviced for the LONG drive (?) up from Cornwall, arrive and park it on my driveway whereupon I'd run her to Heathrow for her flight. Then, once I'd got home, I'd check the Polo's oil. And every time it was black as tar! After 250-odd miles? I was convinced that she was being ripped off by whoever was servicing her car until someone said "No, all diesels are like that". True?

Also, I'm fairly sure it was a 1-litre or 1.4 litre turbo but God, it was gutless for such a little car (2005, I think). Pulling out off a junction was where it turned into a killer car. You really had to watch for long gaps before making your move because it was like waiting for an elastic band to wind up. Just lethal!

[Krikkit]

firebird350 said:

Then, once I'd got home, I'd check the Polo's oil. And every time it was black as tar! After 250-odd miles? I was convinced that she was being ripped off by whoever was servicing her car until someone said "No, all diesels are like that". True?

Yes - lots of soot builds up in diesels which then gets absorbed by the fresh oil, turning it black. I've done a change on my diesel before now, run it across town and it's just the mixing with the remaining oil that blackens it again.


Agreed on your thoughts about the BINI handling though - my experience is that they were capable but not playful. No chance of "dab of oppo" hero moments, it felt very tied-down to me.

[rh21]

I had one of these for just under 3 years and 30k miles. Really fun little car, definitely get the N18 to avoid the timing chain issues. There are quite a few other small improvements to the 2011 onwards model that all add up to make it worth a bit extra.

Mine didn't use very much oil, far less than the 1.4 r56 mini one I had before. I did have to replace HPFP (expensive), air con condenser x2, brake pressure sensor, crank seal, lambda sensor, oil pressure solenoid valve, front disc heat shields, and had quite a few annoying rattles that I never was able to track down. The gearbox was very notchy and a bit clunky into second when cold.

Good amount of power I'd say, always felt like it was going a bit faster than it was. Great on a good road. Just keep more cash for repairs than you would expect.

I'd also recommend trying to get one with the upgraded sound system (standard is very poor) and with run-flats removed. Drive it hard to avoid carbon build up.

Edited by rh21 on Thursday 18th January 21:43

Edited by rh21 on Thursday 18th January 21:46

[V8 FOU]

Having read this article and some if the comments...... glad I've not bought one of these pos cars...............

[kmpowell]

V8 FOU said:

Having read this article and some if the comments...... glad I've not bought one of these pos cars...............

On the flip side, I've had two with no problems...

I bought a brand new MCS R56 in Sep 2007, which I ran for 21000 miles over two years. It didn't miss a beat. Not one warranty claim, not one issue at all.

In 2011 I bought one of the rarer Factory JCW R56's. I ran that for 13000 miles over 18mths, again no issues, and easily one of the best handling cars I've owned. Absolutely mega car, like a jet fuelled go-kart on rails!

[Maracus]

Change the runflats for some decent tyres and the tramlining stops, along with a better ride with less tyre noise.

[df76]

Maracus said:

Change the runflats for some decent tyres and the tramlining stops, along with a better ride with less tyre noise.

Yes, changing from the runflats makes a big difference. I have 215/45/17s and it's pretty comfy even for longer journeys (went to Le Mans last year, and wasn't an issue).

I've had my n18 2010 car for a year, and only had to change the brakes. There's bound to be some niggles / ongoing maintenance. Having said that, the previous owner had a brand new engine fitted by BMW 18 months ago... the invoice is "interesting".

[d8ns18ly]

I have a 2013 R56 JCW and honestly, I've had no faults with it. I've put over 40k miles on it in the past 2 years and it performs perfectly.
Changed the run flats as everybody else has said in here and the ride is infinitely better! Also added the rear diffuser from a GP2, a set of Eibach lowering springs, and an ITG air filter

[TheAlastair34]

ChawenHalo said:

Great little cars although these N14 engines are a problem. Bought an early 2010 Clubman from main dealer ignoring that fact thinking the littered may have overblown the issue. Problems started almost immediately and it took a lawyers letter for dealership to deal with it FOC. Got rid immediately with work under warranty.

Beautiful car though and wonderful chassis even loaded up and at high(er) speeds. A bit flimsy I guess. Still lust after a Clubman JCW with Recaros and HK but over here way expensive and like hens teeth. JCW with N18 was around 2012 making it quite a short production run.

Reminded me of a really really hot girlfriend I once had. Complete pain in the ass, Was glad to get rid of her bit missed her gorgeous quirkyness

Ive got a N18 Clubman JCW with HK but no Recaros does have lounge leather not seen many with the Recaro seats!

[df76]

d8ns18ly said:

I have a 2013 R56 JCW and honestly, I've had no faults with it. I've put over 40k miles on it in the past 2 years and it performs perfectly.
Changed the run flats as everybody else has said in here and the ride is infinitely better! Also added the rear diffuser from a GP2, a set of Eibach lowering springs, and an ITG air filter

That looks good. Are they eibach pro kit springs??

[d8ns18ly]

df76 said:

That looks good. Are they eibach pro kit springs??

Yeah they are the pro kit, doesn't completely "Slam" it, but I think it improves the look from standard. Rides a little harder as you'd expect though!

[Hothouse]

TheAlastair34 said:

Ive got a N18 Clubman JCW with HK but no Recaros does have lounge leather not seen many with the Recaro seats!

As there are a few posting images thought i might wave the clubman flag. Got it on 17" for the winter but love how the 18" R113 summer alloys look.

[elandri]

My son had one of these. I found it the most frustrating thing to drive I've ever known. It couldn't seem get any power down coming out of corners - just spinning the inside wheel all the time.

[jondobbs]

so not much can go wrong then

[Maracus]

jondobbs said:

so not much can go wrong then

In my 4+ years of owning one (an N18), I would say just budget for a Fuel Pump.

Most reliable car I've owned in 27 years.