oreo

Hi, Mi wife and i are trading in her Hyundai Santa Fe and think of getting a Mini Cooper or Cooper S.
We probably will end up getting the Cooper since she isn't big on speed or going to the track (I have the 8 for that).
We wanted to know what your opinion was on the cooper. We also wanted to know if there are any known ishues or diferences between the two.

Anyway thanks for your input.

Mugatu

iTrader: (1)

the biggest difference between the regular mini and the S is horsepower.

and wow, you're going from a Sante Fe to a Mini Cooper??? That's quite a difference.

truemagellen

you probably won't like it unless you are midgets

I'm 6ft...I put the seat all the way back and I'm still cramped...nevermind the fact that I've crushed the passenger behind me

this car was and always has been a gimmick...although a cool gimmick, I'd take it any day over the 'competing' Bug...seriously if you are going to get this car you might as well get the Mazda3 you'll get WAY more for your money only mods needed would be possibly a short shifter for the manual tranny

Steiner

They handle like go carts! Go for it but please at least test drive the Cooper S. My buddy bought the normal Mini and it's a gutless wonder.

Sigma

I hope you have some other car for utility purposes. Between the RX-8 and the Cooper you're really limited in your overall utility, that's for sure. You can't even go decent grocery shopping in a Cooper.

truemagellen

u can in the rx-8 though :D

BrokenAngel

The Mini Cooper is an awesome car! I'd say go for it. I test drove one a few weeks back and if I didn't want an 8 so bad I'd definitely be going for a Mini Cooper S. Maybe sometime in the future I'll have both. :D

Rhawb

Minis are awesome, it's a shame they're FWD, but at that price, you can't go wrong. I'd definitely go for it if utility isn't a major concern.

jlapp9

The Cooper comes with a spare tire (donut), while the Cooper S doesn't. They had to move the battery into the trunk of the S because of the extra room the supercharger takes up, which meant that the spare didn't fit anymore. I believe the S comes with tire goo though.

jtimbck2

I believe either is available with run flat tires as an option. I seriously looked at a Cooper S before I bought my 8. I test drove one, and it was a lot of fun, but in the end it was FWD.

An AWD Cooper S would be awesome!

jlapp9

Getrag Tests AWD Mini :D

oreo

Thanks for the input,

No, Utility is not a very big concern. if we need to transport stuff we can always borrow my in-laws pickup. she is head over heal for the cooper. Im kind of partial to the S but since it's going to be her car mi bigest concern would be reliability, ride comfort, and cool factor.

Our height wont be a problem, I'm 5'10'' and she is 5'6'' so we'll fit just fine.

Ajax

Sorry, I have to disagree.
My brother owns a Mini Cooper S and I've driven it and sat in the back seat quite comfortably. I'm 6'2" btw and he's 5'10.

The cooper S also ONLY comes in a manual.

RX8Union

Before my fiance bought the RX8, we test drove, contemplated and placed the order for the Cooper S. I was the one test driving the Cooper S and while it was a very solid car with a lot of usable power, the car felt quite heavy with 4 people on board. Part of the reason the car felt heavy was of course the load of human meat, but it was also because it was FWD. It just felt different than my MR2Spyder and the RX8. Anyway, my finance liked the style of the Cooper S and placed the order and the wait for the car was 3-4 months. However, every Cooper S buyer needed to pay at least $2500 in addition to MSRP.

Well, that's when I test drove the RX8 and realize the driving dynamic was much more closely resembling to my MR2Spyder. Yes, RX8 is actually heavier than the Cooper S, but the RWD made it feels lighter at the corners. With more room, more luxurious, more horsepower, and less expensive, I convinced my fiance to cancel the order of the Cooper S and took delivery of the RX8 right after the test drive.

jlapp9

Agreed... while I don't own either, I'm 6'2" and I've driven both the 8 and the Mini and the Mini's back seat actually felt roomier. Go figure.

