I test drove one of these back to back with a Cooper S. There really is not that much difference, they are both still slow car fast. What I was surprised about was how solid / well screwed together the chassis felt. I test drove the 4 door model which zippy enough. Felt like getting a BMW for much cheaper.
I had a 2016 Cooper S, it felt very well made. Solid car, no creaks or rattles. If I got another id probably get the 3 cylinder 1.5, its enough for daily use and as you say, not a lot of difference really.
I own a 07 Cooper S (120K miles on it) and I could not be happier! Very fun and agile little cars they are but very maintenance heavy. I bought the car for $33K in 2007 with all the options maxed out. Over the years I spent an additional $17K in mostly repairs and regular maintenance. Every year I end up pooling money into the car because something breaks or stops working. Speaking of maintenance my MINI literally gulps down oil every week. I constantly check the oil level every 2-3 days depending on how much I drive because its always thirsty. I keep a quart of 5w-30 in the trunk handy for this reason. The car doesn't leak oil or anything so that's not the issue. It just is very oil heavy and as long as its not leaking oil I just keep adding oil to keep the level always full. As soon as the oil level dips that when you experience problems so you need to be on top of this every week. I don't know if the new MINI's do this. My friends and family tell me to move on from the car because it doesn't make sense to keep spending money on it when I could buy a new one. There's just something about my car that I love so much and I really don't care if its eating a lot of money because it keeps me happy. MINI's are not for the faint of heart. You really need to know what your getting yourself into when considering a MINI. I recently went to test drive a 2020 JCW with all the options which totaled $42K. I was really disappointed. The car just doesn't have the same feel and the interior is very chunky and crowded. Might I mention it didn't even have a powered drivers seat instead it had the manual adjustment which was a big turn off. How can a luxury car that is $42K not have such basic features you find in cars that are half the price?? I've decided that I would rather keep my R56 going strong and spend that $42K if needed in repairs/maintenance and upgrades. Just be prepared financially and mentally if you plan on owning one. Cheers!
SeLpHy I went to the dealership and my trusted mechanic to have the entire car inspected in and out (every seal, gasket, nut and bolt) for oil leaks and they found nothing. It’s just one of those things you can’t explain. The MINI drinks a lot of oil and because there is nothing to fix that’s causing the oil to be consumed so quickly you just have to accept the fact and keep up with maintaining the proper oil level. I got rid of the stock dipstick which is horrible and replaced it with a aftermarket one which is specifically made for the MINI which has 10 holes on the end of the dipstick which goes into the oil pan to read the oil level. If the oil level is full then all the 10 holes will be filled with oil. If the level is low then the holes will be filled or empty depending on how much oil is in the oil pan. Every week I check the level once or twice depending on how much I drive and I always have 1 or 2 hole not covered in oil which tells me that I don’t have a full oil level. If I continue to run the car without topping off the oil level and checked it a few days later then I would have a few more holes not covered in oil (5/10) which means the oil level is decreasing to a very dangerously low level. This constant checking every week has become a part of my life and if that’s what it takes to keep the car running good then so be it. I usually get the Mobil 1 bulk pack of oil from Costco so it’s not that bad.
@@minimonster420 i see you went through a long process. But i mean the oil has to go somewhere , or do you think it could just evaporate in that short period? are there any oil spots underneath the car? on the street?
SeLpHy I park the car in my garage and I’ve never noticed any leaks. If oil were to leak it would just linger on the ground and wouldn’t evaporate like water. There would be a black stain. I did park my car on the driveway way once when it was raining to check for oil leaks. When water mixes with oil the ground will look like a rainbow so in this case the rain water makes the ground wet and if any oil was to leak then the ground would turn a rainbow color indicating an oil leak. Even then I didn’t notice anything. The MINI just burns a lot of oil and it’s just the way it is. If you read the forums many owners have the same complaint of heavy oil consumption.
@@minimonster420 ...I wonder is the oil ring gaps got lined up one on top of the other, creating a straight line for oil to get past. usually, the ring gaps are offset 90* to 180* depending on the number of rings...the only way to diagnose this is to pull a piston (I think). I don't know if it can be seen with a borescope. I still like the S/C R53s and the noises it makes.
