BMW Mini : Which engine to go for?

[PoorCarCollector]

Hi all,

SWMBO has her heart on replacing her aged Vauxhall Corsa with a Mini Countryman.

Budget of about £15k and will be looking for an auto.

I hear a lot of Mini engine horror stories, so wondering which engine option to go for / age of Mini / model year changes ?

She does sometimes do 300mile+ day trips for work, so was thinking possibly a diesel, but then DPF worries etc? She does get paid a mileage allowance

Any advice very much appreciated!

Edited by PoorCarCollector on Wednesday 18th December 18:33

[TameRacingDriver]

Can't go wrong with any 2.0 Turbo variant really. They seem to be pretty robust and reliable. Also will return 40+ MPG.

[ZX10R NIN]

2.0T is the pick.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412127...

[PoorCarCollector]

Great, thanks, I also should have included the 1.5 Hybrid as well, they look a good option?

[Arnold Cunningham]

I have the later 1.6 turbo and I think it’s fine. But if I were to go a bit newer, it’d be the 2.0 turbo, all day long.

[SIMON67]

I've got the 1.5 triple in a 118i auto. Seems like a cracking little engine and would suit a mini. Not quick but smooth, revvy and has some character.

[weeve]

We had a 1.5 all4 2018 cooper petrol for the daily rural long school run. Great car, good pick up and decent accel/speed. Wife loved it and I was happy to drive it any time. Dumped the runflats (harsh) and used crossclimates and I made a spare space saver that sat on boot floor in a bag (diameter too large for under the floor).. , but was thin and strapped down so no bother. Sunroof was great .. defo worth it if can get as a double and the light that got into cabin was ‘needed’ really. Standard stereo was good . Averaged 40 per gallon with it left on mid and sport mode. It was really quite fun around corners as did flow around them well. Would have another…

[edc]

The 1.5 triple in the F60 is very comfortable at motorway speeds. I'd get the LED headlights and the wide-screen nav. I have a short commute a couple of times a week and otherwise use it for local running around.

[edc]

PoorCarCollector said:

Great, thanks, I also should have included the 1.5 Hybrid as well, they look a good option?

Just like the BMWs the early ones have the smaller battery and less range. If you're doing short journeys most of the time you might get away with majority battery running.

[AliMc99]

Ours has got the petrol1.5 3 Cylinder in a 3 door Cooper hatch (shared with 1 series BMW's) and it's great. Avoid the 1.6 "Prince" (Peugeot) engines in the pre 2014 cars as these are known to be troublesome.

[Mr Tidy]

I used to be a big fan of the R56 Minis - Mrs Tidy bought a new one in December 2006.

But at just over 70K miles it needed a new cam-chain a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not so impressed!

I've had a couple of 3 cylinder turbo ones as courtesy cars and don't like them. They sound like a diesel, are very high geared and need revving out to get any significant forward motion.

[edc]

AliMc99 said:

Ours has got the petrol1.5 3 Cylinder in a 3 door Cooper hatch (shared with 1 series BMW's) and it's great. Avoid the 1.6 "Prince" (Peugeot) engines in the pre 2014 cars as these are known to be troublesome.

The Countryman didn't get the B38/47/48 until the F60 in 2017.

[Arnold Cunningham]

Mr Tidy said:

I used to be a big fan of the R56 Minis - Mrs Tidy bought a new one in December 2006.

But at just over 70K miles it needed a new cam-chain a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not so impressed!
(

At that age, it’s the earlier engines which were well known for this. The later engine in the R56 is apparently better (which mine has, so I hope it’s true)

Edited by Arnold Cunningham on Thursday 19th December 05:11

[Rob 131 Sport]

Mr Tidy said:

I used to be a big fan of the R56 Minis - Mrs Tidy bought a new one in December 2006.

But at just over 70K miles it needed a new cam-chain a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not so impressed!

I've had a couple of 3 cylinder turbo ones as courtesy cars and don't like them. They sound like a diesel, are very high geared and need revving out to get any significant forward motion.

Mrs 131 Sport has a late 18 Cooper Clubman with the 1.5 Turbo Triple. It’s not a bad cruiser, although not overly fast. I personally ignore the manufacturer’s service intervals and get it serviced every year or 8k miles.

I would be looking at a BMW 1 series as opposed to a Countryman for long journeys.

[SIMON67]

Rob 131 Sport said:

Mrs 131 Sport has a late 18 Cooper Clubman with the 1.5 Turbo Triple. It’s not a bad cruiser, although not overly fast. I personally ignore the manufacturer’s service intervals and get it serviced every year or 8k miles.

I would be looking at a BMW 1 series as opposed to a Countryman for long journeys.

I was going to buy a Countryman but then tested the 1 series and much preferred it. Probably down to the normal ride height: it just felt lighter on its feet and had nicer steering. It helped that the 118i was much cheaper as a nearly new car - probably down to supply as there were so many available.

[Ranger 6]

Mrs Ranger 6a is on her second Countryman and it's a petrol 2.0T. A great car which can do the long distances in comfort with relaxed cruising. The 4wd is capable enough to get through winter easily enough.

The previous SD was good, but the engine wasn't as refined as some of the others on the market, so when we switched to the new shape we made the change to petrol.

[griffter]

Ranger 6 said:

Mrs Ranger 6a is on her second Countryman and it's a petrol 2.0T. A great car which can do the long distances in comfort with relaxed cruising. The 4wd is capable enough to get through winter easily enough.

The previous SD was good, but the engine wasn't as refined as some of the others on the market, so when we switched to the new shape we made the change to petrol.

Does Mrs Ranger 6b know about this?

[CABC]

another vote for the 1.5, a characterful torquey little thing.
I went for post '17 to benefit from better reliability (I forget what specifically)
the auto is very good too. I think post '18 went electric DCT which was a new mechanism, I'd be wary of that.

[Robertb]

I'd avoid any petrol R56. The engine is awful.

The F56 triple seems very reliable.

[Alfa Pete]

If she does frequent motorway runs the 2.0SD is great.
I had that in a Clubman cooper S with the 8 speed auto.
Effortless , decent performance as quick as the 2.0 petrol and 50 plus mpg.