SO what does everyone think of the new Mini Cooper?

I think the new Mini Cooper is so cute, itz a good secondary car to have, cute lil butt, ez to find parking space if ur in NYC like me.

there is three trim levels:

Mini Cooper : 112HP
Mini Cooper S : 150HP
Mini Cooper S w/ Supercharger : 197HP

Please don't be fool by the low HP range, The car is REALLY LIGHT, it can out run the Maxima, but it cant out handle the Maxima, heheheh =)

P.s. it'll have all the luxary options from BMW also.

Yes, the Mini is really cool.
BUT it will be available in 2 models:
Mini cooper with 115hp
Mini Cooper S with a 160hp superchared 4-banger.
No 150 or 197 hp.
Still, a really neat car.
Imagine what type of mods there will be?
You should be able to make a really wild or a really understated cool.
I will have my licence when they come out, so
I will be able to test drive one. Yeaahh (said in a really quiet, high pitched voice)

Man, 160hp, sounds fast. I like the new ones. They look alot better then the old ones.

smack me, but what the hell's a mini?

You should be slapped. These were awesome cars. Invented in the 50's by Ales Issignosis, as brilliant engineer who got maximium space from minimum size. It had 10-inch wheels, and a 850cc engine. Test mules had 950cc, but they were to fast! Teh rear axle was rubber, and made for ultra-fun, excelllent handling. They appealed to the masses and the enthusiast. Before long, they were winning rally's, road-races, etc. There are some very memorable minis, like 1300+cc mini cooper S's, and so on. They have been in production almost 50 years, then BMW bought Rover (which owns the Mini)
The new mini is engineered by BMW, and lives up to its quality. I have already stated the specs earlier, but here are some pages:
some guys page (http://www.xs4all.nl/~wrb/smallcars/rover/min_1999.html)
official site (http://www.mini.co.uk)
Other official site (http://www.mini.com)

Trust me, they are awesome!:flash:

That was soem info on the old ones, also see the June 2001 issue of R&T, page 118-126 (I think)

THe new ones should be awesome, too.

I'd definately like to have one in the stable . . .

I am a classic mini afn who also really likes the new MINI, which seems to be a minority looking at classic mini websites.

I co-run a new MINI website at http://www.mini2.com if you want to see loads of pictures/get loads of information.

:)

Welcome to AF Paul!
We're happy to have you with us.
I'm the admin/webmaster here, and I just thought to make you feel welcome :p

If you have any questions/suggestions please let me know.


By the way, I visited mini2.com and I am very impressed with it. :eek2:
Maybe we could talk out some kind of a partnership :)

I will contact you by email,
if you have AIM or ICQ you can reach me:
AIM - autoroar
ICQ # 83417350

Thanks.

Hello...

I'm going to come hunting you down on ICQ now.. be afraid... be very afriad.

:)

Seriously though, thanks for comments. You've got a nice site here too! Compliments all round then.

What do you make of the new MINI? I assume you're a total car nut?

:)

Just went on, and an excellent site! Mind if I use some of your source code for my new website (will be finished, uh maybe never) Please!
;)

mini's are so cool, but they are priced too expensive the cheaper one base price was like
$16,000 :smoka:

Thanks, Chris, you can email me and tell me what you're after, I'll see if I can help.

We now have one of the first full roadtests online of the new MINI, makes interesting reading.

Paul
http://www.mini2.com

I am just deciding what I want my site to look like. If I use stuff, it will be little snippets of code, and I will of course give you soem credit, aswell as provide a link to your page.

I didn't like the old ones very much. But I must say that these new ones that are coming out, pretty nice. I would get one if I would fit in one.

I love the classic mini, but on the strengths of what I have seen on the new MINI (and I have been in one), I think it's great too.

http://www.mini2.com

1) When are Mini's going to be on sale in the US

2) Will there be Mini dealers, or will they be sold in conjunction with BMW dealers.

3) What are the 0-60 times for the new Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper-S models.

4) How many pounds does the new car weigh.

5) Is it safe.

Thanks for answerig.

I love the new mini's...I'm deffinetly gonna have to take one for a test drive....;)

excellet site by the way.

I dig the new one too. I can't wait for the sport model and I hope the double sun roof makes it to America! The ultimate SUV FU!:flipa:

Minis should be on sale within the year

All mini dealers will be BMW dealerships

0-60 times: Cooper: 9 seconds Cooper S: ext 7 seconds

WEight: 2300lbs, base.

It is very safe. It is stiffer than the 3 series, so it won't crush like a tin can. It has a lot of air bags, and they are really trying to push the safety aspect, so it must be good.

I just picked up the new Feb. issue of Road & Track. The Mini is on the cover. There is a review and lots of pics.

"Exciting, fun & affordable."

Everyone loves this thing! I am probably going to have to wait a couple years, before I can afford it because I bet the dealer markup will be around 10k for a while due to demand.

I hate that markup crap, I wish it were illegal. I know this is America and all, but the base price should be the base price.