I had a 2005 Mini Cooper, guzzled engine oil like a champ and basically fell apart from rust, but Minis are so great to drive. People don't lie when they say it's like a go-kart
Ironically, I bought a Fiat 500T, chipped to be identical to the Abarth, and I expected it to fall apart but I got it with only 1200miles on the odometer from a friend's wife with buyer's remorse when I said I'd buy it and tossed out a super lowball and she said OK! 72K miles later, and I've done nothing but oil changes, filters, regular wear items save for antenna and some trim piece plastic that cost me $60 total I think to replace that had faded and cracked in the sun over the last 7 years. Most reliable car I've ever owned was a, gulp, FIAT of all things.
@@enfantterrible4868 True. And the R53 was easily the go-cartiest. I've owned an 04S and now a 2016 and these newer Minis really aren't anywhere near as fun. They've lost what made them special.
I recently drove a Mini Countryman S manual and when I was at a red light I accidentally threw it into reverse thinking it was 1st gear and nearly backed into my boss who was behind me in a dodge Ram lol.
@@Towert7 Cant really compare sport bike engines to regular economy car 4 cylinders by sound. 18k rpm vs 6.5k rpm sounds way different. Hence why this 3cyl sounds better than 4cyl economy cars, its more throaty.
I own an F56, are you planning on going with the S or just the Cooper? For the spec I'd look for one with the centre screen, there are some without. Don't bother about the driving modes, normal is the best mode anyway, the sport mode just sets the steering in treacle and makes the gas pedal far less linear making it far harder to control at low speeds. A thing to note too is that you can't disable auto rev matching without disabling DSC + DTC on the manual if you're bothered about that.
I realize this video is 4 years old but I just found it and it's the first time I've sort of wanted a manual transmission in a long time. Also interesting that I've seen Mini make its way onto some reliability top-10 lists. They seem to be getting their sh*t together.
The gearing seems like this would work great for autocross. If this has been available when I bought my GTI last year I might have opted for the simpler, smaller (ok and slower) Mini.
You said 35mpg in your less-than-considerate driving so I was wondering whether that mpg figure for the city ought to be a little higher than 28mpg? 28 is not great...
Add to the Britishness of the car?!! Being a Brit, we tend to do thing that are abundant sense, I would like to think! And, need I point out, the car is about as British as Hershey bars are Spanish! BMW/German, need I say more...
Skai R it’s probably the only way I’ll drive for a long time or at least till I can’t push in the clutch anymore. I got my Mini and it’s an absolute blast to drive!!
@Brian Moran depends what you mean. Cruising at 70 in 2nd gear definitely isn't going to be good for the car, but if once in a while you're doing some spirited driving and holding your revs it should be fine.
This is just a theory but I think they have not been selling well, and maybe they realize their most likely buyers are younger? So they give these incentives to encourage young people to give them a serious look over something like a civic or corolla, which are undoubtedly destroying mini in sales.
what (college) student (youth) do you know that can drive a manual ;) ... $5000 or $500 off?? $5k off sounds like way too much...maybe I should have got one of these instead of the WRX as it has a better backseat than the BRZ. For some reason, slow car fast, driver engagement, and playful is what I desire most in a car and the "slow" MINI seems rather appealing.
...what does double the price get you? I wonder if it is just as engaging and playful; or is it a higher priced take no prisoners kidney puncher??? I like the JCW Countryman (budget BMW X2).
Memo Padilla I had one, less than 2 years old and left me with on the side of the H1 in Hawaii and the dealership couldn’t figure it out. Never again will I touch one of those things.
Would look better with white wheels to match the roof IMO. Shame on that gearing too, that's just silly and is going to cost you torque at the wheels which it needs considering the power output. Little things they could have done to improve the vehicle that doesn't really cost anything... like include android auto support.
