Crown

RC:

reginos:

MINI has become MINI MIDI now. Soon we'll see a MINI MAXI limousine

Have you seen the new 4-door Mini Clubman? This already is a Mini Maxi.  I never liked the old Clubman and yes, the new one looks much better but the size of this thing is just... 

I´m thinking of buying this one for my wife. The Clubman Cooper S well equipped costs 40K eur, with this amount you can buy a 2011 BMW 535D Touring with M kit!!! Decisions decisions!

J.Seven

Sorry for kind of hijacking your thread but I really have to get a Mini tomorrow... 

My dealer also has the new Mini Clubman 4-door and I have to say it is a very interesting product to say at least. Not my cup of tea (or my wife's) but I think the new Clubman looks really good. The old one...not so much.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

RC:

Sorry for kind of hijacking your thread but I really have to get a Mini tomorrow... 

My dealer also has the new Mini Clubman 4-door and I have to say it is a very interesting product to say at least. Not my cup of tea (or my wife's) but I think the new Clubman looks really good. The old one...not so much.

You didn´t hijack anything , it´s all about Mini and the pics you post are great, loved that JCW interior, if I get the Clubman Cooper I may opt for an interior like that. Have fun with Mam´s car 

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J.Seven

Glad to heard that, thanks.  

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

RC:

sfo:

seems like MINI is growing up and maturing 

Indeed but some fans may not like it. I have mixed feelings about it. Of course I would like a lighter Mini, the 231 hp of the Cooper S JCW sound like a lot of power for such a small car but in reality, the Mini isn't that small anymore and weight is almost 1.3 tons. On the other hand, the new quality and "maturity" level of the Mini cannot be ignored. My first Mini looked and felt quite "cheap" in the interior.

That is exactly the intention BMW has with the Mini brand right now, that´s what they told me on their booth at the Frankfurt Autoshow.

There is hardly any car in MINI´s current lineup I find really tempting. My girlfriend drives a 2nd-gen 3-door Mini and, for its power and price segment, this car is so entertaining. Now she wants to get a Countryman but the two times I drove the car it was quite boring and generic. Could´ve been anything else... a Toyota or Kia. Will check it out again tomorrow, hence my question about the deal.

The new Mini is a great product. We have the two last Cooper S model (last generation latest car and new generation) and it is amazing how different they are from each other. The new one is more a BMW, refined, confortable, smooth engine, low consumption (yes, less that the previous 1.6 lire engine).

The three driving modes transform the car: Sport mode is fun, and Green mode enables very low consumption and fun...

Haven't driven the 3 cylinder Cooper, but I wouldn't give up the smooth and strong 2.0 four. Ours are manual cars and are a joy to drive.

1992 964 Carrera 2 - 2014 Mercedes A45 AMG - 2013 Mini Cooper S

Took the plunge and signed the lease today...Mini JCW. 

Getting the car next Tuesday.

Car is fully loaded with options, incl. head-up display, navigation system, DAB radio, Harman Kardon sound system, rear view camera and so on... Sales person wasn't too happy because he just got the car and was using it for himself but he wanted to make the deal, so I'm happy now. Car was registered Oct. 8th and has merely 400 km on it.

Here are some photos of the actual car:

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

I lke it! 

There is no try. Just do.

Congratulations RC! This whole thing is typical you: sensible choice versus the more powerful/expensive choice... And the outcome is always the latter. When in doubt, fork more over. 

Many safe miles ahead to you and your mother.

rulesdontapply

2008 Porsche Boxster S PDE2
2012 Porsche Cayenne S [gone but never forgotten]

rulesdontapply:

Congratulations RC! This whole thing is typical you: sensible choice versus the more powerful/expensive choice... And the outcome is always the latter. When in doubt, fork more over. 

