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MINI Cooper

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Comments

  • dingteldingtel Member Posts: 1
    Just test drove a MINI Cooper and generally felt the horsepower was sufficient for my driving style, but when the car was accelerate from 0 speed the engine didn't seem to be very responsive -- there was a slight lag before the car gains much acceleration. When I took the first left turn after stopping to wait for a gap in the upcoming traffic, the lack of acceleration when I "normally" pressed the gas pedal just made me nervous! The salesperson said it was because the demo car was not familar with my driving style (there had been 500 miles on it), but my wife's VW New Beetle Turbo with adaptive CVT doesn't have this problem at all. Could this simply be due to the lack of horsepower, instead of the CVT adaption issue? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Also, an irrelevant concern: is the MINI a chick car? Any idea about the gender ratio of MINI drivers in the states?
  • arkytectarkytect Member Posts: 12
    The MINI a chick car? I've no idea about the "gender ratio," but I'm definitely NOT a chick!

    But, come to think of it, I do see quite a few (beautiful) women driving them. There are a few ladies selling them at our local dealership. The most frequent comment I get about my MINI from people is that it's cute...Hmm... Maybe it IS a chick car.

    Wait, my wife and both my girls love the MINI...

    It handles well, parks anywhere, goes very fast, gets great mileage... Not only is it a chick car, I must be a chick!

    Can't wait to get my MINI Mania Stage III 245 hp upgrade for my chick car!
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    A few articles about the MINI when it came out dubbed it as the guy's answer to the Beetle. The new Beetle - marketed with a flower holder attracted a large female crowd. The MINI - with a "tough/sporty" look was the guy's car.

    I've actually seen more guys driving MINI's than gals.
  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    The Mini MC (manual or CVT) is not the quickest off the line. However, being a CVT owner you do need to adapt to how the transmission delivers power. While what the dealer said was true about the computer adapting to your driving style there a couple of nuances and tricks you can employ. Number one is if you want faster acceleration put it in SD (Sports Drive) mode, this will instruct the computer to allow the revs go higher before shifting to the next simulated gear. Number two is don't mash the pedal to the floor past the "kick down" point when accelerating from a dead stop (you'll feel it when you hit it). This will cause the engine to over rev and will essentially trigger the rev delimiter and you will feel the car hesitate until it falls back to a lower rev point. To get the best get up and go, press the accelerator to the kick down point, but not past it. Finally, you may want to try using the manual mode (i.e. shifting yourself). Using manual mode, I've found my acceleration is quicker from 0-40, however SD mode feels faster 0-60. Just some things to try out, good luck.
  • drivinisfundrivinisfun Member Posts: 372
    The MINI is everyhting the VW Beetle is not. The Beetle is just a rebadged VW Golf with FWD and a water cooled engine..nothing like the original. The PT Cruiser is just a FWD Neon with a taller more sculpted body style...again to comparison to the V8, RWD hotrods of yesterday.

    The current BMW MINI sticks faithfully to its very successful predecessor, the Classic Mini, which was manufactured virtually unchanged from 1959 to 2000.

    The current MINI is FWD with a transversally mounted 4 cyl engine, FWD and wheels push out far into the corners for superb handling. The MINI si a pretty respectable performance/handling car right out of the box and has earned top spots in Autocrossing and other race track competitions since its introduction back in 2002.

    The VW Beetle is and always will be a car aimed at a female demographic...the MINI is in a totally different league from the VW fake mobile.
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,370
    Real men and real women definitely prefer the MINI Cooper.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • sonaransonaran Member Posts: 1
    I'm seriously thinking of getting a MINI. I was just wondering what do most owners really love about their MINI? What I'm drawn to is the look of it.

    BTW- I out on the MINIUSA website and saw the new MINI S MC40.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    I think the "look" of the Mini is the initial hook. The fun and unique way it drive closes the deal. But I think you've got have a funky streak in you to cement the long-term relationship. I see an awful lot of people who buy these things for the look and initial feel, and after the novelty wears off in a month, they're complaining about how noisy, rough-riding, cramped, and unreliable they are.

    I like the unique driving feel the most. The way you sit in the car, the way it handles, the sound of the engine ... they're all quite different from other cars.

    The MC40 is definitely for an extrovert who likes driving around with a car with number plates on the side. With the exception of the carbon fiber dash and a few trim doo-dads, it's just a set of standard options/colors on a stock MCS and it's about $1.5K-$3K more, depending on how you value the wheels.

    - Mark
  • drgreydrgrey Member Posts: 10
    Ordered my new MC CVT today from MINI of Murray, Utah. Any feedback about sales and/or service experience there would be appreciated.

