Mini Cooper v. Hyundai Tiburon v. Acura RSX v. Subaru WRX
Trying to decide between these three. I've been leaning towards the Tiburon, but my wife wants the Rsx or Mini. Thanks ahead of time for any thoughts pro/cons on the matter.
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0-60 acceleration-wise...
Tiburon V6 6spd= 8.0 (est in various magazines)
Mini Cooper 5spd= 8.5 (manufacturer-stated)
Mini Cooper S 6spd= 6.9 (manufacturer-stated)
RSX 5spd= not sure
RSX Type-S 6spd= 6-second range (what I've heard)
Handling wise, from all I've heard from magazine reviews, the Mini is a practical Go-kart, the RSX handles rather decently, and the Tiburon has a lot of body roll and understeer.
The Tiburon seems to be the slug of the group excluding the Mini Cooper, which can at least be had in a faster version. It also seems to be the worst handling. Depends if that's important to you.
Of course, the real way to tell what you really want is to test drive them and see which you like best, though that will most likely be hard to do with a Mini, at least for a while.
Good luck with whatever car you decide on.
Mike
That won't make the Mini YOUR favorite car, or the best car for you, but it is a consideration to be made. The performance should be very good, the car will be rare enough that you will have scant opportunities to run into them in the wild (not many on the roads for a while).
Another big consideration is your location. Where do you live? I hope it is close to a new Mini dealership, or I might consider taking the Mini off your wishlist. You could be facing a long drive to the dealer for service, because only Mini dealers will perform warranty work and service.
As for the Tibby versus the Acura. I think the Acura has a better pedigree than Hyundai. You also will pay a bit of a premium for that fact. But, you should get it back down the road in resale values.
Since it is a third car, maybe the intrinsic financial value/cost of the car you choose may not be the most important factor, but I submit that the bottom line may be another reason the Mini takes first place, the Acura second, and the Tibby third (sorry Hyundai).
Good luck, and definately drive the cars before you decide.
Mini: IF you can get one, you will pay MUCH more than MSRP.
Only leaves one, which IMHO has the best mix of standard equipment/performance/price/reliability in its class.
If you are opening a new dealership, with a highly sought after car, and want the dealership to be successful for years...what would you do?
I think the Mini dealers that are forward thinking will not be charging rediculous surtaxes on the cars. I have not be told anything one way or the other, but I expect to pay MSRP for my Mini, when I get it.
Acura will be the best combination of easy to get and reliability. But don't rule out the Mini because the dealers MAY charge a hefty fee. We don't even know what model he was looking at.
It(Tiburon) is now one of the best sport compacts for the money. Just don't tell the lawyers.
--Josh Jacquot
http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/archives/features/feature01_0402c.shtml
TO ALL said Tib perform bad....
Compareson
2003 Tib V6GT ($18,399)
Performance
Acceleration
0-30 mph: 2.9 sec.
0-60 mph: 7.6 sec.
30-50 mph: 2.8 sec.
50-70 mph: 4.1 sec.
Quarter Mile: 15.6 sec. @ 88.8 mph
Handling
Slalom (700 ft): 68.2 mph
Lateral grip (200ft skidpad): .84g
Braking
60-0 stopping distance: 122 ft.
RSX-S ($23,650)
Performance
Acceleration
0-30 mph: 3.0 sec.
0-60 mph: 6.9 sec.
30-50 mph: 2.5 sec.
50-70 mph: 3.4 sec.
Quarter Mile: 15.0 sec. @ 94.5 mph
Handling
Lateral Grip (200ft skidpad): 0.88 g
Slalom Speed (700ft slalom): 68.0 mph
Braking
60-0 stopping distance: 133 ft
Celica GT-S ($22,040)
Performance
Acceleration
0-30 mph: 2.9 sec
0-60 mph: 8.1 sec
30-50 mph: 3 sec
50-70 mph: 4.4 sec
Quarter Mile time: 15.8 sec
Quarter Mile speed: 88.6 mph
Handling
Lateral Grip (200ft skidpad): 0.85g
Slalom Speed (700ft slalom): 69.9 mph
Braking
60-0 stopping distance: 129 ft
Accordding to SportsCompactCar.....
Tib is just par or right betweem two best japaneses sports coupe....
Acceleration (1/4miles)
1. RSX-S 15 sec
2. Tiburon GT 15.6sec
3. Celica GTS 15.8sec
Handling
skid pad 200ft skid pad
1, RSX-S .88g
2, Celica GTS .85g
3, Tiburon GT .84g
Slalom (700ft slalom)
1. Celica GTS 69.9 mph
2. Tiburon GT 68.2 mph
3. RSX-S 68.0 mph
Braking(60-0)
1. Tiburon 122ft
2. Celica GTS 129ft
3. RSX-S 133ft
And If you adds UP the ranking all three cars tied with 8 points( add up the number of ranking)
But I don't like the interior of either car so I'm buying a 1993 two or four door and a Turbo.
Of course if you can bring yourself to a higher priced gem - maybe get the Honda S2000 instead.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
The RSX is more refined, has a cleaner look.
The 2003 Tib is called Tuscani in Korea...
I don't understand why Hyundai didn't say...
okay, no more Scoupe... now Tiburon... and then
Tuscani. The 2001 and 2003 models are very different at least in styling.