Many safe miles ahead to you and your mother.

rulesdontapply

Thank you.  I really wanted the Mini One at first but my wife and my daughter kind of buttered me up. They were right though, since I have to drive this car from time to time too, I wouldn't have been happy with my choice for the Mini One. Now I may actually end up driving this little thing more often than I thought I would, let's see how much fun (or not) it is. Got bored fast of all Minis in the past, incl. the Cooper S and the Cooper S Countryman 4all but maybe this time it is going to be different. The interior quality is really top notch for such a small car and 0-100 kph in 6.1 seconds doesn't sound bad either. Unfortunately I will pick up the car with winter tires (Dunlop SP Winter 4D), so the real fun will only happen once spring comes (again).

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

Mikla:

The new Mini is a great product. We have the two last Cooper S model (last generation latest car and new generation) and it is amazing how different they are from each other. The new one is more a BMW, refined, confortable, smooth engine, low consumption (yes, less that the previous 1.6 lire engine).

The three driving modes transform the car: Sport mode is fun, and Green mode enables very low consumption and fun...

Haven't driven the 3 cylinder Cooper, but I wouldn't give up the smooth and strong 2.0 four. Ours are manual cars and are a joy to drive.

Congrats RC, you´re mother must have a cool spirit to ride in such sports car 

I made a test drive in a Cooper D and was amazed by overall quality and feeling of this car, seemed I was driving a car from an above category. I like vey much the interor (if speced right) and exterior is clearly the best looking on its class.

J.Seven

J.Seven:

Congrats RC, you´re mother must have a cool spirit to ride in such sports car 

I made a test drive in a Cooper D and was amazed by overall quality and feeling of this car, seemed I was driving a car from an above category. I like vey much the interor (if speced right) and exterior is clearly the best looking on its class.

Thanks but my mother couldn't care less what she drives (honestly). She would have been perfectly happy with the Mini One but since she isn't the only one driving the car...  
Why should I lie, I "fell" for the Mini JCW. 

I was also looking at a Fiat 500 Abarth, Opel Adam, VW Golf and even the new Smart as well but quality-wise, nothing beats the new Mini. The new Smart was surprisingly expensive to lease (didn't expect that) but I found a nice Golf with automatic transmission for 200 EUR a month without any initial payment. This was actually my favorite car before I went over to our Mini dealer to look at the Minis there. 

Also, the BMW (and Mini) dealer was also very fair when he took back my wife's leased X3 35d, no problems, despite the fact that they knew I wouldn't lease a new BMW, so I kind of wanted to reward them for the very fair and problem-free return of that car.

I know that people have bad experiences with leases but so far, my BMW/Mini and Porsche dealers have been amazing and trouble-free, never had issues with returning the cars and yes, there were signs of usage, like small dents, scratches and whatnot. No problem at all.

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RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

intouch1:

friend of mine has a paceman which is quite nice

+1, I like the Paceman.

Nice car, many congrats. You mum will love it.

I still think the front bumper of the S is a bit too much and I didn't get used to the new rear lights yet, but in your colour scheme the car is really nice and the interior looks great as well.

--

We're at the point where you can be the fastest or just sound like you're the fastest.



The secret of life is to admire without desiring.

Congrats and enjoy it!

1992 964 Carrera 2 - 2014 Mercedes A45 AMG - 2013 Mini Cooper S

nice

Enmanuel:

intouch1:

friend of mine has a paceman which is quite nice

+1, I like the Paceman.

I drove the Countryman Cooper S quite a bit and didn't like it at all. Feels slow and big compared to the smaller Mini.

2012 Cayenne S White/Espresso 

Ex: 993 Targa, 986S, 986 and 964 C2

Rossi:

Nice car, many congrats. You mum will love it.

Thank you but I don't think my mother cares much. She actually started to like Porsche a lot but letting her drive my wife's Macan Turbo, where a single rim costs almost 3k EUR, wouldn't have been a good idea.  My mother drove Minis before, so it should be easy to adapt but at her age (81), easy sometimes means something different. 

