I have had the 06 mini for about a year and a half. I have done the 15% pulley and put light weight Enkie RPF1s on it. Its very fun to drive but coming from the built evolution VIII, Im really missing the torque down low.

I know both will not have close to the power of the evo, but I'm not looking at those kind of payments again. I have found a few 08 R32s for around 23K and the mini can be had even cheaper.

Has anyone owned both who could chime in?

Thanks, looking forward to any help.

 

While I appreciate them and do love them...I find the R32 rather boring to drive, they're little pigs. I think GTI's a lot more fun and since you are missing torque...would satisfy your desire a little more than the R.

I also had an R53 before my R56, and I loved it. I'd still have it today had I not totalled it. But I completely hear what you are saying about torque. The R56 has tons...especially once you mod them. Mine has around 270 ft-lbs to the wheels and it's a blast. I know if I went back to an R53, I'd hate not having the torque.

However all that said, the R56 is full of issues. Mine is constantly having little issues which drive me up a wall. Been through a motor, and I have relatively low mileage (54k). It will work great for a bit, but there's always something that never works quite right. These problems are amplified once you start modding them too. Never had a single issue with my 53. My advice...keep the 53 and mod it, they are bulletproof and you have a ton left in yours. Head/cam/header/tune and they are little devils....(still lack peak torque, but linear torque curve the high hp makes up for it)

If you want turbo torque....get a GTI.

 

^ +1.

Even though I have a R56 JCW, I would still prefer an R53 (especially a GP!). The only reason I went with an R56 is because I felt a lot more comfortable with a warranty than without one.

I really don't like the styling of the last 6 or so years of pretty much all VWs, and DSG is the worst. I've driven my friends R32 and it's not nearly as fun as the car I have now. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if my car is faster as well.

 

I feel like there is a lot of ways to look at this car choice and sounds like you just really want something different. I'm a fan of both cars, i feel like you see less R32's driving around than R56's. But then again an R56 is cheaper. But I like to be as different as possible where I live When it comes to nice, moderately expensive things

 

Ah, this is a great topic for me to jump in on for my first post here on NAM! I drive an R32 and last month we picked up a 2011 Clubman S for my wife, so I'm in a good position to compare.

Bottom line, they're both great cars. The R32 has a more solid, refined feel. I like the AWD. It's not the fastest car on the road, but the VR6 is incredibly smooth and to me, its soundtrack makes up for its extra heft.

That said, there's no question the Mini is more agile and quick on it's feet. It feels almost as fast and has more character. It's got a lot more presence....the R32 is a real sleeper in comparison. It doesn't hurt that the Mini gets about 10 more MPG than the R.

I've always had a thing for Minis so I was pretty thrilled when my wife liked the Clubman. I now struggle mightily whenever I have a choice between cars for a trip. I don't envy your decision but I don't think you can go wrong either way!

 

A big advantage for me is AWD on the R32. That being said it's almost 1K more pounds. I just need to drive them both and go from there. As far as gas milage goes my R53 does not seem that great. I average about 26mpg. One thing I'm really interested in, is the steering feel between them. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

The steering is definitely quicker and more communicative on the Mini. I used to think the steering feel was fine on the R32 but now, hopping back and forth between the two, it's probably the Mini's number one advantage.

 

Just wait and get the GTI-R when it comes out. Its awd and turbo. But I do like my MINI and I have heard nothing but problems from Volkswagen, not saying MINI doesn't have its own.

 

I don't know about everyone else, but I saw an 08 R32 the other day and it was one of the uglier cars I have laid eyes on... would never drive it. It looked like a modified Kia Rio.. seriously.

Now the older ones are sick.. much boxier.

Old style =amazing

New style = more worthless than a screen door on a submarine.

 

Oh I miss my EVO. T.T I've been itching to pick up a EVO XI SE. But I say no go on the R32. It's really not that fun to drive...or wait for the R20!!

 

I'll just say this, the 1G R32 weighs 4400 pounds. That's more than my 04.5 Passat variant, my 11' A4 Avant and my '10 M3. I'd do a 370Z before I did an R32. Hell, I'd trade up to an JCW and mod it. It'll make almost as much power as an M3 and weight half as much (almost literally). It's what I'm doing.

 

2008 GTI with an APR Stage 1. That will run circles around a R32 and puts out way more power than a MINI will.

Im actually selling my 2011 MCS so I can get back in a MKV GTI.

R32 vs Chipped GTI

 

It'll outrun it in a straight line but an R32 will rape a chipped GTI on anything with a turn. I had an APR chipped MkV GTI and it's not the same as an R32. If those were my two options, I'd take an R32 any day of the week. I'd take a JCW Mini over both, however.

 

If your talking about an 04' R32...thats not even a question. GET the .:R!

as for the newer ones...automatic? ehhh

 

The DSG is NOT an auto. It does have a manual mode, but it is NO slushbox. The new Golf R is what I'd go with. ONLY comes in a manual.

 

two peddles.
Golf R will be nice

 

Exactly. The DSG is not a slush box at all. That in the best transmission I have ever driven in my ten years working at a dealer.

