Mini GP2 daily driver
Discussion
Just over two weeks ago I traded in my BMW M2 and got a Mini GP2 to run as my daily driver. Not really an apples to apples comparison but I’ve got a few things to say.
Running costs have been the biggest change really. The reason I got rid of the M2 was I wasn’t using it properly and was plunging so much money into running it - I had finance owing, it was quite thirsty and consumables weren’t cheap (I had two non-repairable punctures in the 18 months I had the car - £250 each for a new rear tyre fitted on top of the pair I had already bought to replace the worn ones). It had got to the point where I wasn't taking it out for a spin because I was going to have to stick another tank of fuel in it and didn't fancy the idea. The GP got 47mpg on the run down from Essex and is running an average of 36 with a vast mix of driving and decent tyres are £100.
The brakes are amazing. 330mm 6-pot Brembos on a 1200kg car so they won’t be letting me down. They seem to produce a lot of brake dust though.
The Bilstein adjustable suspension is firm but controls the car brilliantly over bumps and in the corners. The GP is better round the corners than the M2 (having a short wheel base and 350kg less to carry probably helps more than the suspension I guess).
Having a manual again is nice. My last few cars have been dual clutch so I was worried about getting used to it but as soon as I went out on the test drive it felt instantly familiar. It’s a good box too. I test drove a JCW years ago and it was quite notchy, but with 27k miles on it the GPs gearbox had been broken in and works a treat (took me a while to work out how to get into reverse reliably though…). The clutch is a lot lighter than the JCWs was as well, don’t know what that’s about. Helpfully the car applies some throttle as you bring the clutch up so I've managed to avoid stalling it at all since getting it.
The engine has surprised me. It’s based on a very old engine that has gone through a few revisions over the years. It’s probably the lack of weight but it feels stronger than the 215hp it’s rated at. You merrily shift through the gears enjoying the sound and the speed soon builds. It’ll climb to 85 in third in no time. I was expecting to miss the power of the M2 but not yet! In reality I suspect the GP is about on par with a Fiesta ST but I was expecting it to feel underpowered after the BMW.
The sound is terrific. There’s little sound deadening and no rear seats between the sports exhaust and the drivers seat. All the noise is authentic, not through the speakers, and you can hear it better with the windows up rather than down meaning I can enjoy it in all weathers. It’s got quite a gruff/retro note to it. Sport mode adds some synthetic bangs but you have to work for them, there are noticeably more after driving harder, where the M2 hands them to you on a platter all the time.
The GP comes with half-leather Recaros unique to the car. The heated seats work incredibly well - the M2s were total s
te in comparison, taking ages to heat up. The interior looks quite upmarket from the driver’s seat as the dashboard is wrapped in leather. The buttons lower down in the interior look a bit tacky but they feel reassuringly well made. Single zone climate control with no .5 degrees options is nice too! Refreshingly simple as BMW don’t let you sync the two sides in a dual-zone system.
Luckily the previous owner had put Michelin PS3s on the car as the semi-slicks it comes with as standard are supposed to be terrible in anything but warm dry weather so this would have been the first thing I’d have changed if needed. He also put paint protection film all round, a pretty rough job in some places but nice that I don’t need to worry about minor scratches etc.
The limited traction mode (like MDM mode) is a good half way house that stops the car cutting out the throttle all the time when pushing on whilst still keeping the electronic LSD (i.e. braking the inside wheel through a tight corner). It also puts ‘GP Mode’ in small writing on the dash which I love. Much more subtle than the glaring screens you get on newer Minis.
No rear wiper kinda sucks in the recent weather though, I’ll be honest.
So far I'm loving the car, it got under my skin immediately and it's hard to explain why. It’s engaging even at 20mph, quite easy to drive and plenty of space in the back for going on road trips etc. The carbon spoiler is pretty cool too I guess
Here are some dealer pictures as I haven't got any decent ones of my own yet:
Running costs have been the biggest change really. The reason I got rid of the M2 was I wasn’t using it properly and was plunging so much money into running it - I had finance owing, it was quite thirsty and consumables weren’t cheap (I had two non-repairable punctures in the 18 months I had the car - £250 each for a new rear tyre fitted on top of the pair I had already bought to replace the worn ones). It had got to the point where I wasn't taking it out for a spin because I was going to have to stick another tank of fuel in it and didn't fancy the idea. The GP got 47mpg on the run down from Essex and is running an average of 36 with a vast mix of driving and decent tyres are £100.
The brakes are amazing. 330mm 6-pot Brembos on a 1200kg car so they won’t be letting me down. They seem to produce a lot of brake dust though.
