written by on 29/02/2012
Don't get me wrong I love driving my 2010 mini clubman S and I love the way it looks. I have to say a major deterrent for repurchasing the same model is to never get the performance package !!!!! The front bumper is soooooo low that when I pull out of my driveway which is very low, the bumper has come off 3 times and one time pulled the sensor completely off so I was not able to get any airconditioning. I went over a pot hole and the entire front bumper cracked in half and I had to pay $750.00 to have it replaced the first time. Now I am paying 350.00 just for the side piece that attaches to the bumper. The engine light has come on 3 times now in the past 2 years, the first time it was the sensor having to be reset; the second time the same and the 3rd time a seal had broken and oil poured out all over the tires. Luckily mini- roadside came and towed my car and I did not destroy the engine. Don't get me wrong I love driving my 2010 mini clubman !!!
written by decy on 09/07/2006
When we did have the Mini Cooper S, being a bloke, I thought I'd take it for a spin without the girlfriend. This is a very fast car and I've always driven fast cars. I owned an Audi Coupe and this is a faster car, It isn't that hard on fuel but then again we haven't had it long enough to give it a good long test drive. It's still with the dealership, it was overheating so they have replaced the water bottle, a sensor, the radiator, head gasket, thermostat, so at the min. not sure if it is fixed yet they say if it still overheating they will replace the engine. Now the car is out of the BMW 3 year warranty. BMW have told us they will fix it for us. They have been more than helpful, cheers BMW!
written by gingerbap on 19/08/2005
I am writing this review of my Mini Cooper S 163bhp (2002) having a good platform of comparison. An Audi Quattro, Mk1 VW Golf GTI, 2 x BMW 325i sports, Subaru WRX, BMW E34 M5 and Corrado VR6 are some of the cars I have owned in the previous 5 years.
I bought the Mini Cooper S some 4 months ago and have mixed feelings on my choice. The first thing that jumps up and quite literally smacks you in the face is the lack of performance... I am amazed to read other reviews online that continually praise the Cooper S as a performance car. The problem lies more with the gearing than the engine output. The Man at BMW who decided that first gear should be geared to nearly 50mph should have his head read... What happens is that the mix of low torque at low revs and an overly long 1st gear means that the car will not move quickly off the line and very often verges on stalling. Its so slow infact off the line that at times i would classify it as dangerous. For a quick start you need to break tracton and in the dry this means some serious throttle. The car would benefit from a closer ratio box using 6th as a final-drive and not an over-drive. This opinion is held by every single person who has driven this car including my very sensible 56 year old father who quote 'I thought it would be a lot quicker'.
The second negative is that of the fuel consumption. Normal return has been between 17 - 19mpg and even on a tank in which the car was feather footed it returned a rather disappointing 26.5mpg (Thats a mix of town and county) ... A 1995 3.8ltr M5 uses less petrol and it actually performs. I know now of 2 persons who have sold their Mini Cooper S's purely due to the ridiculous fuel economy. I drove the ordinary Cooper and this is quicker at low speeds, not much slower over 60mph, just as much fun and much less thirsty not to mention expensive. Bear this in mind and definately drive the Cooper before purchasing a Cooper S as you could save a fortune in the long run.
On the Up-side I must say that the car is beautiful to drive. The short wheelbase can cause it to be a little unstable when under heavy breaking but all in all good fun. The Car does suffer unbeleivably badly from Tram-Lining (camber-steer) and it takes you to stay alert or else your car could just decide to drive itself into a field. The Brakes are OK... not fantastic and I have had the front driver side brake catch fire under fast driving (thank goodness for fire extinguishers). The repair work was carried out under warranty however.
The interior build is as you would expect. The plastic squeeks and rattles a fair bit but it is a pleasant place to be. The switchgear and chunky pillars make it feel a little special.
Boot space is verging on pointless. I did a test with my brothers wife; the boot in her smart car can hold more than the Mini. Don't go shopping for groceries if you have 4 people.. you will need the back seats.
