[davyk31]

Anyone tried one of these? Kinda tempted to get one for the wife. Tempting with the cooper s looks and decent economy. They are not cheap but residuals look very promising.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by davyk31

Anyone tried one of these? Kinda tempted to get one for the wife. Tempting with the cooper s looks and decent economy. They are not cheap but residuals look very promising.

Can't temp you can I?



http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/3?logcode=p

[xenon]

Bloody hell, the missus is as bad as you!

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by xenon

Bloody hell, the missus is as bad as you!

[xenon]

Smart looking motor though.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by xenon

Smart looking motor though.

It is a nice thing,lots of extras to.

[Vaheed1]

why not just got for the petrol? It returns 38-40mpg on a economic rub - Petrol's cheaper than Diesel and if it's just a little run around - it'll take a while to justify buying the SD over the S.

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by Vaheed1

why not just got for the petrol? It returns 38-40mpg on a economic rub - Petrol's cheaper than Diesel and if it's just a little run around - it'll take a while to justify buying the SD over the S.

I have to agree. The SD doesn't really make sense to me. Mini One D = yes.

[Gibbo]

Agreed, go petrol my previous S and current JCW both do 38mpg with cheap tax.

[rich1068]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

Mini One D = yes.

With you on that. I got one as a courtesy car for a couple of days. I even had a play spec'ing one up on the Mini site. That's usually a good indication.

Mini site is a dog's breakfast of Flash overkill btw.

[davyk31]

There is no way a petrol S would give us that sort of economy. We had loan of a Mini 1 Petrol recently which averaged 34mpg on the week we had it, that kinda convinced me to go down the diesel route. Petrol Cooper S also seem to be very slow sellers looking at my dealers stock over the last few months.

[briers]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

Can't temp you can I?



http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/3?logcode=p

Bloody hell you only bought that 3 months ago

Nice interior for a girl!

[Vaheed1]

Originally Posted by davyk31

There is no way a petrol S would give us that sort of economy. We had loan of a Mini 1 Petrol recently which averaged 34mpg on the week we had it, that kinda convinced me to go down the diesel route. Petrol Cooper S also seem to be very slow sellers looking at my dealers stock over the last few months.

The current Petrol S is allot more economical with it being Turbocharged. The previous S'charged version loved a drink from the old pump. The mini one has to be driven hard for any sort of performance - it's devoid of any torque. The Cooper S you don't have to work as hard and will return you a better economy.

[mjh93sa]

As posted some time ago, one of the family have changed their 118d for a Mini Countryman Cooper SD. During the process of choosing it we tried a variety of Mini variants, Cooper D, Cooper S and the SD.

The Cooper SD sits in a slightly odd place in the range. It doesn't have quite the performance of a petrol S and neither does it have the economy of the D. The question is therefore if it is the perfect balance between the two, and to be honest I'm not sure.

If economy is your thing then the Cooper D is hard to ignore, but it really is more suited to the urban environment than the open road. It pulls well enough off the line, but runs out of steam at any speed or revs. The Cooper S is much punchier by contrast, pulling well at higher revs and speeds. It's also impressive at low revs and will happily pull from almost nothing. Economy certainly didn't seem bad either, seeing 38mpg posted on a pretty mixed set of driving whilst testing one. Of course being a petrol it's also noticeably more refined, smoother, quieter and with a pleasing engine note when pushing on.

So, what of the SD? Well, in real world driving the torque of the diesel puts it right up there with the petrol S, but I guess it would lose out in a drag race. Economy wise four up with a boot full still saw mpg in the mid 40s. Refinement is not as good as the BMW installations of the engine with somewhat more diesel clatter at times, but still well within acceptable bounds. On paper it seems to be the perfect balance, and certainly for diesel lovers it is. But personally I'd be seriously tempted by a Cooper S (or JCW). The economy isn't that much worse, and the fun factor would be that much more.

In the end it comes down to economics and the type of car you want. As a town car for the mpg minded the Cooper D ticks the boxes. For fun the Cooper S (or JCW) will put a smile on your face. But, if you are going to do enough miles to offset the initial cost, or really want a diesel, but without the out of town compromises of the Cooper D then the Cooper SD is the one to go for.

Whatever, it's a damned good excuse to test them all first as the Mini can be quite a fun car to drive

[peterg1965]

Have to say, having had two Mini Cooper Autos (wife's car), I am beginning to think there are better alternatives out there. Wife loves it, and it is probably fine for her needs commuting to work. However, it is virtually useless as a car to drive around with more than two adults. The back seats have virtually no leg room and the boot space is very small. It is not very economical either, she gets around 35mpg in her use, but she does drive it like a go cart. It will be very difficult to persuade her to change models, but after 3.5 years of Mini ownership I may try and entice her away from it. They certainly don't hold their value like they once did either. She hates the look of the Clubman and Countryman so they are a non starter.

With daughter about to start University and probably not needing her own car now, I was thinking maybe of selling her Fiesta and the Wife's Mini and getting an Audi A1 1.4 TFSi Sport S Tronic for both of them to share. Much cheaper than a similarly specced Cooper, better economy, cheaper tax .bigger inside and a fresher look.

[davyk31]

Thanks for all the replies and detailed posts comparing the models

Is the engine in the SD not quite a bit more refined than the Cooper D? Having said that I thought I read somewhere that the later cooper d now also used a BMW engine.

Audi A1 is another consideration but not sure it holds the same appeal as a mini. Also know what someone said about boring of a mini, we had a cooper for three years and then a supercharged S for two and then kinda wanted out of minis but now tempted again.

[davyk31]

I have seen a petrol Cooper S advertised that seems decent value. Its a 2010 car with 10k miles for £13950 less negotiation of course. To the Mini experts does this seem decent, must have been somewhere over 20k new as it has Chilli pack. Its pre the late 2010 facelift but not sure very much changed.

Would like a car with the JCW body kit, any ideas what the cost is to add this and has anyone seen a Cooper S with just the side skirts added rather than the full kit, how would that look?

[mjh93sa]

Originally Posted by davyk31

Thanks for all the replies and detailed posts comparing the models

Is the engine in the SD not quite a bit more refined than the Cooper D? Having said that I thought I read somewhere that the later cooper d now also used a BMW engine.

Audi A1 is another consideration but not sure it holds the same appeal as a mini. Also know what someone said about boring of a mini, we had a cooper for three years and then a supercharged S for two and then kinda wanted out of minis but now tempted again.

Refinement wise they are probably about the same. The power is however totally different. Get down the dealer and try them, you know you want to!

[davyk31]

If I go down the dealer that could start a slippery slope .................

[mjh93sa]

..... to a JCW.