The Bilstein adjustable suspension is firm but controls the car brilliantly over bumps and in the corners. The GP is better round the corners than the M2 (having a short wheel base and 350kg less to carry probably helps more than the suspension I guess).
Having a manual again is nice. My last few cars have been dual clutch so I was worried about getting used to it but as soon as I went out on the test drive it felt instantly familiar. It’s a good box too. I test drove a JCW years ago and it was quite notchy, but with 27k miles on it the GPs gearbox had been broken in and works a treat (took me a while to work out how to get into reverse reliably though…). The clutch is a lot lighter than the JCWs was as well, don’t know what that’s about. Helpfully the car applies some throttle as you bring the clutch up so I've managed to avoid stalling it at all since getting it.
The engine has surprised me. It’s based on a very old engine that has gone through a few revisions over the years. It’s probably the lack of weight but it feels stronger than the 215hp it’s rated at. You merrily shift through the gears enjoying the sound and the speed soon builds. It’ll climb to 85 in third in no time. I was expecting to miss the power of the M2 but not yet! In reality I suspect the GP is about on par with a Fiesta ST but I was expecting it to feel underpowered after the BMW.
The sound is terrific. There’s little sound deadening and no rear seats between the sports exhaust and the drivers seat. All the noise is authentic, not through the speakers, and you can hear it better with the windows up rather than down meaning I can enjoy it in all weathers. It’s got quite a gruff/retro note to it. Sport mode adds some synthetic bangs but you have to work for them, there are noticeably more after driving harder, where the M2 hands them to you on a platter all the time.
The GP comes with half-leather Recaros unique to the car. The heated seats work incredibly well - the M2s were total s
te in comparison, taking ages to heat up. The interior looks quite upmarket from the driver’s seat as the dashboard is wrapped in leather. The buttons lower down in the interior look a bit tacky but they feel reassuringly well made. Single zone climate control with no .5 degrees options is nice too! Refreshingly simple as BMW don’t let you sync the two sides in a dual-zone system.Luckily the previous owner had put Michelin PS3s on the car as the semi-slicks it comes with as standard are supposed to be terrible in anything but warm dry weather so this would have been the first thing I’d have changed if needed. He also put paint protection film all round, a pretty rough job in some places but nice that I don’t need to worry about minor scratches etc.
The limited traction mode (like MDM mode) is a good half way house that stops the car cutting out the throttle all the time when pushing on whilst still keeping the electronic LSD (i.e. braking the inside wheel through a tight corner). It also puts ‘GP Mode’ in small writing on the dash which I love. Much more subtle than the glaring screens you get on newer Minis.
No rear wiper kinda sucks in the recent weather though, I’ll be honest.
So far I'm loving the car, it got under my skin immediately and it's hard to explain why. It’s engaging even at 20mph, quite easy to drive and plenty of space in the back for going on road trips etc. The carbon spoiler is pretty cool too I guess
Here are some dealer pictures as I haven't got any decent ones of my own yet:
Excellent choice!
I've had my GP2 for nearly two years. It's my daily and has also taken up hooning duties, with regular trips up to Scotland. It's great on fuel (circa 50mpg indicated stuck behind trucks for miles on end) when needed. Overall, it's averaged around 37mpg in summer and 34mpg in winter.
It's funny you mention the engine feeling more than the quoted power. As far as I'm aware, mine is standard and it's on a par with the 300bhp Audi S3s and M135is. Apparently standard GPs are closer to 240/250bhp, which, when you consider the weight, would make sense.
I'm currently debating whether or not to sell mine and get an M140i for a few more creature comforts. The only thing is I know I'll miss the handling/feeling of the car. It really does feel special.
Couple of things to watch for: Leaky dampers are a known weak spot. The handling can be spikey in the cold/wet weather.
Also, a drop-in K&N panel filter gives alot more boost sounds
I've had my GP2 for nearly two years. It's my daily and has also taken up hooning duties, with regular trips up to Scotland. It's great on fuel (circa 50mpg indicated stuck behind trucks for miles on end) when needed. Overall, it's averaged around 37mpg in summer and 34mpg in winter.
It's funny you mention the engine feeling more than the quoted power. As far as I'm aware, mine is standard and it's on a par with the 300bhp Audi S3s and M135is. Apparently standard GPs are closer to 240/250bhp, which, when you consider the weight, would make sense.
I'm currently debating whether or not to sell mine and get an M140i for a few more creature comforts. The only thing is I know I'll miss the handling/feeling of the car. It really does feel special.
Couple of things to watch for: Leaky dampers are a known weak spot. The handling can be spikey in the cold/wet weather.