The better ones are 2006 and lower where you have the inline 4 with a supercharger you get better mpg and it’s a better engine can smoke a turbo sense turbos run off exhaust and have to spool up and superchargers are powered by a belt off the engine
The fun, happy sounding three cylinder acoustics suits the MINIs charm 😘
I test drove one of these back to back with a Cooper S. There really is not that much difference, they are both still slow car fast. What I was surprised about was how solid / well screwed together the chassis felt. I test drove the 4 door model which zippy enough. Felt like getting a BMW for much cheaper.
. ,
I had a 2016 Cooper S, it felt very well made. Solid car, no creaks or rattles. If I got another id probably get the 3 cylinder 1.5, its enough for daily use and as you say, not a lot of difference really.
This is definitely the same engine from the i8.
It is
You're married. Congratulations bro. I noticed the ring.
“A little 0-60 never hurt anyone”
**car show Mustang has entered the chat**
I own a 07 Cooper S (120K miles on it) and I could not be happier! Very fun and agile little cars they are but very maintenance heavy. I bought the car for $33K in 2007 with all the options maxed out. Over the years I spent an additional $17K in mostly repairs and regular maintenance. Every year I end up pooling money into the car because something breaks or stops working. Speaking of maintenance my MINI literally gulps down oil every week. I constantly check the oil level every 2-3 days depending on how much I drive because its always thirsty. I keep a quart of 5w-30 in the trunk handy for this reason. The car doesn't leak oil or anything so that's not the issue. It just is very oil heavy and as long as its not leaking oil I just keep adding oil to keep the level always full. As soon as the oil level dips that when you experience problems so you need to be on top of this every week. I don't know if the new MINI's do this. My friends and family tell me to move on from the car because it doesn't make sense to keep spending money on it when I could buy a new one. There's just something about my car that I love so much and I really don't care if its eating a lot of money because it keeps me happy. MINI's are not for the faint of heart. You really need to know what your getting yourself into when considering a MINI. I recently went to test drive a 2020 JCW with all the options which totaled $42K. I was really disappointed. The car just doesn't have the same feel and the interior is very chunky and crowded. Might I mention it didn't even have a powered drivers seat instead it had the manual adjustment which was a big turn off. How can a luxury car that is $42K not have such basic features you find in cars that are half the price?? I've decided that I would rather keep my R56 going strong and spend that $42K if needed in repairs/maintenance and upgrades. Just be prepared financially and mentally if you plan on owning one. Cheers!
Thats unfortunate. I've only heard good things about mini so far.. maybe the oil loss is not a mini-related problem. did you get everything checked?
SeLpHy I went to the dealership and my trusted mechanic to have the entire car inspected in and out (every seal, gasket, nut and bolt) for oil leaks and they found nothing. It’s just one of those things you can’t explain. The MINI drinks a lot of oil and because there is nothing to fix that’s causing the oil to be consumed so quickly you just have to accept the fact and keep up with maintaining the proper oil level. I got rid of the stock dipstick which is horrible and replaced it with a aftermarket one which is specifically made for the MINI which has 10 holes on the end of the dipstick which goes into the oil pan to read the oil level. If the oil level is full then all the 10 holes will be filled with oil. If the level is low then the holes will be filled or empty depending on how much oil is in the oil pan. Every week I check the level once or twice depending on how much I drive and I always have 1 or 2 hole not covered in oil which tells me that I don’t have a full oil level. If I continue to run the car without topping off the oil level and checked it a few days later then I would have a few more holes not covered in oil (5/10) which means the oil level is decreasing to a very dangerously low level. This constant checking every week has become a part of my life and if that’s what it takes to keep the car running good then so be it. I usually get the Mobil 1 bulk pack of oil from Costco so it’s not that bad.
@@minimonster420 i see you went through a long process. But i mean the oil has to go somewhere , or do you think it could just evaporate in that short period? are there any oil spots underneath the car? on the street?
SeLpHy I park the car in my garage and I’ve never noticed any leaks. If oil were to leak it would just linger on the ground and wouldn’t evaporate like water. There would be a black stain. I did park my car on the driveway way once when it was raining to check for oil leaks. When water mixes with oil the ground will look like a rainbow so in this case the rain water makes the ground wet and if any oil was to leak then the ground would turn a rainbow color indicating an oil leak. Even then I didn’t notice anything. The MINI just burns a lot of oil and it’s just the way it is. If you read the forums many owners have the same complaint of heavy oil consumption.