Overall a negative report but i do have to say that despite all this it is an enjoyable car to drive. The quick rack and flat cornering really bring a smile and once up and going its decently quick. If asked to do it again and buy something small, quick and reliable for £16k I would buy an Audi S3 (trust me.. Audi / Volkswagens are much better engineered cars that any BMW and will be a lot easier to live with if not so much fun overall).
written by Shooter 1000 on 05/03/2004
I am flabbergasted by the 18 slams on Mr. Oneill.
I don't own the Mini Cooper S due to my extended test drive of one and of the of various alternatives some with much more enthsiast appeal and the feeling that the S fell far short of what it could have offered the enthusiast. Cars are a big investment. Time should be spent testing as many alternatives as possible to be able to make a really informed purchase. Reading auto magazines will not help if they are receiving huge advertising revenues from a car such as the new Mini. Of course they live by advertising and will not bite the hand that feeds them.
My first test drive of the S occurred the first week it was introduced into the Washington, D.C. area. I had an immaculate test car to put through it's paces for an extended weekend. Having admired the original Mini so much and having driven my best friend's 60's version often in the early 70s, I had high expectations for the car.
I have driven most every iteration of the M3. This is included because, in present company, perception of BMW seems to be an important factor. I have found virtually every example a truly exceptional car and a nice parrallel to what the smaller and less expensive Mini Cooper S could have been. I consider the M3 to be one of the few 4 seat coupes that can also be truly considered a sports car. A rare crossover indeed.
Perhaps I expected greatness (in relation to it's cost) due to it's perceived heritage and the legendary legacy of the original. I was really pulling for it.
Pull, though, it did not. The gearing between 1st and 2nd gear was horrific. Just as Mr. Oneill infers, I was highly underwhelmed by and suprised by this seemingly major technical SNAFU. On reflection I realized it was not a mistake and was probably part of the company's bean counters' and marketing experts' intention to "dumb down" the car to help sell it to a much wider audience.
I believe that the non engineers who probably had the final say, believed that closer 1st to 2nd gearing would appeal to the enthusiast, but would much more importantly, in their perspective, loose too many of the all important potential buyers, by making the car feel too responsive and therefore too intimidating (especially during the crucial test drive) for the average nonentuhsiast driver/poser.
Another poster mentioned the car and an MX5. I do not detect any point of comparison so I will supply one. I have one of the first MX5s built (called the "Miata" here in the U.S.), made in 1989. It is a no frills, no power steering, no air conditioning, no radio, base 1.6 liter. I insisted on only one option: a limited slip differential.
By 1994, The car was equiped with a Bell Engineering (USA)11 PSI intercooled turbo with heavy duty Centerforce clutch. This setup boosted the horsepower from 116 to 190 BHP and best of all almost doubled the torque from 2500 RPM on. A major suspension overhaul was made to keep up with the upgraded drivetrain. The lightest one size up 15" minilites with Z rated tire(tyres) helped reduce the unsprung weight and further improve handling. (incidentally, similar, smaller and heavier yet light for the day versions of these early alloy wheels were often seen on the 60s racing Minis and many other race cars.)
The components were chosen very carefully to maintain the neutral and almost telepathic balance of the MX5's original suspension, which is legendary and a benchmark of what a company can accomplish when designing and creating a car from scratch and from the ground up. It calls for real passion in the company and for the engineers to work free of the major constraints almost always placed on them. They were allowed the freedom to become a close knit group that was able to share ideas freely in a non intimidating environment and call almost all the shots unemcumbered by the bean counters or pressure from the marketing division. In a very rare instance a new car was almost totally realized by a group of energized, bright and excited engineers.
The Mini Cooper and in some ways to a greater extent the S which had the chance of being an enthusiasts' car was hampered by the disproportionate clout of the people in the company in charge of maximizing profits and by default less by the design teams. Hence, a car of too many compromises unlike the MX5.