Also, a drop-in K&N panel filter gives alot more boost sounds
Great write up, and sums up why I love mine. Coming up for 40000 miles in just over three years now. I do sometimes think about going the M Lite route, but this car is so special and I can't really see myself parting with it anytime soon.
As said, a panel filter is an easy upgrade, and makes the noise even better.
As said, a panel filter is an easy upgrade, and makes the noise even better.
mikeyb1987 said:
Excellent choice!
I've had my GP2 for nearly two years. It's my daily and has also taken up hooning duties, with regular trips up to Scotland. It's great on fuel (circa 50mpg indicated stuck behind trucks for miles on end) when needed. Overall, it's averaged around 37mpg in summer and 34mpg in winter.
It's funny you mention the engine feeling more than the quoted power. As far as I'm aware, mine is standard and it's on a par with the 300bhp Audi S3s and M135is. Apparently standard GPs are closer to 240/250bhp, which, when you consider the weight, would make sense.
I'm currently debating whether or not to sell mine and get an M140i for a few more creature comforts. The only thing is I know I'll miss the handling/feeling of the car. It really does feel special.
Couple of things to watch for: Leaky dampers are a known weak spot. The handling can be spikey in the cold/wet weather.
Also, a drop-in K&N panel filter gives alot more boost sounds
On par with an M135i? Not that it important but a heathy M135i will pull away from the GP in a straight line. In terms of standard M135i’s they often dyno above standard power but then so do many cars which is usually down to the dyno rather than the car. My M135i dyno’d at 27.2bhp higher than standard but after after many years of going on dyno’s, I’d put money on it being the dyno rather than my car.I've had my GP2 for nearly two years. It's my daily and has also taken up hooning duties, with regular trips up to Scotland. It's great on fuel (circa 50mpg indicated stuck behind trucks for miles on end) when needed. Overall, it's averaged around 37mpg in summer and 34mpg in winter.
It's funny you mention the engine feeling more than the quoted power. As far as I'm aware, mine is standard and it's on a par with the 300bhp Audi S3s and M135is. Apparently standard GPs are closer to 240/250bhp, which, when you consider the weight, would make sense.
I'm currently debating whether or not to sell mine and get an M140i for a few more creature comforts. The only thing is I know I'll miss the handling/feeling of the car. It really does feel special.
Couple of things to watch for: Leaky dampers are a known weak spot. The handling can be spikey in the cold/wet weather.
Also, a drop-in K&N panel filter gives alot more boost sounds
Still the GP feels far more of a drivers car and it does feel special whereas the M135i/140i feel like largely normal cars with amazing engines. Dare I say it but the GP is far more sorted than the M135i which is unhinged on the limit and likely to be faster around tight tracks.
All in all I’m a huge fan of the GP and would very much like to own one someday! I’m interested to see how you get on with it after the M2.
Sheetmaself said:
Another 240 owner here, convertible version for me!
Thinking of following the same route, just need to measure it for bikes in the back. Hopefully with wheels off they’ll fit. Other option im considering is abarth 500 but definitely no bikes for that.
How come you're thinking of getting shot? I was just thinking of getting one.Thinking of following the same route, just need to measure it for bikes in the back. Hopefully with wheels off they’ll fit. Other option im considering is abarth 500 but definitely no bikes for that.
Sheetmaself said:
Another 240 owner here, convertible version for me!
Thinking of following the same route, just need to measure it for bikes in the back. Hopefully with wheels off they’ll fit. Other option im considering is abarth 500 but definitely no bikes for that.
Seats down you could get a road bike in the back of an abarth. I managed to get my Orange 5 lodged into my Elise. Where's there is a will there is a way Thinking of following the same route, just need to measure it for bikes in the back. Hopefully with wheels off they’ll fit. Other option im considering is abarth 500 but definitely no bikes for that.
I really like these and a chap at work has one. I'd consider a GP3 if they ever released one but found the latest model a little large and too refined. I like the compromise you make with these cars
Luke. said:
How come you're thinking of getting shot? I was just thinking of getting one.
Nothing to do with the car to be fair, i have a 5 mile commute which i am doing more and more by bike to try and get fit. This means it sits on the driveway doing nothing but costing me money. Just think a cheaper secondhand car, which is still fun, would be a better use of money. I own an elise, and i have no idea how a bike would fit in. Clearly you take the wheels off but then what do you do with the wheels as they wont fit in the boot. Are you aware you can get a back rack to fit on the roof?
These are fantastic cars. I'm on my second GP2!
I don't use mine often. But when I do; it gets used to the fullest.
