I am a Mustang guy. Always have been, always will. I currently own a 2009 Shelby GT500KR, 1 of 64 Blue ones made. It's a garage queen. I am waiting to see the new 2015 50th anniversary makeover of the Mustang and was waiting to purchase one. But I must say I'm getting crazy about this Mini Coupe and I haven't even seen one yet. I'm needing a good on gas daily driver commuter that will live on the highway and have a blast driving home to and from work. I'm thinking this could be the car for me. Sat. is my 43rd B-day and I'm going to dealer to test drive one. Just wanted some opinions if you will.

 

Well, I'm not a Mustang guy (but the one you have sounds sweet!), however my recent car trajectory has been JCW hatchback --> Nissan 370Z --> MINI Roadster (on order) so I can sort of see where you are coming from.

The 370Z has more power, and handles very well. But... just not as fun to drive as the MINI.

My wife has a base MINI convertible, and when I was enjoying driving it more on the occasions she let me "borrow" it than I was enjoying driving the 370Z, I knew it was time to jump back.

We've had MINIs since about 2004, and I'd fallen in love with the looks and the power of the 370Z a few years ago. About 15 months back is when I got the 370Z, and at this point I'm really looking forward to the new MINI. The 370Z was a great car, but just not the car for me.

I'll miss the horsepower of the 370Z, but the go-kart-like feel of the MINI is something I want more than horsepower.

So - there's one very subjective opinion.

Good luck with the test drive!

Don

 

I have a twin turbo Supra in the garage, but it's a toy. I'm on my 3rd MINI (An MCS Coupé), having strayed into a Mazdaspeed3 for a few years recently.

The Supra is a great highway/touring car, and it turns heads simply because I have it in an almost fully restored state. It is fun as heck in a straight line, but it's too heavy & the wheelbase is too long to really enjoy twisty roads. (They're great for drifting, but I'm not a drifter)

The Coupé is a ton of fun on twisty roads, and if you yearn to make daily commuting more fun, most any MINI model you pick will give you just that. Even if you have a city/highway commute, you can take exits & turns with speed you'd never dare in a heavier, more powerful car, and they sip gas to boot. They turn heads & start conversations everywhere you go, too. (As I was leaving the movies tonight, a young girl who was leaving pulled INTO the space next to my Coupé to ogle it, then drove off.)

Just make sure you won't have a problem with the cargo space in a Coupé, and if that leaves you doubting, then think about the hard top. For me (single, no kids) a 2-seater with a decent sized boot/trunk is just fine. And hey, I can always haul larger loads in the Supra! lol

 

I do have kids but I have 2 Jeeps, with my wifes being a 2010 so this would be just a commuter toy for me. Im looking forward to it. How is the power of S ?

 

S power is pretty good. 180+ normally, and I think 190+ with the Sport button engaged. Not bad for a tiny car. It won't slap your head back against the headrest the way your mustang would, but it has NO problem getting out of its own way in traffic or on the highway.

FYI, at the moment, the base Cooper & S have the refreshed N18 engine with BMW's Valvetronic system & supposedly without the timing chain issue to worry about from the N14 engine. The current JCW engine, however, is still based on the N14 engine. No word as to when the JCW team will get into an N18 engine. If I recall, JCW is good for 20-ish hp over the S.

After I had ordered my Coupé, I went in for a test drive on both S and JCW models. Both were a ton of fun. I just couldn't justify $6k more for the JCW, personally. It seemed too similar to the S for the price difference. I can make up 20hp in aftermarket parts & tuning for a lot less. And regardless of which one I got, I had plans to upgrade the suspension with aftermarket parts. But then, I like to mod.

 

get Cooper S for sure, and trust me their a lot of Mustang guy with Mini in here

 

Enjoy your new Coupe.

 

I'll add my vote to the responses - coming from that Mustang an 'S' is the minimum HP level you'll want. It's 60hp over the base cooper (181 vs 121)

The JCW adds 27hp above that (208 vs 181).

