R53 Cooper S- Can it punch above its weight?
Discussion
The plan had been to get a e46 330ci however due to the recent insurance rises, the cost of this has risen to nearly £1500, which I consider excessive for 1 years cover on something that isn't exactly exotic.
I have found that the mk2 MX5 and e36 328i are more reasonable on insurance, however I've done the MX5 thing already and think the e36 may be getting on a little bit and I'll need the car to get to work everyday, so have doubts over reliability.
The Cooper S however looks an attractive buy at around £5-6k for an earlier model with reasonable mileage and spec and comes in at £1k for insurance. The question is, how well does it compare in terms of driving enjoyment and performance in relation to the likes of the 330ci?
Please note that this isn't a what car thread, I've looked at the insurance for a wide range of cars and the ones mentioned above are the few which attract me and are reasonable to insure.
I have found that the mk2 MX5 and e36 328i are more reasonable on insurance, however I've done the MX5 thing already and think the e36 may be getting on a little bit and I'll need the car to get to work everyday, so have doubts over reliability.
The Cooper S however looks an attractive buy at around £5-6k for an earlier model with reasonable mileage and spec and comes in at £1k for insurance. The question is, how well does it compare in terms of driving enjoyment and performance in relation to the likes of the 330ci?
Please note that this isn't a what car thread, I've looked at the insurance for a wide range of cars and the ones mentioned above are the few which attract me and are reasonable to insure.
I was surprised when I drove the Mini, both the old and new models.
Felt quite a big car feel for something so small.
Shame you cant afford the new Cooper S , very rapid !
Should say I was driving an E46 myself when I drove the Minis (courtesy cars!)
Felt quite a big car feel for something so small.
Shame you cant afford the new Cooper S , very rapid !
Should say I was driving an E46 myself when I drove the Minis (courtesy cars!)
Edited by MondeoMan1981 on Wednesday 3rd November 22:17
I will be looking at getting one of these in about 18 months time
When I looked into it they can easily be brought up to around 200bhp maybe a bit more with a pully change and a remap etc... which would make them pretty nippy 0-60 in around 6.5 and about 145 top end. Imagine down a lane they would be just as quick if not quicker than a 330ci to be honest. Fuel economy would be similar as they do like to drink with the supercharger on them.
When I looked into it they can easily be brought up to around 200bhp maybe a bit more with a pully change and a remap etc... which would make them pretty nippy 0-60 in around 6.5 and about 145 top end. Imagine down a lane they would be just as quick if not quicker than a 330ci to be honest. Fuel economy would be similar as they do like to drink with the supercharger on them.
They're reasonably quick, but straight line speed isn't really their forte. The chassis balance isn't as good as the BMW, and nor is the steering but neither is bad, especially for a FWD car. Where a MINI will shine over a 3-series is on a slowish twisting road where the shorter wheel base and lower polar moment of inertia make it feel much more agile.
IMHO the biggest problems with the MINI are the ride quality (which is dire); the steering (which, whilst fairly accurate, is horribly light and rather lacking in feel); and the lack of practicality (getting four adults in one is a struggle and the boot is pretty small). Personally, I don't like the looks either, but that's obviously entirely personal.
IMHO the biggest problems with the MINI are the ride quality (which is dire); the steering (which, whilst fairly accurate, is horribly light and rather lacking in feel); and the lack of practicality (getting four adults in one is a struggle and the boot is pretty small). Personally, I don't like the looks either, but that's obviously entirely personal.
Thanks for the feedback Mondeo, afraid there is no way I can get the later turbo charged car, I'd rather not sink that much money into a car when I really want the e46, which I can hopefully get with another years NCB.
With a £5-6k R53, I am confident that I can recoup most if not all of my money in a years time.
With a £5-6k R53, I am confident that I can recoup most if not all of my money in a years time.
H_Kan said:
The plan had been to get a e46 330ci however due to the recent insurance rises, the cost of this has risen to nearly £1500, which I consider excessive for 1 years cover on something that isn't exactly exotic.
I have found that the mk2 MX5 and e36 328i are more reasonable on insurance, however I've done the MX5 thing already and think the e36 may be getting on a little bit and I'll need the car to get to work everyday, so have doubts over reliability.