MVIMG_20180917_105257 by Daniel Air, on Flickr
I don't use mine often. But when I do; it gets used to the fullest.
MVIMG_20180917_105257 by Daniel Air, on FlickrSheetmaself said:
Luke. said:
How come you're thinking of getting shot? I was just thinking of getting one.
I own an elise, and i have no idea how a bike would fit in. Clearly you take the wheels off but then what do you do with the wheels as they wont fit in the boot. Are you aware you can get a back rack to fit on the roof?As I said I lodged mine in and drove without a roof. This was ok on the open road or when sunny but if I got back into Edinburgh and slowly drove though the center (lived in Dundas Street for anyone local) I felt a bit silly sitting there in the wet whilst it drizzled....(which over my 4 years there it did that alot)
I'll pull out a photo when I get a chance.
There is, or at least was, a chap on MLOC who managed to get one work. It was a Thule rack designed for a fiesta if memory serves. Needs the hardtop but apparently works without issue. If you want i can go through my archive on there and try and find the full details.
Imagine my amaze when im in my elise coming the other way from one with a roof rack and a bike on top (and the bike still sat lower than most cars!).
Imagine my amaze when im in my elise coming the other way from one with a roof rack and a bike on top (and the bike still sat lower than most cars!).
Scobblelotcher said:
mikeyb1987 said:
Excellent choice!
I've had my GP2 for nearly two years. It's my daily and has also taken up hooning duties, with regular trips up to Scotland. It's great on fuel (circa 50mpg indicated stuck behind trucks for miles on end) when needed. Overall, it's averaged around 37mpg in summer and 34mpg in winter.
It's funny you mention the engine feeling more than the quoted power. As far as I'm aware, mine is standard and it's on a par with the 300bhp Audi S3s and M135is. Apparently standard GPs are closer to 240/250bhp, which, when you consider the weight, would make sense.
I'm currently debating whether or not to sell mine and get an M140i for a few more creature comforts. The only thing is I know I'll miss the handling/feeling of the car. It really does feel special.
Couple of things to watch for: Leaky dampers are a known weak spot. The handling can be spikey in the cold/wet weather.
Also, a drop-in K&N panel filter gives alot more boost sounds
On par with an M135i? Not that it important but a heathy M135i will pull away from the GP in a straight line. In terms of standard M135i’s they often dyno above standard power but then so do many cars which is usually down to the dyno rather than the car. My M135i dyno’d at 27.2bhp higher than standard but after after many years of going on dyno’s, I’d put money on it being the dyno rather than my car.I've had my GP2 for nearly two years. It's my daily and has also taken up hooning duties, with regular trips up to Scotland. It's great on fuel (circa 50mpg indicated stuck behind trucks for miles on end) when needed. Overall, it's averaged around 37mpg in summer and 34mpg in winter.
It's funny you mention the engine feeling more than the quoted power. As far as I'm aware, mine is standard and it's on a par with the 300bhp Audi S3s and M135is. Apparently standard GPs are closer to 240/250bhp, which, when you consider the weight, would make sense.
I'm currently debating whether or not to sell mine and get an M140i for a few more creature comforts. The only thing is I know I'll miss the handling/feeling of the car. It really does feel special.
Couple of things to watch for: Leaky dampers are a known weak spot. The handling can be spikey in the cold/wet weather.
Also, a drop-in K&N panel filter gives alot more boost sounds
Still the GP feels far more of a drivers car and it does feel special whereas the M135i/140i feel like largely normal cars with amazing engines. Dare I say it but the GP is far more sorted than the M135i which is unhinged on the limit and likely to be faster around tight tracks.
All in all I’m a huge fan of the GP and would very much like to own one someday! I’m interested to see how you get on with it after the M2.
I recently did a similar ‘daily’ swap from an e61 M5 to a Clio rs200 Cup
Just like you I’m having just as much (if not more) fun, for half the price. Thanks to an akropovic exhaust it sounds just as mental, it goes round corners in a way the M5 would never recognise and does 26mpg round town. The V10 did 11mpg before anyone says that’s not a lot!
It was MDifficults GP2 that inspired the change as well, as I’d grown tired of chasing him all over the place, the Clio runs him a little closer!
Just like you I’m having just as much (if not more) fun, for half the price. Thanks to an akropovic exhaust it sounds just as mental, it goes round corners in a way the M5 would never recognise and does 26mpg round town. The V10 did 11mpg before anyone says that’s not a lot!
It was MDifficults GP2 that inspired the change as well, as I’d grown tired of chasing him all over the place, the Clio runs him a little closer!
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