That won't sound like much HP compared to your Shelby, but with the lighter weight car its better then it sounds.

Of course, even the JCW won't give you V8 acceleration, so if you expect the MINI feel like a V8 you'll be disappointed. If you approach it as a different kind of driving experience I think you'll enjoy it!

Don

 

I'm a Challenger guy, our other car (err, my wife's) is a MCS. It's a completely different driving experience, but well worth the difference. 0-60 in ~6+ seconds, turns on a dime, corners like a bat out of ... well you know. I'm learning the finer points of the MCS and I really want to take it out on the track more (just need to convince someone else). I've not driven a JCW, but I'm looking at one for our next car (either replace or add) and an Austin Mini (to add).

 

Drive both the S and the JCW if you can. The you can let us know which one you now own.

FYI: The JCW can be tuned through the OBDII, The S has to have the ECU cracked at this point.

 

So I went to the dealer today and spent 2 hrs feeling the coupe. I must admit I like the coupe. A little small but very cool. The colors are limited in the gray/silver scale which IMO are the best colors to choose from, although most of my cars have been blue. But the best gray color they have is not availabale in the coupe. So I guess I have to wait for the vert roadster to see which model I will choose from coupe/roadster. Color is very much my make or break deal. The white/Silver looks great in the showroom under the lighting but not that nice in real light. So although the car as a whole I like I will just have to fight for the color I want.

 

Have you considered just ordering what you want?

 

I'm still trying to figure that out! Especially with the reef blue being added to vert model.

 

Reef Blue is real sharp in the sun light, but not a coupe color.

Have you played with the configurater over at Mini USA?

 

Chile Red is really the only real color.

 

Pat you think you might be partial to Chili Red

 

Yes maybe just a little. Red cars have proven to have higher resale value than any other color.

 

I have passed 750 HP Mustangs on the track with the MINI, actually lapped him. Holding me up big time in every corner. Presseure and then the wave by. The MINI can hold its on with just about everything out there if you can drive. JCW is fast for its size and HP. In heavy traffic it is a knife and pretty sick. Just get into the turbo and you are past. Was looking at the Laguna Seca until I saw the new ZL1. WOW. MINI is just a fun change of pace car. Great commuter that can double as a track car. My other car is a Maserati GT Coupe with a MT 6 speed. Great GT but the MINI is way more discreet and you can drive to the track with everything you need for a track weekend including a full set of racing tires. Anything else you need a trailer or truck to tow you. Plus a passanger, tools, jack stands and gear. Way to much fun.

 

Red is also the fastest color; when's the last time you heard an astrophysicist bragging about an object displaying a blueshift...?

 

Either way Cooper S or JCW you will never be dissappointed. Very different to what you have. Go for it!

 

Also add the highest rate of tickets too

 

Yankee... sounds like you need a JCW. Get it. If you want a great commuter car, it is awesome.

You can't really compare a Shelby to a MINI. 2 different beasts. I love it. They both have a racing heritage, but RWD to FWD... It's really apples to oranges. It handles so well, and cutting in and out of traffic is done with ease. You have to drive more aggressively because it's small. It's such a great car.

 

I was never trying to compare a Shelby to a Mini. Was just stating how I love Mustangs but now I love this car. And to the person who says they lapped a 750 HP Shelby Super Snake is just flat out wrong! You may have passed him but you didnt notice that the car was parked. Maybe if a 90 yr. old was driving it but CMon! and please dont try and justify it. Im not trying to make this a car war thread. I just like the Roadster.

 

You can get the roadster in reef blue

 

I have to agree with you. I have a 2005 GTO with only 400 HP and none of the Mini's that were on the track I was on could keep up with my GTO. On the turns they could get me but as soon as I had just a bit of straight track they were in my rear view mirror. They never passed me again. Yeaaaaa baby!!