The Cooper S however looks an attractive buy at around £5-6k for an earlier model with reasonable mileage and spec and comes in at £1k for insurance. The question is, how well does it compare in terms of driving enjoyment and performance in relation to the likes of the 330ci?
Please note that this isn't a what car thread, I've looked at the insurance for a wide range of cars and the ones mentioned above are the few which attract me and are reasonable to insure.
I'mm a big R53 CS fan. Head over to www.minitorque.com for more info.I have found that the mk2 MX5 and e36 328i are more reasonable on insurance, however I've done the MX5 thing already and think the e36 may be getting on a little bit and I'll need the car to get to work everyday, so have doubts over reliability.
The Cooper S however looks an attractive buy at around £5-6k for an earlier model with reasonable mileage and spec and comes in at £1k for insurance. The question is, how well does it compare in terms of driving enjoyment and performance in relation to the likes of the 330ci?
Please note that this isn't a what car thread, I've looked at the insurance for a wide range of cars and the ones mentioned above are the few which attract me and are reasonable to insure.
In short they are great, look fab and have loads of character. Good residuals too. It's FWD, so will never be the same as rwd, but it is still small and fairly light in todays market and the 1.6 while thirsty can certainly make some respectable HP too.
I loved mine when I had it.Great fun and better in a lot of ways to the Cayman that I replaced it with.
Plenty fast enough for normal roads and great to look at.
I never had a problem with the hard ride and it was probably the car I could throw about with the most confidence.
On the downside; thirsty, realistically only room for 2 adults and kids without legs if you are above about 5'10", tiny boot, front end scrabbles for grip in the wet.
Would have another in a flash.
Plenty fast enough for normal roads and great to look at.
I never had a problem with the hard ride and it was probably the car I could throw about with the most confidence.
On the downside; thirsty, realistically only room for 2 adults and kids without legs if you are above about 5'10", tiny boot, front end scrabbles for grip in the wet.
Would have another in a flash.
Great little car, I'd say as a mini it punches over it's weight. Other half has a grey r53 cooper s with aero kit and every option from the list.
Put it on a twisty road and it will keep up with the typical ep3's etc. I imagine it would make mince meat of a 330 on a very twisty road, however on a longer straighter A road the 330's power will take over. However I don't think at any point a 330 would embarrass the r53. (maybe beyond 100mph)
I have to admit though, take the r53 to a b road and give it some stick and it's a ball, it makes a lovely sound standard. The supercharger sounds much better than the newer turbo'd r56.
There are bad points mind, it's common as muck (well so are the 3series really), it's extremely stiff and the standard run flat tyres make the ride pretty awful, so it's not suited to long journeys.
Put it on a twisty road and it will keep up with the typical ep3's etc. I imagine it would make mince meat of a 330 on a very twisty road, however on a longer straighter A road the 330's power will take over. However I don't think at any point a 330 would embarrass the r53. (maybe beyond 100mph)
I have to admit though, take the r53 to a b road and give it some stick and it's a ball, it makes a lovely sound standard. The supercharger sounds much better than the newer turbo'd r56.
There are bad points mind, it's common as muck (well so are the 3series really), it's extremely stiff and the standard run flat tyres make the ride pretty awful, so it's not suited to long journeys.
There's an awful lot of bulls
t in this thread.
Torquesteer, nope even with 240bhp if It does, its out of alignment.
Ride quality, depending on the suspension option it varies massively, the sport suspension though is very good people just complain it's hard, IMHO it's suited to the car and drover focused
Light steering, dont be silly it's gives loads of feedback
The R56 isn't better, it's nowhere near as fun to drive, it feels cheaper inside and it's nothing like as attracts ad thy made the bumper higher, chopped the roof and made the plastics bigger in an effort to make it look small and they failed.
Things to look for, go for a facelift model ~53 plate, as you get a Teflon coated s/c good for 7bhp more, a shorter ratio gearbox, and a few other things.
Look for a chilli pack as they're essential, also look for an LSD as they make them a monster in the corners.
Check my profile for how to do one properly.
Then if you do buy one use 1320 autos to service it, they run the minis in time attack and are genuinely passionate, mines there now having a new clutch fitted.
ETA. Ditch the runflats as well, the suspension wasn't designed for them and in standing water on the motorway they are truly dangerous, they just float and swap ends.