@@minimonster420 ...I wonder is the oil ring gaps got lined up one on top of the other, creating a straight line for oil to get past. usually, the ring gaps are offset 90* to 180* depending on the number of rings...the only way to diagnose this is to pull a piston (I think). I don't know if it can be seen with a borescope. I still like the S/C R53s and the noises it makes.
I had a 2005 Mini Cooper, guzzled engine oil like a champ and basically fell apart from rust, but Minis are so great to drive. People don't lie when they say it's like a go-kart
Ironically, I bought a Fiat 500T, chipped to be identical to the Abarth, and I expected it to fall apart but I got it with only 1200miles on the odometer from a friend's wife with buyer's remorse when I said I'd buy it and tossed out a super lowball and she said OK! 72K miles later, and I've done nothing but oil changes, filters, regular wear items save for antenna and some trim piece plastic that cost me $60 total I think to replace that had faded and cracked in the sun over the last 7 years. Most reliable car I've ever owned was a, gulp, FIAT of all things.
That isnt true for the F56 though, the R56 was the last "Go-Kart"
@@enfantterrible4868 True. And the R53 was easily the go-cartiest. I've owned an 04S and now a 2016 and these newer Minis really aren't anywhere near as fun. They've lost what made them special.
Love these. Fully support the wave of 3-cylinder turbos replacing n/a 4-cylinders; they just have so much more character to them.
Jack Cooper AND a sweet kinda V6-y sound to them
Not to mentioned the sound the wave of torque down low!
That center screen looks like a winamp skin from 2001.
In NZ we grew up driving the original Minis . They were incredible fun . BMW have kept the essence . That looked like a hoot . 🤗
I recently drove a Mini Countryman S manual and when I was at a red light I accidentally threw it into reverse thinking it was 1st gear and nearly backed into my boss who was behind me in a dodge Ram lol.
lol
were you being fired after this?
So you nearly got Rammed up the arsehole by your boss. Nice...
I've read this is a common complaint 😬
@@regulariago6780 no 😂 4.5 years strong so far lol
The 3-cylinder almost has the same harmonics as the BMW straight 6! Way better-sounding when it's wound out than an inline 4.
@@Towert7 When they install one of those in a production car, I'll be willing to reconsider. Until then my take holds.
@@Towert7 Cant really compare sport bike engines to regular economy car 4 cylinders by sound. 18k rpm vs 6.5k rpm sounds way different. Hence why this 3cyl sounds better than 4cyl economy cars, its more throaty.
@@Towert7 alright 👍🏻
Pretty much every 3 pot sounds like a 6 pot when wound up, love them.
enjoyed the new format. well done.
I have a cooper s 2019 and I can’t be more happy
hows the maintenance ?
Fergus Ilogon 5 year warranty
Great engine sound, on my list as a possible next car purchase after my birthday next month. Great car, well made and fun to drive.
I own an F56, are you planning on going with the S or just the Cooper? For the spec I'd look for one with the centre screen, there are some without. Don't bother about the driving modes, normal is the best mode anyway, the sport mode just sets the steering in treacle and makes the gas pedal far less linear making it far harder to control at low speeds. A thing to note too is that you can't disable auto rev matching without disabling DSC + DTC on the manual if you're bothered about that.
I realize this video is 4 years old but I just found it and it's the first time I've sort of wanted a manual transmission in a long time. Also interesting that I've seen Mini make its way onto some reliability top-10 lists. They seem to be getting their sh*t together.
The gearing seems like this would work great for autocross. If this has been available when I bought my GTI last year I might have opted for the simpler, smaller (ok and slower) Mini.
Arm rest getting in the way of the hand brake has been a feature since 2007. Possibly a feature in the R53’s as well, I never had one to verify
loved it. Thanks.
You said 35mpg in your less-than-considerate driving so I was wondering whether that mpg figure for the city ought to be a little higher than 28mpg? 28 is not great...
These cars are fairly fast for it being the base engine.
Great video! Could I ask how manageable the clutch pedal is? Not too heavy?