Pkskull77

I drove one while I was waiting for them to finalize my car paperwork, and I felt really uncomfortable in it. That being said, I've seen them on an auto x course and they look and sound fantastic.

If eveyone can drive stick get the S.

Ajax

That's because of the design of the rear seats. If you notice when you sit in them, the seats are very deep. The edge of the seat comes all the way up knee and so it doesn't feel like you need as much leg room.
It's an interesting design.

V_for_velocity

Winding Road mag placed the Mini third in its list of top 50 cars, behind the Porsche Carrera S (2nd), and Ferrari F430 (1st). Pretty crazy, but there you go. Two Mitsus made the top 10. RX-8 was 11th, as I recall.

oreo

Yes, we are sold. We put the order for the cooper with premium package (moon roof) yesterday and put an ad in the paper for the Santa Fe.

Now if only this next 2 months would go by I could post pictures of the RX-8 and cooper in coordinated colors :-)

MadRonin

Fun to drive, but notorious for poor build quality and reliability. Check out www.mini2.com and see what current owners are saying. One of the reasons we didn't get one for my wife was because of all the complaints about reliability.

A lot of MINI owners have a love/hate relationship with their cars; much like some here with their 8s.

Steiner

It's bad form to say stuff like that AFTER somebody commits to a purchase. Day late and a dollar short bro.

MadRonin

I only stumbled upon this thread yesterday, bro. As long as they haven't finalized the deal, they can back out. Besides, why would someone come to an RX-8 board to get info on buying a Mini? I would hope that they looked elsewhere before making their decision.

termigni

sorry to break the news but the MINI Cooper S does come with Automatic if you want. Also the Automatic trans doesn't take any power away from the S motor unlike RX8.

I have a 05 MINI Cooper S M/T with LSD. I'm 5'10" male and I fit in it more than comfortably along with 3 passengers with good amount of room. I believe Mini actually has a lot more head room than the RX8 due to it's boxy window design.

sorry I'm lurking around in RX8 forum when I have other cars but this forum is actually the most active forum and I enjoy reading whatever you guys are talking about regardless what car it is. that being said, I test drove RX8 couple times out of my curiosity and it was a lot of fun. there were some things I complained about, like the thickness of the pillar (a lesson for blindspots) and when i found out that the 8 takes gas like a SUV, that was the end of my interest. I have a SUV besides my MINI and I'm not too fond of gas prices and bad MPG while other cars out there that are more fun and better MPG alas MINI S. (no flames please)

well Mini Cooper S has enough power (168hp from 1.6L supercharger) with light weight (at 2678 lb) and great chassis (very stiff, german characteristic) which equates to more confidence in corners. your wife will have more than enough fun with it if she decides to settle with one. also if you like the interior quality of your RX8, you will like MINI also. great quality, attention to details are amazing(thanks to BMW). to top it off, I get > 350miles out of 12gallon tank with all the fun. Only fault I can see SOMEONE complaining about this car is SIZE , retro design , and FWD (there is a bit of torque steer but it is definetly not a bothersome to be a major factor).

you should go test drive one to see if you really want one because some people prefer japanese car feel over german (If you appreciate BMW handling, you got yourself a winner.) this car will give a run for its money at 0-60 6.8sec vs rx8's 6.6sec, and has more torque than rx8 which kicks in early. I really hate to compare rx8 to Cooper S in RX8 forum, but my point is this little car's performance is right there with RX8.

well here are my insights as a MCS owner, good luck with your decisions.

MadRonin

No need to apologize. All are welcome here regardless of what car you drive.

Aoshi Shinomori

Can someone tell me any visual differences from the Cooper S to the John Cooper S? I am pretty sure a kid I know is lying about his car. It normally wouldn't bug me, but he's been talking about it all week and how fast it is(not really all that fast, but definitely a fun drive). I just wanted to know if I could tell the difference just by looking at them. Thanks guys