A set of pirelli pzero asimmetricos suit them perfectly, ~28psi all round is a good starting point.
t in this thread.Torquesteer, nope even with 240bhp if It does, its out of alignment.
Ride quality, depending on the suspension option it varies massively, the sport suspension though is very good people just complain it's hard, IMHO it's suited to the car and drover focused
Light steering, dont be silly it's gives loads of feedback
The R56 isn't better, it's nowhere near as fun to drive, it feels cheaper inside and it's nothing like as attracts ad thy made the bumper higher, chopped the roof and made the plastics bigger in an effort to make it look small and they failed.
Things to look for, go for a facelift model ~53 plate, as you get a Teflon coated s/c good for 7bhp more, a shorter ratio gearbox, and a few other things.
Look for a chilli pack as they're essential, also look for an LSD as they make them a monster in the corners.
Check my profile for how to do one properly.
Then if you do buy one use 1320 autos to service it, they run the minis in time attack and are genuinely passionate, mines there now having a new clutch fitted.
ETA. Ditch the runflats as well, the suspension wasn't designed for them and in standing water on the motorway they are truly dangerous, they just float and swap ends.
A set of pirelli pzero asimmetricos suit them perfectly, ~28psi all round is a good starting point.
Edited by Silent1 on Wednesday 3rd November 23:17
I've had a few relatively pokey cars and until sept had a turbo charged cooper s, it was undoubtedly a fair bit quicker than the r53 supercharged version in a straight line, however overall the r53 is a bloody brilliant car to drive, especially if you have the LSD like ours, a proper go kart!
Speed wise, our 175bhp facelift model is exactly the same in terms of outright pace as an R32 mk4 Golf.
Speed wise, our 175bhp facelift model is exactly the same in terms of outright pace as an R32 mk4 Golf.
Silent1 said:
Light steering, dont be silly it's gives loads of feedback
Things to look for, go for a facelift model ~53 plate, as you get a Teflon coated s/c good for 7bhp more, a shorter ratio gearbox, and a few other things.
Look for a chilli pack as they're essential, also look for an LSD as they make them a monster in the corners.
I've got to agree with you, never found the steering that light on ours - a 55 plate.Things to look for, go for a facelift model ~53 plate, as you get a Teflon coated s/c good for 7bhp more, a shorter ratio gearbox, and a few other things.
Look for a chilli pack as they're essential, also look for an LSD as they make them a monster in the corners.
Also agree about the LSD - test drove one with and one without and had to order one ...especially as it was only £100 option.
Compared to an E46 330 and E36 328i I'd say it is quite thirsty though.....and the wing mirrors seem a bit flimsy compared to the rest of the car
300bhp/ton said:
I'mm a big R53 CS fan. Head over to www.minitorque.com for more info.
In short they are great, look fab and have loads of character. Good residuals too. It's FWD, so will never be the same as rwd, but it is still small and fairly light in todays market and the 1.6 while thirsty can certainly make some respectable HP too.
Thanks 300, I had a look on that site from the link you posted on my other thread. Seems like a mine of information, however I always like to gather opinion on multi-marque sites like PH as you don't just get opinions from fans.In short they are great, look fab and have loads of character. Good residuals too. It's FWD, so will never be the same as rwd, but it is still small and fairly light in todays market and the 1.6 while thirsty can certainly make some respectable HP too.
Re the Civic Type R, I do like them however they are pretty much the same to insure as the 330, in which case I may as well go for the Beemer I originally wanted.
Thanks for all the opinions everybody, really tempted with one now!
I went from a Type R to my (tuned) Cooper S & was glad I made the change, instant supercharged power, no more revving the life out of the engine, great handling & bags of character. With a few engine & handling mods these little cars can worry quite a few of the 'established' big boys.
Going back to 1320MINI on friday with a mate whose car is getting it's final tune on the dyno, should be good for around 260+ bhp
.
Going back to 1320MINI on friday with a mate whose car is getting it's final tune on the dyno, should be good for around 260+ bhp
.
Sorry, Silent, but no way is an R53 interior better quality. Plastics are much nicer in the R56. As for being 'nowhere near as much fun', again, I disagree. An R56 on 16" non-sports non-runflats is excellent and IMO the turbo engine is superior to the supercharged unit, which feels old-fashioned.
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