 

I would love to take an 09-10 JCW for a drive. They are so hard to find around me.

I'm looking at the 08 R32 with DSG. Looking for an 04 is like a lost cause because dealers want way to much money for them and they always have to many miles...

As for the DSG it seems like people love it or hate it. Are the down shifts as fast as up shifts, or is there lag?

 

Really? I thought it made the car incredibly boring to drive. Not to mention the horrible lag between pressing the gear lever and the transmission actually changing gears..

But then again I just test drove 2 EVO X's (one manual and one twin clutch) a few weeks ago and absolutely hated the twin clutch version. I was surprised how unimpressed I was with that car. The manual EVO was a little better but I'd still take my MINI over it any day.

 

Blake

run denatured alcohol instead of boostjuice and you might pick up 10+ftlbs.

at sea level the jcw cracked 300 ftlbs on a dynojet.

Cya

 

I'm laughing so hard at that misguided comment that I can't see straight. Where the heck did you pick up that astonomically inaccurate number? Curb weight in US trim was 3409 lbs. Source (one of zillions with similar numbers) here:

http://www.maximum-cars.com/Cars/Car.php?carnumber=408

I had a Mk4 and it was an AWESOME car. The 24-valve VR6 is a sweet motor, though heavy and a bit underpowered for its displacement (240 hp). That car would outhandle my H&R cup kit-equipped R56 any day of the week.

Here's mine back in the day. I miss her. What I do NOT miss was the excruciatingly uncomfortable Koenig seats.

 

Well hello stranger

Yea I only ran boost juice the first week....I switched to 100% meth, car loves it. My 270 estimate was on the conservative side (I haven't dynoed yet)...the car is an animal though.

 

On down shifts it can lag a bit but as far as full throttle up shifts its rated at 8 milliseconds, which is the fastest in a production car last I checked. The down shifts lag a bit as it needs to wait for the throttle blip before it shifts.


Here is a very good link to info on the subject,CLICK ME

 

The R56 is definitely the most fun car I've driven to date, over a GTI and R32. Having said that, I'd still go with the R32, if it was a mkIV. I'm not the biggest fan of the mkv R32 (body style wise).

DSG is amazing, and I can't believe anyone would call it slow. Yes, I love rowing my gears and would certainly prefer a clutch, but anything without a clutch I would choose DSG. Even the new 8spd transmissions audi/bmw/merc is using are very fast, as I've driven a 35i and 2.0T B8A4 with them, but the DSG is noticeably quicker still.

Power wise, for bolt ons and a tune you could probably make the R56 faster. The R32 isn't slow by any means, and has a large aftermarket. Add a turbo (or two, as someone I know did to his mk4 R32.. from HPA motorsports), and the thing will run circles around a R56, while still being more reliable imo. The r56 has its handful of major problems, which boils down to quality control and poor design. As Blake said, hes had a new motor and runs into issue after issue. Granted, I don't have half as many issues, but have had my clutch replaced at <15k (due to noise not wear), timing chain tensioner, warped valve cover, etc. Now everytime I drive it (and I'm lightly modded imo, with bolt ons and a dynotune, though in the R56 world that is considered fairly heavily modded without going BT), I'm afraid my piston is going to go. Plus, the sound of the R32 is so unique and sounds so good imo.

If you're going for something fast, I'd steer away from both cars unless you're going to do heavy modding to get to a place thats the same as lightly modded on another car. The R56 will turn better imo.

If you want something that doesn't feel like an econobox, between the two the R32 definitely takes it. (many will disagree with me and say the mini isn't an econobox)... but the R32 is definitely noticeably more solid, interior and exterior. I am a picky person and don't like large gaps between panels. The R56 isn't BAD, but small things. The hood will dent if you as much as lay a palm on it. If you try to push the hood shut from the hood it'll dent. If you don't evenly pull both sides of the hood down it'll sit cockeyed. The trunk will make a rattling noise while driving because the locking mechanism has too high of a gap tolerance for the U bracket of the trunk door, so you have to resort to electrical tape wrapping the U bracket even after MINI replaces the locking mechanism. 60% of the panels inside rattle, inside the door, in the sunroof, etc. The auto up windows won't function properly unless at the right temperature. The Sunroof won't open because of swelling rubber seals when too hot. ETC ETC ETC. This is my rant. A lot has been fixed for the '11 and '12s i'm sure, but in general, this is the type of quality control that comes with the car. I love the car to death, but these things really keep it from being a completely comfortable car.

I came from the VAG world, with a C4A6. The car was 11 yrs old by the time I got my mini brand new, and it still has less rattles than the mini did when new. The R32 and VW in general is more of a solid car, thats all.

Its a tough one. Keep in mind '11 and '12s can't be tuned yet. By the time the ecu is cracked (took 2 yrs for the N14 engine), there'll probably be another engine out.

 

The DGS is STILL one of the fasted sequential gearboxes on the planet. Mine had no perceptible lag and GIAm makes a chip for it to make it even faster.

MkIV R32s are a waste of time. As you've seen they're WAY over priced. They really aren't worth it.