Mini Cooper S 1.6

I thought I was buying into solid technology. what I bought was a complete liability with enormous bills the like of which I have never seen in nearly 30 years of motoring. The constant worry of warnng lights coming on, in and out of the garage, re-checking the tyres and then the M3 incident prompts me to warn EVERYONE out there to fear for your life if you drive one of these cars. I cannot begin to describe my disappointment in this car.

The Mini Cooper S isn't a highly practical car, having a fairly small boot and harsh ride when fitted with Sports Suspension Plus and 17" wheels. If you're after a performance car that's fun to drive, then these are very minor shortcomings. In fact, the hard suspension gives you even more feel for the road. There's more feedback than the Peugeot 205 or Golf GTI, and it's certainly quicker, especially around the twisties. If you're experienced enough to appreciate just what this little car can do, it puts the other hot hatches to shame.

This car puts a smile on my face every time I drive it, because from a driving point of view, everything is just right. You do need to know what you're doing though, and knowing it's OK to drop into 2nd gear at 50mph to blast away from tailgaters is incredible fun (it's good for 67mph in 2nd).

I've had no real problems with this car. The passenger seat did lock in the 'forward position' once, but that was it.

It's not cheap though, especially with all the goodies added, but they fit together so well you'll be glad you got them.

Tyres at the front can last as little as 5000 miles initially (as you're driving like a loon when you first get it) but my second pair have lasted 15000 miles and are still going.

The engines are bullet-proof, so second hand models shouldn't be a problem if you're worried about them having been thrashed (the rev limiter spares you much agony, even though it's so well balanced it probably wouldn't matter).

The new (2007) Cooper S is again another notch up from this one, being more 'user friendly' and better suited to casual drivers. If, however, you're an enthusiast, with decent driving skills, this car will be a friend for life.

Bough mine in Feb 06. Now on my 4 set of run flat tyres! Air bag and tyre pressure light on permanently despite being in 5 times to fix. This morning battery flat after strange whining sound and appears that the power steering has gone - possible £400 for parts.

Not happy.

Love the Mini Cooper S and think that I will drive it forever! Handling is fantastic - very predictable and fun. Goes round corners like nothing else that I have ever driven. Great performance but gears could be a bit shorter although I think that this is something that has been sorted in the newer models. Still gets peoples heads turning.

Have had a baby and can manage to fit a pram and car seat in without putting the back seats down but there is not much room for anything else!

Has had to have a new Xenon head light, new power steering pump and a new boot lock. It also failed its 1st MOT because of a leeking power steering pipe. All have been fixed under warrenty with no problems but the power steering pipe would have cost me £400 pounds to have fixed outside of the warrenty.

Quite fancy the John Cooper works kit but I think that I will have to dream on!

After waiting over 14 months for one of the first Cooper S's my first experience of the car was not good. The car did not come fitted with some of the options I had paid for and the bonnet wouldn't shut properly.

As the MINI was a brand new design I was expecting some problems, but actually had surprisingly little trouble over my 20 months of ownership. The car was recalled for a handbrake issue there were a few rattles, and the car would pull to the left. All fixed under warranty.

Performance-wise the Cooper S with 163BHP was a let down. It was reasonably quick, but long gearing meant it was reluctant to pull away, especially with the air-conditioning on!

Handling was OK, but the ride comfort with 17 inch wheels and run-flat tyres was not good. The front Pirelli tyres also wore out in 6 months, so I decided to replace all four with a set of performane Michelin's. This was the best decision I made. They improved the ride and grip and even helped when pulling away as they are much lighter than the run-flats. The only problem would have been if I had got a puncture, but a few cans of foam in the boot would take care of that.

Steering feel was excellent, especially after the tyre change and the pedals perfectly placed for heel and toeing.

My MINI was very well equipped, but that comes at a price - £17,500 to be precise. A lot for a small car, but it is a baby BMW.

The interior is surprisingly roomy in the front and you can fit two adults in the back without too much discomfort. The boot, although small, would take 4 bags of shopping.

The leather sports seats and driving position are comfortable, and the climate control very handy especially in the winter for quick de-misting.

When I first got the car there were very few around and it used to turn heads, but after a year or so I started to notice 5 or 6 on every journey - they're everywhere now!

Fuel consumption was another issue. The car is very heavy and not particulary aerodynamic. I managed to average 27 MPG in the time I owned the car. Not great for a city car, but OK for a performance car. The Cooper S also prefers to run on Super Unleaded or Optimax, giving a smoother idle and slightly more pull.

My reasons for selling the car were the running costs and wanting something a little more exclusive. I bought a limited edition C2 GT, a car which was £7,000 cheaper than the MINI, more fuel efficeint just as good looking and not too shabby in the performance department - only 110BHP, but several hundred KG's lighter!

Yes I miss the toys that the MINI had, but they come at a price. A price I was originally willing to pay for exclusivety, but I still see 5 or 6 on every journey, and that I don't miss!

Had a good long drive along my favourite backroad with the new 170hp Mini Cooper S the other day. Next day, same conditions with a 2002 Peugeot 206 GTI 2,0. Contrary to all the hype-reviews on the Mini, this is what I noticed only while driving the Pug: I was laughing! Why? Because the car was so fantastically entertaining and involving when pushed along this badly surfaced, hilly and curvy strech of road. Steering, front end bite, traction, balance, all helped make it so much more enjoyable than the Mini. Couldn't really believe it myself. Mini had only about 1,000 miles on the clock, so probaly wasn't at it's peak yet. Compared to the 206 GTI it had an abrupt throttle response, weighty steering but without real feel, tractionissues and, not to forget, more than 100 kilos extra weight. Unsurprisingly, I opted for a 206 GTI, a real drivers car!