I still think the front bumper of the S is a bit too much and I didn't get used to the new rear lights yet, but in your colour scheme the car is really nice and the interior looks great as well.

I agree, the front bumper of the JCW (or S with JCW package) looks a little bit too much but overall, it makes the car looks a bit bulkier and kind of on steroids. Look at this Mini One, without this bumper, it just looks boring and strange:

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

993Targa:

Enmanuel:

intouch1:

friend of mine has a paceman which is quite nice

+1, I like the Paceman.

I drove the Countryman Cooper S quite a bit and didn't like it at all. Feels slow and big compared to the smaller Mini.

I haven't driven the newer mini or the paceman yet, so I couldn't judge that, the paceman I'm just going off looks. 

Congrats ! Drove a Cooper S in Hong Kong when I lived there and loved it !

 Had one as a loaner last week and can't believe grown men would buy a car with such an interior. 

The gigantic round center screen is a joke. Even my fiancee started laughing every time she drove along. Not a fan. (my first car was a 1969 Mini Cooper S, now that was a classy and fun car.)

The interior is actually surprisingly good, the quality has improved substantially (over the past Mini generations, I had the first Mini Cooper S, also a Mini Countryman Cooper S All4) and the navigation system is basically the BMW navigation system. The haptic and the materials used are of very good quality for such a small car, very close to newer BMWs. Yes, the round center thingie is a bit too much, it could be smaller but it is a design decision and it doesn't really bother me. The interior is quite big in the front, acceptable in the rear (my daughter was sitting half an hour in the rear yesterday and said it was quite comfortable, however the backseats were slightly inclined to the back, reducing some of the luggage room).

The engine, throttle response and gearbox (Steptronic) are amazingly good and well adapted for such a small car. If you switch the gearbox into Sport mode as well, the shifts are extremely fast and almost perfect. 

Fuel consumption so far has been around 11 l / 100 km in the city, which isn't fantastic but also not that bad. Due to the good torque and the very good throttle reaction (in Sport mode), you don't need to really fully accelerate this car. Just press down the throttle a little bit and you get all the acceleration you need for city driving. The fuel tank is a bit small (44 l I think...) but range seems to be around 370 km (according to onboard computer), so this is acceptable.

The steering is direct but, compared to my 991 C4 GTS Cab, a bit detached. It is difficult to explain but Porsche certainly mastered the steering feel. With my 991 GTS, I actually have the feeling that my steering is directly connected to the road surface. On the Mini JCW, the steering is direct but the road surface feel is a bit detached, it is difficult to explain.

Traction seems to be OK, I already have winter tires on the car and they need to be run in but so far, no traction issues (although I didn't push it hard yet).

Luggage room is quite small but still enough for two cases of beer, maybe three.  Not really a car you want to drive with your family in for a family vacation.

The chassis is stiff but acceptable. However, it feels stiffer than the 991 GTS chassis with PDCC, so it may not be as comfortable as many may hope for. From a sportiness point of view, the new JCW is not even close to the "old" Mini GP but the chassis gets the job done, the car still provides the driver with a go-kart like drive feel in curves, only the steering could give a little bit more (road) feedback, even if it is direct (it is kind of weird, it feels direct but as if there is something between the steering and the road surface). I guess Mini had to find an acceptable setup, so drivers are not too much annoyed about feeling too much "going on" in the steering. In the end, the Mini is front-wheel drive and with 231 hp, the power will be felt at the steering wheel at some point.

So yes, the Mini JCW is a nice little car but for the same money, I could get an Audi S3, which is much faster in any speed range. Still not regretting my decision.

Here is a photo of the car after pickup (with winter wheels...oh boy do I hate silver rims ):

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

Eight air intakes in the front - Jesus, who at BMW is to blame for signing this off as visually appealing? One of the fussiest designs I've seen that totally detracts from the iconic shape of the Mini.

rulesdontapply

2008 Porsche Boxster S PDE2
2012 Porsche Cayenne S [gone but never forgotten]

rulesdontapply:

Eight air intakes in the front - Jesus, who at BMW is to blame for signing this off as visually appealing? One of the fussiest designs I've seen that totally detracts from the iconic shape of the Mini.

rulesdontapply

It looks much better in reality and, believe it or not, there are coolers everywhere (with one exception, one left air inlet).