    I'll be taking the car home to Southern California where my closest dealer is Bob Smith in Calabasas. Any feedback about service there would also be appreciated. Many thanks.
  • nekekalnekekal Member Posts: 1
    I bought my MINI from MINI of Murray, Utah. I live in Texas so the situation was similar. My experience was great. They did all of the arrangements over the phone or fax, they kept me informed about arrival time, they picked me up at the airport, the car was prepped and ready, I would out of there in about an hour. It could not have gone better. And the car has been perfect. Manual Cooper with sport plus suspension. It has been about a year and I could not be happier.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    A magazine writer is looking to interview Mini owners who also:
    1. live in a congested city or suburb
    and/or
    2. drove an SUV prior to getting the Mini
    Please respond by Friday, February 13 to jfallon@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info and a few words about your Mini experience so far as it relates to point 1 and/or 2 above.
    Thanks for your consideration!
    Jeannine Fallon
    PR Director
    Edmunds.com

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • drgreydrgrey Member Posts: 10
    My dealer gave me the bad news that she can't order my new MC CVT with the cassette instead of the CD player if I want the Nav system. Anyone have a Nav and cassette? Anyone understand why they won't do that? Any workaround suggestions? Many thanks.
  • stryderstryder Member Posts: 140
    Are you looking at the Harmon Kardon system? I think that may be the problem, not the Nav H/K isn't available with cassette anymore, but Nav + Cassette could be a recent thing with the same reasons.

    I can't remember what the logic for not having Cassette was, but I'm pretty sure it was something like 'we need to do more development work - and its a very unpopular combination, so we won't' My recollection is they changed a computer on board, and it wasn't compatible.

    You could always get an aftermarket radio (make sure one that can accept the Nav input, so you obviously don't lose the voice) and then you could have a cassette

    You are getting the cassette to play cassettes right? Not for some other reason like using an Aux input cassette or something?
  • drgreydrgrey Member Posts: 10
    Thanks nekekal and stryder for your responses. I'm very satisfied with my initial contacts with MINI of Murray, the car order went in today and I'm hoping for delivery before May 1st. It's a surprise for my wife. She thinks we're going to Salt Lake City to pick up a rental car for a road trip to visit Park City, Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. I hope she's happy about the "rental car"!!

    I do plan to use the cassette for tapes-we listen to a lot of books-on-tape, so the cassette players in our cars are used more than the CD players. The solution I came up with was to go with the CD in the dash, because of the Nav system, have the aux input jack put in the lower part of the console, and use a good walkman-type portable cassette player for the book tapes-but I'm open to other suggestions!
  • stryderstryder Member Posts: 140
    I think that idea works well, either that or you could get the parcel shelf for under the steering wheel, and put the cassette player in there.

    Or just get an aftermarket head unit, which you can always do later on depending on how your plan works out, its not a big investment to get the aux kit and a walkman.

    Sounds like you're exciting, and I hope your wife is too, but I'm pretty sure she'll like the car, very few people don't, which is a nice benefit.
  • mollymolly Member Posts: 2
    I'm contemplating purchasing a manual transmission Mini (base model) although I have never driven a stick shift car. Is this a good idea? I drove the CVT and felt like it didn't have enough get-up-and-go for quick pull-outs. I have to admit, I am a bit of a lead-foot :)

    My question is: does the manual transmission (base model) have THAT much better performance than the CVT auto, which would warrant me buying the manual and learning how to drive it? Or is auto just as good? I would love to hear your opinions!
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,370
    If you are concerned about take-off from a stop the manual will give you better response. Not only that but the Cooper S model which is faster yet is Manual shift only, it's the lead-foot version.

    It takes only a week or so to learn to drive the stick.

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    I'll take my CVT against a manual any day. I haven't found the manual to be any faster, but it may be worthwhile to learn to drive a stick anyway. Completely up to you.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    There is the perception that manual transmission cars are quicker and faster than automatics, but in reality, the difference is mostly in responsiveness rather than outright speed in day-to-day driving.

    With the greater control offered by a manual tranmission, you can select a gear that provides the power you want/need, rather than living with the automatic's tendency to keep the engine at a lower RPM to get less noise and better fuel economy. This is very noticeable in twisty driving where you can leave the car in one gear or two and have good power for both acceleration and braking. It is much easier to drive quicker and smoother with the greater gear control of the manual.

    True, 0-60 times are better for the manual, but this is mostly due to being able to rev the engine and brutally drop the clutch with the manual, using the stored up energy to get wheelspin and launch the car. In a rolling start with the clutch completely engaged, the difference is much, much smaller.