To this day the original 15 plus year old design has proven so well thought out, with a design far ahead of its time that few if any major modifications have been needed. What car still looks almost the same after so many years, besides the original VW beetle? It has been considered to be one of the ten great available cars every year running by most of the American Automotive Press. Automotive historians still applaud it as the quintesential example of how a great once in a decade mass produced car should be built.
The Mini Cooper (S) is a good car, but never a great or superior one. It had the most potential of any affordable car of this decade to be great. It's legacy alone almost demanded and seemly assured this outcome. Sadly too many compromises, corporate and technically were allowed.
In most of my test drives over different types of traffic situations I found the S not much better than most cars its size, many much less expensive. Of course it did excell most in high speed cornering. But compared to an old stock 1990 MX5 in good shape (not mine) for example, whose cost in current money would be 1/3 less...Think of what you could buy for a 1/3 more than the s. The new twin turbo allwheel drive Subarus and Mitsubishes are as if from an advanced technological era in relation.
The lack of power even in the S version make it almost impossible to steer by throttle in and out of a corner. This technique seems to have become a lost art and I am not sure that the suspension of the S would even be able to make use of this characteristic. The chice of a supercharger speaks volumes. A good intercooled turbo boosting horsepower to around 200 and increasing torque in a way no supercharger could dream of doing would have been wonderful to test. By comparison the parasitic far less sophisticated supercharger seems to be a poor way to attract the enthusiast. It just doesn't have the power a modified car of its intentions should have.
All in all the Mini Cooper S had all the important ingredients to have become a true smaller M3 and possibly a true future classic. It is not a bad car and better than the average with its intentions at similar costs. But with its sacrifice of interior space, lack of practicallity, questionable reliability and overall mediocre performance for its cost it really should have been much better. Look at the Subaru or EVO at a precentage more in cost with similar interior room and outstanding performance, all wheel drive and much of the popular following of the S falls relies on wishful thinking, major corporate hype and a heavy reliance on a misperceiced historical link to a wonderful, very affordable historical machine that it mimmicks only in name and shape.
Written on: 06/03/2004
Having tuned old mini's I think the main problem with the new Minicooper S is that it is a BMW. The old minis were so much fun to drive and one of the best cars to learn about handling, I had them sideways on a number of occasions. BMW's are refined heavy and well built, they are not usually associated with fun driving, other than the m3. So when you combine the two there are some contradictions that don't fit well.
<br>I have to agree-why did they not put a turbo on the car instead and did they really think 163bhp would be enough in light of the forthcoming 200bhp Civic, 206 180 and now 182 clio?
<br>I haven't driven the MCS but I have driven the Civic and it is mental, i'm absolutley convinved that there is no way the MCS will keep up with this car (or the clio cup) on any road.
<br>So now there are various tuning kits available (works) but they cost 2-3k, so if you want a really good mini you have to pay £18,000 which is also the same price as the 225bhp Leon Cupra r which will also trounce the mini.
<br>I think the mini looks great although perhaps it should be called a maxi cos lets face it it isnt very small anymore-my 205 1.9 is a much smaller car. Well I hear there is a second incarnation on it's way with improvements but the mk2 civic type r is already out and it's even more fantastic than the 1st one(which recently beat an s2000 round a track) and the clio 182 is recieving rave reviews as well. Watch this space??
Written on: 21/07/2005
Ok, so maybe it's because I'm a girl, but does anyone care that the Mini Cooper S is cute. I mean I know about cars a great deal and have test driven the alternatives, but honestly, the Mini was the car that made the most sense. Perhaps, it is bc I drive 50 miles a day, living in Atl, GA, but that car is sooooo darn cute and if you never have an opportunity to get the car over 20 mph due to traffic, then who cares about fast. Still, it is nice to have enough power to get out of the way of semis and crazy SUV drivers that feel they are the owners of the road. So, my next purchase will either be the Mini bc it's cute, or the Prius bc it's hybrid.
