http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/ Autoblog Comments for http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
For the same money, give me a mazdapseed3 or GTI and I'd be happy as a clam.]]>Oct 18th 2007 12:36PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
Mazdaspeed3 is pbscenely loud, twitchy, doesn't have free service, doesn't have good resale and it's really long and heavy.

GTI is a bit of fun. Very polished but again, expensive maintenance and numb handling/steering mean it's not that much fun. The excessice weight and soft springs make it a nice car but more of a freeway cruiser than a corner-chewing menace. Low resale also hurts my view and it's a VW so I'm leary. Finally we already own a Mrk 5 in the A3 and I won't have two cars with the same platform. i like variety.

Back to back, the MS3 will take out a mini. The mini will munch on a GTI easily. For me it's about fun per mile, having something that can be somewhat adult (the MS3 is hopelessly orange county, like the Civic si) and something I can sell in 2009 for near what I paid. The Cooper gives me all of that - low cost to own, high resale, lots of fun. A good car before we start a family and I'm, stuck going back to a barge like a 335i. ]]>Oct 18th 2007 1:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
Just because Ford owns 33% of the company doesn't mean it falls in the same category as the outgoing Focus, ugh.

Besides, the Mini is a premium subcompact while the other two are compacts. The Mazdaspeed trashes both hatches hands down and is the most pleasing/fun to drive 'economy car' (depends where you live, I guess) you can get at the present moment. And need I mention the typical Brit/Bimmer mechanical components... At least the 3 isn't expensive to maintain. ]]>Oct 18th 2007 2:23PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
But the Mazdaspeed3 just isn't my kind of car. It's too long, jittery and edgy to be satisfying as a day to day driver. The FWD layout mixed with that engine part of my issue. Had they gone with a rWD-biased setup I'd be in total love with the 3. Sadly it didn't turn out that way.

FWIW, Coopers come with built-in "free' maintenance, just like BMWs. I count on selling my Cooper S within the next 18s and I expect I will lose at most 25% of its value. No other car can offer this much fun, such low operating costs and such low depreciation in such a short time span. My BMWs sure didn't and neither have my Mazdas.]]>Oct 18th 2007 4:49PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
Don't know why people bring up the center speedo - it's a decoration for passengers. It has no function for drivers as everything you need is on the tach pod.

Press the S button at start up and away you go...grin plastered on your face.]]>Oct 18th 2007 1:04PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
Ok update... I just priced it out, and Mini is putting everything in packages so it is hard to pull of the things that you do not want. Auto rain wipers is nice but not worth a few hundred bucks.. So a decent Mini S with all the performance stuff is 27k before the cooper works pckg. getting a little up there...

But lets put this whole car in context, a non S with a few options is pretty cheap under 24k easy. What else gives you that nice of a car that is fun to drive, with really good gas millage, and a 4 years of free maintainance? And awesome resale value?]]>Oct 18th 2007 2:03PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/Oct 18th 2007 3:20PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/Oct 18th 2007 6:54PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/Oct 18th 2007 2:30PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
I would have a mini in a heartbeat if I was one of the following married or a little shorter. While I fit in a mini I am 6'4 and look a little silly getting out of it. I have many many times almost purchased one as it is so stupid fun to drive.]]>Oct 18th 2007 5:15PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
So make sure to add all the service costs for 3 years onto the sticker price of whatever other cars you compare.]]>Oct 18th 2007 3:28PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
Yeah the front end looks weird. Why would they be lazy about the now non-functional hood scoop? Can't they just smooth it out a la the Cooper? I like the superchargher noise.

Also moved are the mirror controls to the doors. I like the 1-switch + toggle under the handbrake.

So much of the MINI has changed, and it doesn't seem to be for the better, IMO. ]]>Oct 18th 2007 3:35PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/Oct 18th 2007 6:34PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
I guess the mirror control is on my dash. I never move my mirrors, so that's a feature I can't recall.

My nitpicks:

1. Auto down windows are slow as hell and they're not auto-up. Not a big deal, save for the fact the window controls can't be easily reached in 1st, 3rd or...well I never touch 5th.

2. Pizza plate speedo is always off by 5-8 mph.

3. No real gas gauge. The light-brite gas thing has no relation to the world.

4. Frameless door glass...BMW's stupid slide-up/slide-down windows suck.

5. Don't crack the windows when it rains...you'll get drenched as there's no run off built into the roof.

6. Keyfob and start. Really unless you have comfort access, the new key's retarded.

7. Trunk release only works directly behind the car. Press the trunk release from within the car and the Mini will not release the trunk.

8. FWD - goes without saying FWD sucks butt. I love my Mini but living with FWD is hell.

9. No door detents...the doors open to fully open or fully closed. They do not stop and swing back easily. My shins can prove it.

10. HVAC blows hot air all the time UNLESS I put on AC. Mini claims this is normal. My 2006 e90 did the same thing, so maybe BMW/Mini engineers are retarded and can't figure out how to pipe in cool air without AC.

11. No ability to keep the car permanently in S-mode. Non-S mode the engine response is slow and the steering is video-game loose.

12. RFTs = suck. Had the same issue with my BMW. I'll replace them when they're worn out.

13. No temp gauge? e90s have the same issue. Weird.

14. Mushy brakes. The car's brakes are soft compared to my BMWs and my Protege ES.

15. Soft suspension. Even with the sport package and sport suspension the car's too loose/rolly-polly in corners. It's not like a GTI but it's still too soft.]]>Oct 18th 2007 6:46PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
Sounds like you may be from sunny California. How many thousands of $ in a premium charge did you have to cough up above and beyond MSRP to get your 07 Cooper S?]]>Oct 18th 2007 3:53PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/Oct 18th 2007 5:23PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
I chose an R53 JCW and havent looked back, except at the R56s in my rear view.(j/k, i know they are much faster than stock R53, so no need to get bitter)]]>Oct 18th 2007 6:52PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/Oct 18th 2007 8:33PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
But I wanted to comment on the whining about trunk space. Thank you, Autoblog, for perpetuating the myth that Minis can't carry more than a 7-11 bag.

Just flip the backseats down, and you've got a cavern back there. I regularly take ours to Costco, Petsmart, etc. Hell, we crammed four antique dining chairs into it last year fall.]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:17AMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/18/in-the-autoblog-garage-2007-mini-cooper-s/
Oh, and the STOCK R56S eats the 1st gen JCW's for breakfast! The added torque from the turbop makes for a dominant car on the track an on the autocross course. Take it up a notch with the JCW kit and there's nothing better for the twisties. Per Mike Cooper himself the new R56 JCW is "the fastest JCW MINI ever produced" and that's including the JCW GP.
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