Hi everyone, I am new in this forum, but I think I have read the most important posts. Last Year, after being in NYC auto show I was impressed with the RX8 and the mini cooper s, so I gave the 1000$ deposit to Mini of Manhattan and pre-spec an S. The car is supposed to be in the dealer in August (That is when my current lease ends). This last weekend I put a deposit for RX8 (also for delivery in August). I still can not find a strong argument to make a decision in any of the 2 cars. And it is very hard to find comparison of both anywhere. Any comment?

 

you won't find direct comparisons between the 2, because they are totally different cars with different goals.

 

The RX-8 is more of a funtional car. It has a usable back seat along with a decent trunk for a car of its size. I am not sure the exact price of a Mini Cooper S, but the RX-8 starts at about $26,000 and is loaded for $31,000 with nav as a $2000 option. The main performance difference is that the RX-8 is rear wheel drive vs. the Mini which is front. If your using it for a sporting application then rear wheel drive is considered by many to be better. There is a big HP difference, 160 HP for the mini and 250 HP for the 8. I am not sure about the mini, but the rx-8 should hit 60 in between 5.7 and 6 seconds. There is a discussion about this going on in another thread. If I had the money I would go with the RX-8, but I my be biased. It gives more versitility and I think better perforance.

 

After all they are not too much different: 4 seat, performance oriented, excellent handling, if you full load the Cooper S it can reach the 27K!, less than 0.5 sec apart in 0-60, 6 speed, etc. and they are both neck turning cars. Do not under consider the MCS, it looks funny but is a very serious car.

 

The Mini looks like a lot of fun and if I were a teenager I would probably consider (that cool factor thing) -- but in reality I think it looks like a toy and a novelty. The RX-8 looks like a much more sophisticated sports machine.

 

but will the Cooper S be track-worthy? I'm almost certain the RX-8 is ready for hot laps around a track right off of the showroom floor...

it takes A LOT more car and engineering to make a car track-worthy.

 

oops, i shouldn't have posted in the doopie thread...
okay, as i said in the other thread, the Mini Cooper does and will NOT seat four comfortably... i've not seen the RX-8 in person, but i have seen the Mini (last year, Vancouver Int'l Autoshow), and seriously, it has NO trunk, and certainly won't seat adults in the back unless their midget children are driving.

... and yeah, there are enourmous performance discrepencies even between the Base Model 8 (like what, $28k for nothing but the stick and high-power, right??) and the S-Model Mini (which is $27k, yes??)... also, you DO get a lot more car in the 8, on top of that big performance gap.

 

The rear seat in the MCS can fit at least the kid’s seat (Actually I seen 2 baby seat in a cooper). Are you complete sure that the rear seat in the RX8 is fully comfortable for an adult? By the way here in NYC and NJ the people who drive Mini’s are mid ages people.

 

Absolutely! Last month at Sebring race track, I saw at least half a dozen MINI. But not one 350Z, but that's a different gripe. I test drove one and it's handling is a riot. It has lightning quick steering, virtually no body roll and change directions on a dime. It also has a noticable lag off the line. The exterior is a bit too cutesy for my taste. But I love the design of the interior; really innovative. As you can tell, I'm duly impressed with the MCS.

I have faith, though, that the RX-8 will be even better. Else, I will eat crow.

 

I'm pretty sure the mini will be track-able, and given its ridiculously small size and weight, it will be more go-karty than the rx8.

Also keep in mind that the actual cooper tuner will release a more sportier version than the Mini, 200hp supercharged available from Mini dealers apparently.

 

Lets see here:

1. The MINI exterior looks good. The RX-8 exterior is only so-so.
2. The MINI interior is so-so. The RX-8 interior is sharp.
3. The Mini is a rip off. I would rather have a Ford Focus SVT. Same performance at 75% of the cost.
4. The MINI is FWD. You cannot throttle steer a FWD car. No throttle steer = no fun. The RX-8 is RWD and has LSD. The RX-8 can be throttle steered.
5. The MINI is made by BMW. That means poor BMW reliabilty and extreme repair and maintenance costs. The RX-8 is made by Mazda. I hope the RX-8 has as good a reliability track record as the Miata.
6. The MINI is made by BMW. BMW is German. I worked with Germans for too many years. The RX-8 is made by Mazda. Mazda is partially owned by Ford. Ford is American. I am American.