Written on: 20/06/2005
Got to the 3rd paragraph and got bored. Is it not a little difficult to rate a car after having just a week test drive??
Written on: 04/02/2005
IMO a tuned Nissan 200 is a rocket ship, agreed, but not a pocket rocket like the cars discussed here. The combined boot space of a Mk1 Mr2 is not far off that of a prelude and I would guess an S14. But the handling or 'chuckability' factor would leave the little old MR2 near the top of the pile with the "touring car" Nissan at the bottom. As you can probably guess (by my possible bias) I own a classic MR2 and can even get a couple of seven foot surfboards on the roof rack! :)
Written on: 02/02/2005
Not at all, it is a Nissan 200 S14 (S13 was around 86-93) the Touring model (98on) has "evil" headlights, leather interior and a few other goodies. It uses the legendary nissan Pulsar engine but in a detuned state and it is ridiculously easy to tune.
Written on: 02/02/2005
Samm wrote: "Certainly a very good car but Touring s14's are coming in cheap these days and is a far superior car to even the legendary MK1 MR2"
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<br>Excuse my ignorance but what's a Touring s14?
Written on: 28/01/2005
Certainly a very good car but Touring s14's are coming in cheap these days and is a far superior car to even the legendary MK1 MR2 S. MCS has a 6 speed box and still only 135 top end because the Supercharger is connected directly to the crank shaft, you lose in top end what you gain at bottom end. The MCS is compared to these cars because it is a hot hatch and is in the same price bracket, marketing doesn't even come into it IMO. And no not even a clio cup or MCS will out handle a CTR.
Written on: 27/01/2005
Sounds like you guys would enjoy the good old MK1 MR2s. Even the standard NAs are great but check out the imported 1.6 supercharged models which can be tuned to 180-190 bhp, which from a rear wheel drive ~900kg car is awesome! The only down side is that there are two small boots instead of one not so small boot.
<br>At a couple of thousand pounds for a mint example I think you'd agree there is no competition!
Written on: 29/09/2004
true, the mini has very different charecteristics to an m3, but regardless of the fact that it is not rwd or naturally aspirated it is still the closest to any other bmw to drive. Despite mx5's having a bit of a girlie image, they are still one of the most fun cars I have driven, the handling and gearchange are just superb.
Written on: 30/08/2004
Seems like comparisons are being made which should not be made. Seems like someone is mad at BMW, superchargers, and other things. We are getting history lessons on technical aspects which 'really do not matter, or are not relevant'.
Written on: 23/08/2004
To drive the same as the M3, surely it would need rear wheel drive? A minor point i thought...
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<br>Its only a 1.6 - a supercharger gives a much better torque spread than a Turbo in such a small engine. This allows you to feather the revs around corners throughout the range giving ample chance of good speed through the corner - getting the back end out is not the quickest way round a track.
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<br>For it to be as track ready as a civic type r, but with the same solid BMW feel, interior etc, the price would be ridiculous - the mini in both incarnations (and ive had both) is subscribing to about a certain style of car - and not everyone tracks them like you or i do.
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<br>The S has never been marketed like the Type r, RS etc, so why do people keep expecting it to outshine them?
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<br>(although my MCS JCW did stuff a civic type r the other day at the track :D ;) )
Written on: 20/08/2004
Unfortunately there is one rather important factor that you seemed to have missed in your otherwise comprehensive review, which is insurance. I’m 23 and can just afford the £1,500 per year that my Cooper S costs me in insurance. I couldn’t afford to insure a Civic Type R, let alone an Evo or WRX, and I can’t modify the car either. From this standpoint the Cooper S is rather good value. For a young driver such as my self the Cooper S is one of the best cars in its (insurance) class. As for a MX5, my girlfriend has one, and you couldn’t pay me to own one...