    So I'd get what you want to drive on a day-to-day basis and let the power fall where it may. Power is like salary - you generally always have enough and you generally always want more.

    - Mark
  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    What makes the CVT such a nice feature is that you have the manual option and can shift the gears for yourself, just like a manual, but without the clutch. The reason why I can match and beat manual Coopers off the line is I can rev the engine just like the manual (with my left foot on the brake) in the 1st simulated gear in manual mode and then launch. In the twisties, again, I put the CVT in manual mode and downshift and upshift as necessary to stay within the optimal power range. The only thing the CVT is missing...is the clutch. There is also no CVT version for the MCS, just the MC
  • drgreydrgrey Member Posts: 10
    I've ordered my red MC with white wheels. Another owner told me he gets so much brake dust on the front wheels, that the white would always look dirty and BAD!He has alloy wheels. Anyone have experience with the white wheels? Thanks.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    It is pretty much universally acknowledged that if you want them to look nice, you're going to be cleaning white wheels every few days. If this bothers you, I'd change your order.

    - Mark
  • mollymolly Member Posts: 2
    Is there ANY chance of getting a discount off of the MSRP on a mini (US east coast)? I don't want to pay MSRP unless I have to, but I have a feeling that I will have to.

    Thanks!
  • stryderstryder Member Posts: 140
    There's a vague chance you might get a deal, especially from dealers that have a lot of stock. Mini of the Hamptons comes to mind, but don't expect it to be more then a few hundred. With it being the middle of the model year, there's not a lot of inventory sitting around. More likely, you can get some free stuff, floor mats, maybe some accesories you like etc.

    Don't go kicking yourself because you didn't get a good deal, you want the car, pay the price its selling at (you can crosscheck edmunds' TMV) and you'll be rewarded with a great car and it will have high residual value, which benefits all - way more then saving 1/2% off MSRP.
  • JingleJillJingleJill Member Posts: 120
    Nobody likes paying MSRP, but the Cooper is worth it. I am in Texas and found mine in Florida at MSRP in stock. I had them throw in floor mats. You probably could get a mug or two also.

    Just go for it.

    Stacy
  • martin44martin44 Member Posts: 25
    Would like to know city and highway mileage Cooper S drivers are getting. Is it necessary to use premium gas? Thanks.
  • markjennmarkjenn Member Posts: 1,142
    I'm getting 22 around town, 27 on the highway. EPA ratings are something like 24/34, but these are optimistic.

    Premium gas is required. The engine has knock sensors so presumably it runs without hurting itself on regular, but it hardly makes sense to spend extra for the performance of the S so you can feed it gas that makes it perform like the regular MC.

    - Mark
  • martin44martin44 Member Posts: 25
    22/27 is not bad. Good advice on premium. Thank you.
  • jojojojo Member Posts: 1
    Please could anyone provide some feedback on how the mini handles in the snow. I live in the North East and drive to the ski slopes each weekend throughout the winter. I currently have an A4 AWD which handles the conditions like a dream but its time to change and I really love the mini. Someone suggested that as long as I had snow tires on it would be no issue but I am nervous and would love to hear from anyone that actually drives the car in the snow.

    Thanks in advance
  • stryderstryder Member Posts: 140
    If you have snow tires + ordered DSC, you're generally ok. You can't drive in snow much deeper then the ground clearance 4" or so. If you expect to have to plow snow to get to your ski area, you might not be able to do it, but if its just snow on the ground, you should be fine with good tires. You may lose some ability compared to your A4, but if driving on acceptably plowed or only moderate snowy roads, you won't notice. The 4" clearance is the key.
  • JingleJillJingleJill Member Posts: 120
    I averaged 25mpg on my first full tank of gas; both highway and city driving. I just took a mini road trip and averaged about 30mpg. Still haven't reached break-in. I know fellow "s" owners that are getting around 30mpg as well.
  • mininuggettmininuggett Member Posts: 2
    I just purchased a 2004 Mini (it's in Gold and very sharp looking) with CVT. So far I love it, I have only about 200 miles on it. I've noticed that it seems to shift hard in the lower gears (both gearing up or down), to the point of passengers making remarks about the jerking. Is this normal? Will it go away with time? The messages on this board have been very helpful already and I hope you can give me some insight. Thanks,
  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    If you are driving normally (ie no abrupt acceleration), you should barely notice the shifting at all. Maybe slightly when you come to a complete stop. The CVT does need to adjust to your driving style, so I would give it at least 1000 miles before taking it in. If you still experience a jarring shift, go get it checked out, this is not normal at all
  • rsunicorsunico Member Posts: 82
    Has anyone actually paid less than 500 bucks below MSRP? I heard this was possible only at the end of the model year. I bought my 04 MCS at Prestige MINI in Mahwah, NJ. Good dealership.

    mossmini.com has brake covers that are supposed to help with the dust problem...