Add to the Britishness of the car?!! Being a Brit, we tend to do thing that are abundant sense, I would like to think! And, need I point out, the car is about as British as Hershey bars are Spanish! BMW/German, need I say more...
I bet it would handle even slightly better without that heavy sunroof causing weight at the top of the car
Let's be honest what college kid can drive a stick shift nowadays. LMAO
Hell most of this generation kid's parents couldn't drive stick.
Skai R uhh me
Matt you’re probably a very small % that can. I learned to drive on a manual, but that was 20 years ago
Skai R it’s probably the only way I’ll drive for a long time or at least till I can’t push in the clutch anymore. I got my Mini and it’s an absolute blast to drive!!
@@Matt-nb6wd I'm guessing you're 19 or 20. My first new car was a 2003 Mini Cooper S 6 speed manual. I t was a really fun car.
Does this version not have sport modes? That’s actually refreshing if it doesn’t
70 in 2nd??? I'm at 3000 rpm at 70 in 5th gear on my e36 lol
@Brian Moran depends what you mean. Cruising at 70 in 2nd gear definitely isn't going to be good for the car, but if once in a while you're doing some spirited driving and holding your revs it should be fine.
Fiat 500 Abarth vs Mini Cooper Base?
JI love tall gears for interstate travel what were the RPMs that say 80 miles an hour?
ah yes a classic
Exterior is clean, versus other recent models. Not sure why they want college students versus anyone else. Some kind of "they'll stick with BMW" play?
This is just a theory but I think they have not been selling well, and maybe they realize their most likely buyers are younger? So they give these incentives to encourage young people to give them a serious look over something like a civic or corolla, which are undoubtedly destroying mini in sales.
My mom is in her 40's and she is thinking about getting a mini as her next car. I also see minis a lot here in the UK so maybe it's just a US thing.
Will you be reviewing the new Mazda CX 30? Thanks.
What does "complimentary maintenance for 3 years" for this mini Cooper actually mean?
routine service jobs for free at the dealer for 3 years
what (college) student (youth) do you know that can drive a manual ;) ... $5000 or $500 off?? $5k off sounds like way too much...maybe I should have got one of these instead of the WRX as it has a better backseat than the BRZ. For some reason, slow car fast, driver engagement, and playful is what I desire most in a car and the "slow" MINI seems rather appealing.
Maybe because im that age but i know plenty of college students who drive a manual they exist
I'm college age (and in college) and almost all my friends I've ever asked know how to drive a manual.
Ride is pretty nice= eibach coilovers and sway bars to make it teeth crushing ASAP
Could you do a mini cooper 2 door jcw?
...what does double the price get you? I wonder if it is just as engaging and playful; or is it a higher priced take no prisoners kidney puncher??? I like the JCW Countryman (budget BMW X2).
Reliability....yikes
Yeah I was checking out the forums.. WTF ??
Memo Padilla I had one, less than 2 years old and left me with on the side of the H1 in Hawaii and the dealership couldn’t figure it out. Never again will I touch one of those things.
@@AJ3000_ Wow .. so did you trade it or what ?
Memo Padilla they had a used Tacoma on the lot, the rest is history
That’s rare I have a cooper s 2019 with 20,000 miles without any problem
Aaaaah beautiful.
If you drive a mini take turns at the speed he does
British cars tend to have nice interior.
That car is not british
@@jamessaunders4265 I thought the designers are. But I've just seen the interior designer is from munich. So... nothing. 🛌
@@meryuk BMW own Mini so that makes them German.
It's no Yaris GR.
Yeah its a base mini, not an S or even a JCW
We need them in the states.
Drives 80 mph on highway. Everyone passes .... lol
Would look better with white wheels to match the roof IMO. Shame on that gearing too, that's just silly and is going to cost you torque at the wheels which it needs considering the power output. Little things they could have done to improve the vehicle that doesn't really cost anything... like include android auto support.
The better ones are 2006 and lower where you have the inline 4 with a supercharger you get better mpg and it’s a better engine can smoke a turbo sense turbos run off exhaust and have to spool up and superchargers are powered by a belt off the engine
Junk