Written on: 17/03/2004
I have to say- i think my favourite is the clio cup- for 13k it is brilliant and if you just spend 2k on it (the same as a standard mcs) you will have 220bhp no problems, but I have read a number of reviews and the Civic Type R always beat the rest around a track including an s2000!
<br>Basically it comes down to you'r driving style.
<br>I havent driven the Leon but know that 270+ bhp can easily be had with just a chip, exhaust and air filter, and I find it hard to believe that even a 220bhp mini would beat it.
<br>Personally I will keep my 185 bhp 205 mi16= approx 203 bhp per tonne for now although I am tempted to do a little project with a Clio cup or get a 6 speed ibiza tdi up to 200brake and 300 pounds of torque.
<br>.It's a shame they don't make cars like the 205 anymore, that are a real handful and take a really skillful drive. I drove a modern Impreza and it was so well set up that even at really fast speeds it just feels too easy to drive. a 220 bhp mcs will have about 176 bhp per tonne. I think this will cost a similar amount to a 250bhp Focus rs or even a standard Impreza.
Written on: 08/03/2004
the mini cooper s will easily keep up if not surpass a civic type R, ive recently test drove the type R, mini cooper s, clio cup & leon cupra r.
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<br>the clio cup feels the best on the road out of the lot but the lack of features and comfort turned me off the car, the mini cooper s was a close second behind the cup but offered more creature comforts, then followed the civic type R & then the leon cupra R.
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<br>seems everyone compares top end BHP & 0-60 times but thats not the point, the civic is quick but drivability is not so good same as the leon, with the civic you need to thrash the engine around 4000rpm before the cam profile changes & the car starts to move & the 225bhp in the leon is nothing special, its a larger car than the mini so the power/weight ratio is only slightly better.
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<br>the civic is a normally aspirated engine that gives a turbo feel, and the leon is a turbo so they do feel faster in a straight line, but come to corners & the clio cup & mini feel much more solid & composed, and because there's no need to thrash the engine, exit speed from corners is alot better.
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<br>so after driving them all i chose to get a mini cooper s, and with the 220bhp conversion by BBR or hartge then the leon & type R are left behind.
written by Anna Coyle. on 14/06/2003
I have a Mini Cooper Supercharger 1.6l 16V, silver with a white roof.My first car and i'm only 17.It is great fun,i would'nt change it for anything!Well almost anything.It's interior is black and red leather with a crome dashboard,wing mirrors and front headlights.Clear lights just with the coloured bulbs a black leather gearstick with black leather and crome trims.I Love It!!!
Written on: 01/09/2003
If performance, reliability and value for money is given 10 of 10 stars, with practicality getting a nine stars, how does the overall rating get 7 stars??
Written on: 11/12/2003
Im sure that you love the car, but perhaps a little 'information' on the car could better help people and possible buyers understand the pro and cons from a user.
written by Aris. on 11/04/2003
After reading tens of articles about the new Mini S,and with serious thoughts about buying it, i went for a test drive to a local dealer. Very friendly sales guy gives me the keys and says "...take your time" So i drive to the nearest toll hwy for some testing. The first feeling when you get in the car is a bit strange since this car feels way close to the ground and very mini! Solid construction and a firm suspension feeling (i wouldn't say stiff even with the 16" rims and sport plus suspension). The first few launches at the lights, was a solid promise for a fun ride ahead. Everyone seems to be smiling at you on the road (at the gas station, the tolls guy, driving by cuties, etc). You feel like 007 on a secret mission. So i pay the toll guy and before launchin from the toll station, i turn off the traction control system :-) After the 2,000rpm the blower makes a beautiful sound and races to red line. 2nd gear, 3rd, 4th in a flash...Hard breaking instanlty (very good brakes!)due to construction work, limits everyone to one lane and i am getting anxious for the road to open up again :-)
when this happens i am ready with 3rd gear at peak torque (4,000rpm) and my foot on the floor. Split secong shifting all the way till sixth gear seems no problem for the Getrag gearbox of the S.You need to be a bit precice though cause a 5th can easily be misplaced with a 3rd. Even with the hard downshifting (3rd instead of 5th) nor the engine or the gearbox complained. Impressive. This car is definatly FAST! Dont know if the low to the ground feeling adds up on the "rocket effect" but this car reminded me a lot of a smaller version of my brother's -stiff as a Fred Flintstone LazyBoy- $65,000 track M3. It runs, it brakes, it turns! And all that with a "wooosh" sound from the blower. Maybe a bit loud after 120mph probably due to aerodymamics..
