Mini Cooper or Cooper S?

[Mike_C]

Hi all,

I'm thinking of a new car and am seriously considering a Mini Cooper or Cooper S. I've had an original Cooper before (pic below) and although they bear no relation, I do fancy a newer MINI.



It'll be used daily for my commute to work, back roads and urban all the way, about 40/45 mile round trip. For this reason, a good balance of economy and performance is essential - so in real world terms, what sort of mpg can I expect from a Cooper and Cooper S respectively? Of course, the Cooper being IG 8 vs the S' 15 is also a factor...

Secondly, what options and option packs are desireable/essential? Most seem to have the Chilli Pack but as I understand it there's also Salt & Pepper packs, though i'm not sure what these include. Anything else I should look out for?

Finally, and this is important - will I fit my golf clubs anywhere in the bloody thing?! No, seriously - how easy is it to de-chrome a MINI 'cos they look much better with the black grills (and aero kits) from a male point of view! Bit soft and girly all chromed up and rounded off IMO!

Any other advice, please send it this way!

Thanks

[Jolly]

Hi mate.

Offically your looking at around 30 mpg for the Cooper s and around 42 mpg for the Cooper. I own a diesel MINI though so I cant give you any first hand experience of the petrols consumption... but obviously its going to vary on how you drive it. People report on here and other MINI forums that +30mpg is possible from the S.

Spec wise as you say there are the salt, pepper and chilli packs. I've listed the details of the Pepper and Chilli packs, because to be honest a Cooper with a Salt pack isnt worth bothering with. Similarly if you go for a Cooper S make sure it has the Chilli pack. Briefly these include:

In a nutshell the Pepper Pack consisted of the following.

Chrome line exterior
Front fogs
Interior light package
Cooper S steering wheel (same as the normal one, but with thumb grips)
Passenger seat height adjustment
Radio boost (although some like mine have the H/K sound system so kind of irrelevant)
Storage compartment package
Trip computer (mpg, average mpg, range, average speed etc etc)
Velor floor mats

The Chilli Pack consists of all of the above, but with the following additions:

Cloth / Leather combination for the upholstery (half leather)
Sports seats
Upgrade to Xenon headlights with washers
3 spoke sports steering wheel instead of the standard Cooper S wheel
Manual air conditioning *

• Age dependant.

As for a desireable spec, thats the problem with MINI's. There are so many option combinations it makes it hard to narrow down the ultimate second hand purchase. If it was me I would make sure the car had Xenon lights, Harmon/Kardon sound system, half leather sports seats, chilli pack, air con. Anything else would be great. As for cosmetics like alloys etc, these can allways be added later.

Golf clubs - no idea but the boot it very small. That said I have managed to fit a set of Cooper S bumpers in mine with the seats folded down. So maybee.

Cost wise for the AeroKit. I recently put one on mine for £1035 (incuding the aero spoiler) Other dealers quoted £1500 +. Allthough there are other options avliable if you dont mind the USA side running lights.

Here are a few pics of mine with all the mods I've done to her.





Hope that helps you out abit. You wont regret getting a MINI.

Regards,

James.

[Hobzy]

Hi, and welcome.

Dechroming is easy - theres lots of alternative parts now. As for golf clubs, its a case of putting one of the rear seat backs down and slotting them in (they fit easily then) or seperating clubs from bag and they will go in the boot with the seats up except for your drivers.

30mpg is possible but if your going to drive it like that then its not worth it - go for the Cooper. I've had both and both were enjoyable to drive. My current MINI is not exactly economical I'm afraid though


Nice Classic BTW!

Edited by Hobzy on Friday 24th August 13:45

Edited by Hobzy on Friday 24th August 13:47

[Loui]

Are we talking early new mini or the new R56 model?

[Twit]

Taking fuel economy out of question for a bit the one thing I would say is that the car MUST have the chilli pack. I've heard of dealers turning cars away on resale / part ex if it hasnt got the chilli pack, or whatever it has been called over the years.

As for fuel economy, in terms of the S there is a big difference between the R53 and the R56, the R56 seems to be much better on the economy scale. It seems that no matter how hard I am with mine it never drops below 35 MPG and on the motorway just cruising along you can get much nearer 40 MPG. I don't know figures on the R53 but I do know it can get low if you hammer it.

Overall I'd always go for the S, but test both the R53 and R56. I was seriously underwhelmed with the R53 when I tested one. I just got out and said 'no-wasnt interested', the sales guy them almost had to force me into the R56 and the difference was a revelation. I couldnt believe the difference but its probably horses for courses. I know there are plenty of people around who dislike the R56 cos its not supercharged...

[r56_ollie]

We've got an R56 Cooper, and its chuffing magic. 39.6 mpg average around the lanes, and not with a feather right foot. The Chili Pack is essential IMO, but there is nothing wrong with the Pepper Pack, just the desirability factor and resale with the Chili Pack tops it.

[baSkey]

to counter twit (but not argue with him!) alot of people think the r56 whilst being more sophisticated is less edgy/fun than the r53. you should drive both as said because coming from a proper mini the r56 may feel too 'normal'.

r53 cooperS economy is crap (assume an average of no more than 31). but hey no.

not being negative about coopers i'd personally suggest that the cooperS is more of a long term investment than the cooper. the cooperS is so much quicker that i think it's less easy to get bored. that said maybe the cooper works is a nice compromise - they certainly sound nice! a final thought (if funds are tightish) is to go for a One and 'chip' it back to cooper levels oomph (easily done for <£500).

you probably won't find one (depends on budget) but look for a cooperS with dsc or just the LSD (dsc includes dsc) i think they're only available post facelift. they do handle differently (i've got one and i like it! ).

interms of golf clubs it's probably a case of back seat down - but that's not a chore!

[gonzales]

Golf clubs and bag require the rear seats to go down, however once they are there is a hell of a lot of room for stuff in there. I have had 3 full suitcases and two snowboards in mine, along with a passenger.

As far as economy goes - my trip computer says I get 36mpg out of my daily commute and 40mpg on a 200 mile motorway trip. AS far as working it out the old way goes, I get 33-34mpg and 38-40mpg respectfully. I tried the cooper before buying the S as I thought it would be plenty of fun without needing to go that fast. Was very underwhelmed by it. The S is fantastic though, just costs a lot in tyres ;-)