View Poll Results: Is the mini a sharper drive than the 996 (put all engine consideration aside)
Yes
5
15.15%
No
19
57.58%
I don't know
9
27.27%
Voters: 33. You may not vote on this poll
Is the Mini Cooper a sharper drive than the Porsche 911 ?
09-02-2010, 10:39 PM
#16
Instructor
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Macon, GA
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I owned an R53 MINI Cooper S for about 3.5 years (right up until it was totaled). It was a great car for the money and a lot of fun to drive, but I would have to agree with the apples to oranges poster above. I would not be interested in trading my Carrera 4 for a MINI Cooper S, but I wouldn't mind having both of them in the garage.
The MINI being front wheel drive doesn't bother me because I have owned at least one FWD VW consistently since 1984. I'm pretty used to FWD handling characteristics by now.
The MINI being front wheel drive doesn't bother me because I have owned at least one FWD VW consistently since 1984. I'm pretty used to FWD handling characteristics by now.
09-02-2010, 11:01 PM
#17
Team Owner
Define "sharper drive". They're both great cars, but they do different things.
09-02-2010, 11:12 PM
#18
For the suburban brawl from home to big box store and perhaps in heavy traffic, the Mini is perhaps more "fun" in my opinion. For open road, curving, hilly stuff...I prefer the 911....but in reality, it is pretty hard (in the US) to find places to exploit the 911 without risking your driver's license.
J
J
09-02-2010, 11:14 PM
#19
Three Wheelin'
09-03-2010, 12:13 AM
#20
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
For the suburban brawl from home to big box store and perhaps in heavy traffic, the Mini is perhaps more "fun" in my opinion. For open road, curving, hilly stuff...I prefer the 911....but in reality, it is pretty hard (in the US) to find places to exploit the 911 without risking your driver's license.
09-03-2010, 07:42 AM
#21
AutoX
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Massachusetts
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I own an 04 Carrera and an 03 R53 JCW Mini Cooper S. They are both fantastic cars. Different, but fantastic each in their own way. I have a hard time deciding which car to drive each day.
09-03-2010, 08:14 AM
#22
09-03-2010, 08:39 AM
#23
Burning Brakes
I still think that the engine of the 996 make up for all those things, but still I wish I could get a lighter sharper steering and suspension as well. I bet I could improve the suspension with sway bar and a set of coil over, but I don't feel like adding $5k to my car. I'd rather add a little more and go for a gt3.
Anybody experience the same kind of feeling ? I have seen a couple of 911 owners switching to the mini cooper, no ?
Anybody experience the same kind of feeling ? I have seen a couple of 911 owners switching to the mini cooper, no ?
09-03-2010, 11:27 AM
#24
My Mom had one for about 6 years (She purchased it when it first came out), standard cooper with sport package and the car was a hoot to drive around town. Unfortunately, without the supercharger the car was a dog but handling at low speeds was really good up until the limit. Sadly that car suffered from the dreaded CVT chain snap and my mom promptly got rid of the car after it was repaired. 10k for a re-man trans was sort of a smack in the face considering the cars value at the time.
I got another chance to drive the new turbo charged S as a buddy was a service adviser for a local mini dealership in my area. Great car, they soften up the suspension so response and turn-in where muted and slower comparatively to my mom's car. Car pushed quite a bit if you went into a corner hot. Also the lack of an LSD made the car somewhat of a let down given the power increase it gained. Fun on the highway in a straight line but not as entertaining or engaging as the older cars.
I had a friend that built his S to STX class rules when they first came out (equipped with PSS9, camber and a quaife differential. I was constantly battling him in my 323is (BMW) but he usually got me. In my current (Stock 11 year old suspension) 996 blew his doors off at an open autoX last year (we battled for FTD and I took him by around a second and we where both on streets, he had azenis and me on PS2). Very different cars by comparison.
The 996's steering is arguably more communicative and it's steering is almost as quick as the Mini. The mini feels quicker around a corner because of it's size and wheelbase. The limits of the mini are much lower than the 996 and at the limit, the 996 is much more entertaining and engaging a car to drive where the Mini's FWD just don't offer the fun and balance of a RWD car can. Let alone the corner exit speed that can be achieved in the 996 due to the rear engine.
Awesome for what it is, inexpensive, crisp and fun at lower speeds. A sports car? Not really.
I got another chance to drive the new turbo charged S as a buddy was a service adviser for a local mini dealership in my area. Great car, they soften up the suspension so response and turn-in where muted and slower comparatively to my mom's car. Car pushed quite a bit if you went into a corner hot. Also the lack of an LSD made the car somewhat of a let down given the power increase it gained. Fun on the highway in a straight line but not as entertaining or engaging as the older cars.
I had a friend that built his S to STX class rules when they first came out (equipped with PSS9, camber and a quaife differential. I was constantly battling him in my 323is (BMW) but he usually got me. In my current (Stock 11 year old suspension) 996 blew his doors off at an open autoX last year (we battled for FTD and I took him by around a second and we where both on streets, he had azenis and me on PS2). Very different cars by comparison.
The 996's steering is arguably more communicative and it's steering is almost as quick as the Mini. The mini feels quicker around a corner because of it's size and wheelbase. The limits of the mini are much lower than the 996 and at the limit, the 996 is much more entertaining and engaging a car to drive where the Mini's FWD just don't offer the fun and balance of a RWD car can. Let alone the corner exit speed that can be achieved in the 996 due to the rear engine.
Awesome for what it is, inexpensive, crisp and fun at lower speeds. A sports car? Not really.
09-03-2010, 11:48 AM
#25
The problem for us was that the S was actually no fun in the city, where it would get most of its use. With a 19hp parasitic drag from the supercharger before it made manifold pressure, it was a pig off the line and hard to get a smooth launch with.
They are not without their problems, that's for sure. For example, there is a chronic issue with carbon buildup, which MINI does not acknowledge. In our case, the dealer tried to convince my wife that she'd somehow warped the head and wanted three grand for a new one. My indie bore scoped it, saw the carbon, and fixed it with a motorvac for a third of that price. I was very disappointed both in MINI and the dealership, which I won't be going back to.
They are not without their problems, that's for sure. For example, there is a chronic issue with carbon buildup, which MINI does not acknowledge. In our case, the dealer tried to convince my wife that she'd somehow warped the head and wanted three grand for a new one. My indie bore scoped it, saw the carbon, and fixed it with a motorvac for a third of that price. I was very disappointed both in MINI and the dealership, which I won't be going back to.
