Mini as small family car?

[CarsOrBikes]

I think it was 05 for the facelift, fog light in the centre of the rear bumper instead of reverse light, 3 piece dash over 5, gear knob is different as is feel of shift. Good for up and down the country no problem, Mini One and Cooper S so far for me, both immense fun but then they looked standard but not quite )

[soprano]

Mine just ticked over 97,000 miles and is running really well (akthough I've not had it that long).

What's the budget OP?

[kayzee]

I would say... no, lol. I bought a Cooper S last year and have our first kid on the way and am thinking it just isn't big enough. The missus has a KA which is bigger! You can only fit one bag in the boot which is very frustrating. Thinking I should have got something bigger to be honest.

[mike9009]

Hi

We have had a Clubman S for five years and have a seven year old and three year old. I use it for commuting plus we used to use it for family holidays with a roof box. Also had a 2001 MINI One and 2004 Cooper S over the years. The biggest pain with small ones is leaning in to fix the seat belts in. As they get older and plug the belts in themselves it has become much easier. The Clubman legroom is a little bigger so no complaints there.

We tend not to use it so much as my commute has got larger and other vehicles have taken over family/ holiday/ weekend duties (VW T25 and Nissan Note)

All models have been fine for long distances. The ride is generally compliant but some don't like the run flats, making the ride crashy. Personally, the RFs do not bother me, but I have come from a rattly VX220 I the past.

Mike

[watchnut]

No way is it big enough as a family car.
Your rear seat passengers will need to saw their legs off when they get over 5 feet tall
the boot is next to useless if you do a large shop at Morrisons
this car is ideal for a couple, not a family
I love my Mini, and sometimes do near on 700 to a 1000 miles a week in it, but as a family car...no

[mneame]

KimJongHealthy said:

Does anyone here use Mini Cooper 115hp as 2+1 (9yr old) daily family car? I need to replace my Impreza with something cheap economical but still fun and I always liked those.

I'm 173cm, missus slightly shorter, We usually fly on holiday and our average weekend trips are within 1hr drive away. Would Mini be comfortable enough for a longer trip once in a while? We sat in one and there seem to be enough room behind the passenger seat but we haven't tried it with the child seat (group 3 isofix one).


Are they bearable on motorway journeys? Which month of 2004 was the famous Midlands gearbox replaced with a more reliable model?

My R53 Cooper S has been a family car for 2+2 for the last 3 years. Just bought a Mazda5 as family motor due to the kids becoming a bit too big. They're 10 and 6 now. I'm a bit taller than you and a lardy at 16+ stone. I've found it perfectly comfortable from a driving point of view and have done plenty of 2+ hour drives in it and been down to Cornwall in it once for a long weekend with all 4 of us.

As for fuel economy, mine hasn't been that much better than my previous Imprezas. Fun factor though I wish I'd have bought one sooner. The Impreza I found needed to be pushed to have any real fun and if you do that on a public road you're not going to be in receipt of a driving licence for long. Whereas the Mini will probably just get you a bit of a ticking off if caught on a country lane whilst having fun. If you head to track though then the Mini won't have the legs imo or the brakes as standard for that matter.

If you go for a Cooper S then you don't need to worry about the gearbox as they have the 6 speed.

[Doofus]

The MINI's boot is pitifully, comically small.