If you think about it, it does make sense that they would do this, that they HAVE to do this. Honda may have gotten away with charging a surplus for the S2000, because they had a lot full of other cars that they could turn the disappointed buyers to..."look at this Civic SI."
For Mini, the Cooper is their car, their ONLY car, and if they make a reputation for fleecing the public at the introduction, it may turn off people who just might walk in off the street to test drive and buy one 2 or 3 years from now, after all the enthusiasts have snapped up their orders. If you step back and think long-term from the company's perspective, the best approach is to hold firm, and build a reputation for quality service, quality cars and fair trade. If they fail the customers early in the relationship, they will doom themselves. One of the reasons I belive that Saturn was as successful as it was when it hit the market was the introduction of some new attitudes into the marketplace. The concept of one price selling made buying a Saturn a low-stress approach as compared to other dealers. They sold alot of cars that way, and built a fairly loyal following, selling ONE model with a few variations. Now fast forward to today and I see some simularities to the Mini approach, they will not be BMW dealerships, but will retain some loose association with BMW (would be crazy not to), and they will do everything to build a solid base to remain viable for the next 20 years, not just the next two while they sell out every car made to a voracious special interest group of enthusiasts.
As for returning to the comparo: Mini, IMHO, has the most to offer of the three to most buyers. But then again, it is an entirely different thing than the Tibby or the RSX. Like comparing Akira and Four Weddings and a Funeral for best movie ever honors...how can you compare them? And neither earns that title! At under 20k, you don't get the best of anything in a new car, but you can get closer with a Mini than the RSX and Tibby, and that is why I am on the list.
My money says RSX. A driver's driver.
VWs and MINI, etc. are fads... riding the 'waaaaaaaay above MSRP' rocket until it crashes.
Doubtful that Tokyo will ever put out a car with the qualities of the MINI.
Huh?
Who's taking about Korean cars???
Japanese cars for the most part have good resale values. But show me one Japanese car in the North American market with the build quality, handling, technology and halo factor of the MINI...name ONE...
2002 Acura RSX coupe 54% after 36 mo, 42% after 60.
2003 Tiburon GT V6 48% after 36 mo, 33% after 60.
2002 MINI Cooper S. 61% after 36 mo, 48% after 60.
Of course no one can predict the future, but these numbers say that the Tiburon depreciates as much in 3 years as the MINI does in 5!
p.s. drivinisfun: Hyundai is Korean if you haven't noticed :-)
p.p.s. Does anyone know where to research these resale values other than this honda site?
But I think you need to pay a subscription fee.
Yeah I am aware about Hyundai being Korean. The new Tiburon is nice but not my cup of tea. It is a re-do of the 1990's Toyota Supra.
WRX?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
You said, build quality, handling, technology, and halo factor. You didn't say anything about looks. But as far as the WRX looking like any other made in Japan econobox (I agree), I could say that the Mini is just another Beetle-esque flash in the pan.
In many ways the MINI is not the old Mini because it is too safe, too heavy, too expensive and handles too well but at least it isn't just a new face on old bits from the parts bin. I think it faithfully reproduces the charm of the original while giving it modern safety and convenience features on an entirely new platform.
I don't expect many people will cross-shop the Cooper, Tiburon and RSX. A few will cross shop them looking at performance alone but I think most people buy these cars for image and from there, each car has its own uniqueness and irrational likes and dislikes will have more to do with the choice than anything else. Some will love the MINI's retro styling, others will hate it. Some love the Japanese RSX, others think it is too bland. Some won't buy a Hyundai or Korean car for $1 and others think they are the coolest new car company on the block.
Tiburon with the V-6 engine (the only one worth considering IMO) is much more of a cruiser - bigger, heavier, less good at handling than straight-line acceleration. It should not be compared to these other two cars, but to the eclipse GT instead.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Is the Mini a better package than a 1.8T GTI? It's a close call. I think it just depends on whether you are in love with the Mini's styling or not.
the mini may be the best car of the 3 on this thread, but i suspect many opinions posted here are from car magazine reviews.
i remember how the magazine reviewers raved about the new focus until they found it spent more time in a service bay than on the road.
either way i doubt it will make much of an impact on the sales of competitors. it is a niche car that will probably attract limited "real world interest".
That said, I too own a MINI. Took delivery just over a month ago. I got on the waiting list in January, put in the specs for what I wanted in April and it was built and shipped from England in about one month. Paid MSRP with no required add-ons. I know that the wait for people elsewhere in the States (I'm in MD) is a bit longer and if you want the "S", get in a VERY long line.
I didn't drive the RSX or the Tiburon. It was MINI or bust all along. I think you will probably find similar stories from other MINI owners. It's not a car you buy after shopping around looking for the best car for the best deal. I bought the MINI because I wanted a MINI, not because I was convinced it was better than the Tiburon, RSX, or even the VW Bug for that matter. Of course, as a MINI owner, I must say it beats the rest hands down. ;-)
In my one month in the car, it lives up to its billing. Good acceleration and braking and it corners like it's on rails. This car is simply a joy to drive. It puts a smile on my face every time I get in. Only problem is the crowds it attracts when I am in a hurry to get somewhere.
I've only seen a few MINI's on the road, but when I do I tend to study them and the other day I saw something rather unusual. On the car I saw the left rear tire had extreme negative camber- it was obvious just looking at it. The right rear and left front looked pretty neutral- I couldn't see the right front.