Sharp turning through light hwy traffic at 125mph+ seems very confident. The car is made for wild cornering, breaking and accelerating. I cant wait to have it on the race track so i can discover its true potential. This car makes u drive like a maniac even if you are the most normal 55mph driver..After 20 mins on the hwy i take the first exit to turn around so i push it hard.. Tail doesnt move even if you step on the brakes on the apex..maybe i got to try harder next time..
Another launch on the way back(with AST off) has the 16"s smoking hard and the exhaust making a SWEET bass sound with loud "..POOOF" after each gear change. This car is lovely!! You can easily fall in love with it.
Getting back in city traffic felt a bit boring though. The car is a bit slow under 2,000rpm and it gave me the oppurtunity to discover a few not so quality parts of the BMW born pocket rocket.
The fake aluminium dash is really a turn off!! even the compact BMW gets real aluminium why didnt they put it in the S?? This baby costs a good $28,000+ -semi-loaded- here and the last thing you want to see is some cheap plastic in it. How much more would it cost to BMW to put some real aluminum in there. 50$ maybe? It totally ruins the quality feeling you get from the engine/suspension/brake combo. Same goes for the plastic covered (instead of glass) Speedometer and Tach.Cup holders feel easily breakable too. (one was broken on the test car) Plus the steering wheel leather feels like Huyndai leatherete. One more thing. If you are used driving bigger cars or SUV's you might feel a bit claustraphobic in this baby. Maybe its better with the wide moon roof.
It is also gas hungry if u have a "heavy" foot.
Is it worth the $26,000+ tag? Well, if you are looking for a fun, chic and track ready car, it sure is! It is a go kart. Any chance it gets to open up in traffic it will fly around and corner like a cheetah..
If BMW had paid more attention on the quality of the dash/plastic materials it would be a 9/10 overall. As is, i would give it a 7. But then again, who cares about the plastic when u can be hard cornering, uphill a spring mountain road :-)
Written on: 11/07/2003
When you get this car for MSRP you can't ask for more, but when you go to the dealerships who like to charge extra because they know you'll buy, then thats your problem. You get more then you should when you buy this car for the real price. Its fast, its fun, and its not exactly "roughing it" considering the price tag. The gas milage is great and if your foot is heavy then try following the speed limit sometime and you'll start getting 30mpg in the fricken city like most people who drive it without pushing it to 6,000 everytime you are in 1st gear!!
Written on: 19/08/2004
I've had mine only 3 months, and the fake aluminum is already peeling off! Ugh!
written by Tim. on 07/04/2003
The cars a doll with excellent handling that fills you with confidence. With traction and ABS you can have loads of fun scaring your relatives down your favourite back road without putting them or any passers by in too much danger!
The finish is excellent on the outside, though the inside makes alittle too much use of plastic posing as alliminium. A more conventional style dashboard would be more to my taste but i'm splitting hairs.
On a motorway the car feels rock solid with great feel and minimum road noise
You may be suprised at how much fuel it can get through,but you'll be having far too much fun to care.
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223916_Saakey's Response to 206942_gingerbap's Review
Written on: 06/01/2006
Expert? Should note...you bought a used 2002 model, The gearing they used back then was bad - It got off the line slow, etc... it's fixed in the newer models...