I'm still torn between turbo and not, leaning towards not (with manual transmission). Anyone get the non-turbo and wishes they had turbo?
Thanks.

 

I got the S, just reminding you you get more than a turbo with the S,I thought it was a better value.

 

The MCS has some stock features that are options on the MC. It is more than just the turbo to consider.
At $3+ a gallon, the MC picked up some more appeal.
You know how you drive and how you want to drive. Go with your gut.
BTW, you really can't miss. Both cars are MINI.

 

I have the MCa, no regrets, plenty of kicka$$ for me, love the ride and handleing. Good gas mpg. Oh and I forgot to mention it has a spare tire.!

 

I dont have an R56 but the principle is the same w/ the R53. As someone around here has quoted "better to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow"...spinning off of that, if you aren't going to really use the plentiful power of the 'S' model, go for the non 'S'. You're still part of the cult!

 

I've had my MCa for nearly four months now and haven't regretted it once. She's a complete blast to drive, handles great, and zips around with ease. For the $, I doubt there's a better deal out there. Granted, you could get a stripped down MCS for cheap, but I personally appreciate a few of the options packages that make this car more luxurious than not.

I've had a handful of wicked fast cars previously, too, so I do know the joys of high HP thrill rides. My MC isn't going to see a track though, and I'm not interested in acquiring any more speeding tickets, so the base engine offers more than enough guts to keep me smiling behind the wheel.

To each his or her own.

 

I think its way too much a personal choice, if you like the MC be happy with it. If you like the MCS then you should also be happy with that.

Drive both back to back and then drive the first cooper again just to make sure. If you like it, then no reason to have turbo envy.

 

Does the MCS have a Spare Tire? I am about to purchase one Tuesday and didnt even think of that.

 

no spare on the R56 S... it has he runflats though. I want to find out if I can get a spare from a MC and mount it where a spare should go, for when I switch to my winter tires.

 

YES!

 

Turbo + my wife =

 

the MCS doesn't have a place to mount the spare.. because the exhaust blocked the space where you can mount it!

 

There are many threads that give opinions on both sides of this debate. Generally both "sides" are very happy with their own individual decisions. So it's all about what YOU want, and what has value for you.

Although I don't actually pick up my MCa until Friday, I'm perfectly happy with my decision. I think you'll love your MINI no matter which way you decide.

 

I think I COULD have been happy with an MC, but rather than chance it, I decided to go with an MCS.

My reasoning was that they BOTH require premium gas, and the MC doesn't get that much better gas mileage than the MCS. Now I know I'll never have to wonder "if I should have gotten the turbo".

 

I drove both and thought the MC was under powered. I am a very conservative driver, use it to commute, etc. and never really had a "fast sports car". The extras on the MCS that were upgrades on the base cooper was a partial trade off. If your already regreting or second guessing your decision, get the MCS. You may regret it.

 

Only one way to guarantee no regrets...
As others have mentioned, it's a personal decision for two cars that have entirely different characteristics. The MCS provides more than adequate mileage for my tastes and the performance was well worth it for me.

 

Maybe when gas is $8/gallon, you'll be saying, "I should have got the MC!"

 

I have an MC manual transmission and I love it. I don't regret not getting an S at all. I did a test drive of both. It's averaging 38mpg (mixed city and highway driving), has plenty of power when I need it, and is great fun to drive.

The only thing I regret not getting is the upgraded HI-FI and maybe possibly the integrated NAV.

 

While I'm yet to receive my MCS I can tell you that I'm VERY excited that I went for the turbo. The fuel economy with the turbo is quite good and it looks a little sportier so I say if you can afford it go for it! Of course if the turbo would have been too much of a financial stretch I would have happily gone for the Cooper. They're both great cars.

Good luck,


Adam

 

After I bought my former Z3 2.5i I was kicking myself for not going for a used M roadster for the same money. Since then I decided to go for the most powerful engine the model offers. And for the MINI's the gas mileage is very good for both engines. It's not like we are talking about a 4 cyl vs. V8. Same 4cyl engines but with significant power difference. However, if you are not a fan of fast cars, you will be probably OK with a MC.

 

I test drove the MCS, and immediately knew there was no way I would buy that car. The MC has more than enough power for me and I have yet to be put into any situation where it was not more than adequate for the task.

No regrets at all.

 

I have an '06 MC and the only thing I've regretted about not getting the S is the 6th gear and its increased gas savings. The R56 has taken care of that problem. I just autocrossed my car this weekend and it had plenty of power.

Its a personal choice, really.

 

I have an '06 MC bought with the need of balance between fuel economy and fun. For the '07 the MCS nearly gets as good as mileage as my '06 MC.

Unless you're ultra frugal I'd go with the MCS it's a great deal. I would however bring in my own non-runflats and have them swapped at the dealer and promply resell the runflats on craigslist. Avoid the 17" OEM wheels unless you absolutely love the look, they're frikin heavy.

 

Factor elevation into your decision. A naturally aspirated engine loses power as elevation increases where, with a turbo, there's no noticeable difference. I live above 5,000 feet. When I owned naturally aspirated engine cars I used to look forward to trips to the coasts because my cars, relatively speaking, drove like hot rods. As the air gets thinner it's good to densify it a bit with a turbo before sending it on to combustion.

 

I'm man enough to admit that I may have made a mistake in not getting a turbo. Sure, the gas mileage I'm getting now is absolutely incredible at close to 40 mph and the whole spare tire vs run flats thing is a PITA, but that power difference has me salivating. Next time I'll up the ante a bit.