 

The engine in the Mini is the same as the Dodge neon so thats another hurdel you got to get across.

 

yes and probaly more comfortable for anybody over 12 than the back of the mini. you were joking asking that right? you have seen the back of the mini haven't you?. and if there are two child seats in the back of a mini, where do you put the stroller(s)?

 

I have never heard that before... is it true?

 

Its the same 2.0 when BMW needed a compact engine to squeez
in the front they signed a contract for the 2.0 I4 out of the Neon
then after a couple of months Damiler and Chrysler joined up and MB is not happy that BMW is using they'er engines against them.

Truth is stranger than Fiction and heres another show of it.

 

And heres some more food for thought and the main reason why BMW did this.

When Ford went from the 5.0 V8 to the 4.6 Modular from all the tooling,Engineering,testing and so forth they paid 600 Million US
to gear up for production.
So it was cheaper for BMW to sign a 200-300 million contract for an already produced engine instead of making they'er own.

 

I think somebody is confusing the mini with a pt cruiser. The mini is made by bmw (as mentioned before) and I don't think they would get a motor for their new car from a company with horrible reliability and also has the same parent company as their cross town rival Mercedes (Daimler Benz).

 

Does anyone know for sure... it sounds a little suspicious to me.

 

I don't have numbers in front of me to support this, so take this with a grain of salt, but IIRC the Mini Cooper S weighs in the neighborhood of 2,800lbs. When you consider it has 160hp and the RX-8 has 250, while their weight difference is minimal, it's clear the RX-8 is the faster car. From what I have personally witnessed, the Mini is plagued with mild understeer as well. I like the idea of it, but I think BMW made it too heavy and not quite sporting enough.

Personally it's a no-brainer for me since I'm a die-hard RWD guy.

 

no, its true. mini engine is made by daimlerchrysler subsidiary in Brazil

 

I think that the Mini would be a great car if they had a RWD version or even a AWD version. I could imagine a AWD version... that would be kool.

 

First of all the mini has a 1.6l not 2.0l engine. It is used in the European neon, and it's not related to the 2.0 engine in the states, though some say it is based on the 2.0 architecture.

The neon catches a disproportional amount of flak for some reason. I had my neon (don't laugh, it's paid for) for 6 years and 120k, total unexpected repair comes to <$600. No one says anything about the Focus, when it had 6 safety investigation going on at one point; but if it has anything to do with Chrysler, then it's junk

However, I would choose the Rx-8 (obviously) over the Mini because it has better balance overall and it has 4 real seats. Plus there are a ton of problems with the first batch of Mini, mostly electrical and fit and finish issues, but there are some serious cases of underhood insulation catching on fire

 

IMHO, the new MINI is just a hype. I will take my 2000 Celica GTS any day over it. After ride in one during a car show, I found the dash is just too hugh in proportion to the rest of the MINI, so the rest becomes very mini. In all, such interior is not handsome at all, not to mention the useless trunk. The weight could be about the same to 2500lbs Celica. If I really go nostalgia, I will buy a classic and not this one (nor the New Beetle). Anyway, for me it would be a RX-8 or not to be. I would say MR-2, Miata, or Celica is a better choice if Go-Kart is what I what.

 

I absolutely love the Mini Cooper S for it's external styling and nimbleness (I haven't driven the new one, but have thrashed some 'original' Coopers back in the UK - it was like a go-kart and the new one should be better). I would seriously consider it if I was on a tighter budget except I hate the interior and dash, and I need four real seats and a trunk.

 

I sat in the Mini.. didn't really like it.. The interior looked gimicky and not serious.. Kinda like the VW Bug interior. The 8 is a much better sports car than the MiniS.