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

For those with access to BBC iPlayer on-demand TV who haven't seen the first part which played last night, there's an excellent show for auto geeks available for the next 29 days. "Building Cars Live" is a 2-part show transmitted live from the Mini production plant near Oxford, the second part going out tonight. James May of Top Gear is one of the presenters. Another, Kate Humble, did some spots in "the old style" Top Gear about 15 years ago.

fritz

fritz:

For those with access to BBC iPlayer on-demand TV who haven't seen the first part which played last night, there's an excellent show for auto geeks available for the next 29 days. "Building Cars Live" is a 2-part show transmitted live from the Mini production plant near Oxford, the second part going out tonight. James May of Top Gear is one of the presenters. Another, Kate Humble, did some spots in "the old style" Top Gear about 15 years ago.

Sounds great, thanks for the hint. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

Congrats but why not getting the S3 or even an 125i M sport 5d? Much better cars than the Mini I think...

wantone:

Congrats but why not getting the S3 or even an 125i M sport 5d? Much better cars than the Mini I think...

Mother...this car is supposed to be her car but of course I was a little bit egoistic here and chose the JCW instead of the One.   

Also, the Mini dealer is just around the corner and I know him well, his lease offer was quite interesting and since this was a two weeks old demo car with only 470 km on it, it "lost" 6k EUR instantly in value, so I could get it at the cost of a new Cooper S. Long story short: It had to be a Mini (my mother drove a couple of Minis before, she is 81 and doesn't adapt easily anymore) and when I first saw a basic Mini One, I almost threw up  but the JCW is really nice and the interior is now top notch (was much worse in the past).

Last but not least, my daughter is getting her driver's license in two years and she always wanted a Mini, so if my mother will be too old to drive this car anymore in two years, my daughter would have a car. Also, next year, my daughter can drive the Mini herself with me in the car on a closed track (driver training), so another reason for the Mini.

300 EUR per month, incl. a full coverage insurance, 6.5k EUR initial payment, 36 months, 10k km per year and I can buy the car for 22k EUR after the three years lease (if I want to). Also had to pay 1450 EUR for winter wheels with Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D. Overall, not an expensive choice and the car drives and feels pretty good. 

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)

RC, congratulations! I see that you still drive your mother's car

Since you mentioned your daughter getting her driving license, could a learner or novice driver get insurance cover (even as an additional driver on someone else's Policy) for a JCW? It might not be a Lamborghini but this car is still pretty powerful for its weight.

--

"Form follows function"

reginos:

RC, congratulations! I see that you still drive your mother's car

Since you mentioned your daughter getting her driving license, could a learner or novice driver get insurance cover (even as an additional driver on someone else's Policy) for a JCW? It might not be a Lamborghini but this car is still pretty powerful for its weight.

Thats the beauty of the Mini Smile Insurance: They do not care who is driving the car (anyone can drive it, the cost is 50 EUR per month for the JCW). I would never trust my son with such a car but my daughter is a very cautious person. Also, I will introduce her to the car next year (from age 16 on, she can drive with me in the passenger seat on a driver ed track), so there won't be any surprises for her. Only downside: The Steptronic. My daughter wants to take the driver license with a stick, so she has all options open later on. I may have to let her drive my Shelby...  (not really). I will ask my Mini dealer to provide a car with manual for a weekend or two, so she can learn manual as well.

RC (Germany) - Rennteam Editor Porsche 991 Carrera 4 GTS Cabriolet, Porsche Macan Turbo, Ford Mustang GT500 Shelby SVT (2014), Mini JCW (2015), Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT (2014)