    - Renato
    www.newyorkmini.org
    come motor with us!
  • dan7dan7 Member Posts: 6
    So i was deciding in buying a mini or a Mazda 3, this is really a tough decision, i love BMWs so i really want to go with the Mini, but i also want sometign that will give me good gas mileage, the fact that i have to put in premium gas makes me think COST, especially now that summer is just around the corner and premium gas will shoot way up. Now if i get just the Mini Cooper (not the S) how much mileage do you all get? Also, can you drive it with regular gas (or middle octane?)

    Also, i live in CT, any good dealers around here that some of you may have come across? Also, should i be expecting to pay MSRP or can you get it for cheaper?

    thanks so much!
  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    As you hear on TV all the time...your mileage may vary. According to the MINI's trip computer, I am getting 27 and change miles to the gallon. I tend to rev it a lot though and we have hills in our area and lots of stop and go traffic (San Francisco). As for octane, MINI recommends premium gasoline for both the MCS and MC.
  • dan7dan7 Member Posts: 6
    do you have a MCS or MC?
  • mininuggettmininuggett Member Posts: 2
    Thanks Ozone1, the shifting has smoothed out already (after 1000 miles). Thanks again for your advice.
  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    Dan7-I have a MC with the CVT transmission

    Mininuggett-Glad to hear that worked out, don't you just love the CVT?
  • dan7dan7 Member Posts: 6
    So i have finally decided to go with a mini cooper (not the s), but here is the problem, i want to be able to use it in the winter as well (i live in CT) and i have heard that the 16 performance tires are not meant for the snow is this the case? Will i get better use with the 15" all weather tires (if i want to have a tire that i can use year round?).

    thanks
  • andys120andys120 Member Posts: 23,370
    Soft compound, warm-weather tires are downright dangerous in below freezing temps. Either get all-seasons and stay home when it's really bad out or buy a set of snows mounted on separate rims so you can go thru anything but don't even think of running perf tires in winter

    2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93

  • winreswinres Member Posts: 3
    Any feedback on the baby-seat issue? Were you able to find a rear facing seat that fits? How did you solve the problem?
  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    I sure hope crcoxe found a seat that worked. We've used ours for our baby since he was born in October, works fantastic. Fits perfectly and easy to install. The passenger seat does have to be moved forward slightly when he is in the back seat but nothing a passenger under 5'10" can't handle. With only the base in (ie the kid isn't in the car), the passenger can put his or her seat all the way back without any problem. I'll have to look up the brand on it and post it here for future aspiring parents.
  • akitadogakitadog Member Posts: 117
    I'm looking for DC area Cooper S owners who have the sport package (or at least the 17" wheels). How bad is it pushing through the city with the 17s? I'm thinking of skipping the Sport Package (I want it for the DSC, the wheels would be a cool extra) due to the horrible streets in the city.
    Thanks for any help.
  • winreswinres Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the info. It would be great if you could post the brand and model # for the rear facing car seat. It seems that there are only a few brands that actually work. Glad to hear that it wasn't that much of a hassle though.
  • ozone1ozone1 Member Posts: 87
    We bought an infant car seat made by Graco. You can view all the different car seats they make at...

    http://www.gracobaby.com
  • xeiderxeider Member Posts: 46
    http://www.mini.com/COM/en/themini/model_refreshing/index.jsp

    Looks like some interesting changes in store for the 2005 model year. Looks like a lot of these are in conjunction with new stuff on the Mini Convertable.

    I wonder how much of this will end up being for Europe only, and how much will make it across the pond to the states.

    I may have to hold off getting a Mini to wait for the Black Eye Purple color....
  • bchernockbchernock Member Posts: 1
    I am in the process of buying a MINI. The dealer gave me a price of MSRP + $600. What do you think?

    Thank you!
  • xeiderxeider Member Posts: 46
    From what I have seen (looking at various message boards and from looking at 2 different mini dealers) you should be able to get just over MSRP from a dealer. Some dealers have a harder time keeping inventory on their lots then others, and obviously feel they can charge a little more. If your that close to MSRP your doing good, though you may be able to get down to MSRP. If the dealer is selling well, he may not be willing, but there is usually a little wiggle room, especially if your buying off their lot.
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