Test Drive - The verdict

[The Dogfather]

Well I took my first drive of a R56 Cooper and Cooper S.

First the Cooper build quality of the car was excellent and the ride is much smoother. However, the steering though wasn't as direct as my old mini and the engine sounded a bit rough.

The S didn't sound right and in fact it had a hint of diesel about it from the outside, inside it sounded better but it seemed a bit too quiet, no burble.

The Cooper seemed slow but the S actually felt quicker than the Brabus (it isn't though :evil:). The steering on the S with the sport button pressed was a big improvement over the Cooper.

The S was a clear winner between the two cars as it should be. Will I be ordering one:question:

In a word no, to get the car spec'd up to a similar level to the Brabus it would cost nearly £21k. I think a better investment would be to search out a low mileage supercharged S and get it works'd.

[illegalhunter]

go on get the r56 you no you want 2

[james f]

GP lot of car for money now 20k for one thats been run in

[KenL]

Were they low mileage cars? The dieselly engine note should smooth out over time.

Sport button is now an option on the Cooper. I don't find the steering disconnected at all on the Cooper, ssems pretty direct to me. It is better than that totally annoying whine on my 2002 ONE!

Cooper is not what I would call slow. Obviously not as fast as an S but perfectly adequate for most (all?) situations.


What's the steering like on the Smart, also what is the handling like?

[KenL]

One other thing to consider with a car is depreciation. Compare the Brabus with a Cooper & S (according to What Car that is). A sensibly specced MINI is still a good choice.

New 1 year 2yr 3yr 4yr
Mini Cooper Hatchback 1.6 3dr 12,995 11,815 9,630 8,271 7,005
Mini Cooper Hatchback 1.6T S3dr 15,995 14,182 11,568 9,937 8,417
Smart Forfour Hatchback 1.5 Brabus 5dr 17,195 9,874 7,922 6,605 5,367

[sh@z]

Damn, thats a big hit for 1st year depreciation!

[The Dogfather]

It is a bit hit, thats why I bought the Smart a year old. When you look at what I paid, the Smarts spec and performance and my intention to run it into the ground, the 11k for 6-8 years motoring isn't bad. Plus given how rare the car is it might even become a collectors item . You won't find a 1 year old car with better performance and spec for the money.............

The handling on the Smart is as good as my old Cooper, it has the same heavy feel with plenty of feedback as well. At the limit the back isn't as likely to step out as the old MINI thanks to the big tyres not that thats a bad thing, a bit of opposite lock was always fun if you knew it was coming. The new S was just as tactile as the old MINI.

£21k for decently spec'd MINI is a lot of money, especially when you look at the MINI competition; a basic S at 16k isn't so bad but I suspect that the what car 1 year figures aren't for the basic S though. I think there's a lot of kit on the options list that should have been standard that's all.

BTW, I'm not so sure I'd be happy with the assurance that the engine note will smooth out - are you?

Myself, I'll wait a year or two before changing the Audi, by then there should be a few nearly new cars around. Often you can pick up one with a great spec for not that much more than a basic car usually they've been owned by SC

[KenL]

Sounds a good buy Vidal.

I have no concerns over my engine, the engine is very smooth with only 800 miles on it. Perhaps this is just an S issue.

[sh@z]

quote:Originally posted by Vidal Buffoon

Plus given how rare the car is it might even become a collectors item .

Aye right pal! Who you kidding :blackeye:

[ianking]

Sounds like you have talked yourself out of the mini then.