:mad:

I will always be fond of the classic Mini.......My first car was a fire engine red mini Traveller(a British attempt at a woody!)about 20 years ago....It had terminal rust even before I bought it,and my Dad slapped my ear when he found out I'd paid 50 pounds for it!The floor under the pedals had rotted out due to all the body leaks and we pop-riveted a sheet of dexion shelving,cut to shape, over the hole.
The seat mounts had to be re-drilled and moved back to accomodate my knees under the steering wheel........The S.U. fuel pump would cut out at random,and I carried a specially shaped piece of steel rod to reach under the fuel tank and whack it back into motion...there was so much rust and crap in tha fuel tank that you had to keep the gas topped up to avoid sucking shit through to the carb and jamming the float open...the carb being mounted directly over the exhaust manifold made overflowing petrol from the float chamber a real fire hazard!!
It was pointless trying to secure the car thanks to the crappy window locks.I owned it for about 9 months and never locked it up....Starsky and Hutch was the big T.V show in those days and I would have painted the white stripe over the roof if Dad hadn't threatened to kick me out of the house..........
I was real sad to see it go come time to get a certificate for it.We didn't even bother trying,we knew it's time had come.For the next five years,I was the proud owner of a string of worn out Mini's ,1100's and a Riley Elf named Kermit.I got a reputation for buying and burying old Leyland cars.

Recently I tested a new Cooper...it was a damn sight more comfortable than any of the Mini's I ever owned,and a damned sight better built.But it lacks that bouncy handling,that throaty little motor noise and the whistle of air through ill-fitting windows.

Whatever the new Mini is,it can't be related to the classic.

That's a long post,but I enjoyed remembering.........

I've always been a fan of British cars, but I can't see (atleast from an American perspective) the market for this new version of the Mini. My Suzuki Swift GT seems to be all that the Mini is...and cost less.

The Mini has no rear seat room and the Swift has slightly more. The Swift came with 100hp in 1989-1993 and weighed 1800lbs...which would make it quicker (and more economical) than the basic Mini. The list price for the Swift was between $9-11k, depending on the year...and inflation hasn't been great in the past decade to make $16k a bargain.

Again, I loved the original Mini, but the new one seems to pay tribute to the original without much of the flair...and a BMW-inspired price tag.

I don't think it'll be the hit in the US that the New Beetle or PT Cruiser have been.

Mechanically, from a simple point, the Swift is better. But it won't be nearly as habitable inside (hard plastic isn't as nice as soft stuff) Also, I can imagine the mini will drive and ride better than a swift.

i like the new one. ive always had this strange desire to stuff a lotus v8 into the hatch of a classic mini, but im not feeling that with the new one... btw anyone got a classic mini or a lotus v8 for sale???

I love the look of the new mini.

Dose anyone know how much the cooper S super charged one is?

And there is only 500 made so they will fly off the lots like crazy.

I want one.. ;-)

Thanks
DD

I hate it, its to huge to be a mini. Its got no boot space, its got no rear leg room...If it wasnt so 'retro' it would be competeing against the likes of a new Integra, and that would beat it hands down in every category.

What a waste of time

how many are going to be produced in a year? i hope it goes into standard production cuz i love this car...


by the way

pick up the JUNE 2002 CAR and DRIVER issue there is a Mini Review in it
( 4.99 Canada, 2.95 pounds UK and 3.99 America)

ALSO

pick up the JUNE 2002 AUTOMOBILE..its on the cover

____________________________

Paul_M:

So you're the guy behind mini2.com? I've been following your site for a while now! Love the site! :)

I got really excited when I heard about the new MINIs. I'd love to get one (DEFINITELY the S), maybe when I'm out of college. For now I have my 160HP CRX, I'd love to auto-x against one (maybe get the chance this summer).

My gf and I saw a new MINI a few weeks ago in a parking lot, so we got a good close up look. I had goosebumps, the all-glass roof is awesome.

I got to ride as a passenger in a new one, they are pretty tight. I love the gauge layout

i much prefer the original mini's better, i think that they ruined it by ringing out a new model

the new model also has quite a damaging price tag...

I drove a regular mini and was unimpressed.... nice handling but poor power..then I drove the S model and I got a big smile on my face.. At last, power AND handling... GREAT package..

All I can say is " YES PLEASE!!!"" I want one.. but can't afford it right now... but such is life...

the RZ supra has nearly twice the hp and cost nearly half the price (well, an imported one anyways) but i'd still take the supra...

i'm wondering if anyone could post the mini's 1/4 mile times? i would be interested to also compare them to the supra:D :D :D

Interesting car, always liked the original, and I'd like to drive one, though I am seeing conflicting information on the weight... somebody here posted that it weighs in a 2300lbs, but I've seen elsewhere that it weighs more like 2700, which is what my Sentra weighs... can't see how a car that small could weigh that much!

Mini was the classic icon of the 50’s, 60’s and throughout the following years! BMW have bought Rover, I my opinion, for this single car! BMW raped and pillaged Rover and left Rover for dead, at first refusing to sell the company but insisting on letting it go to the wall with thousands upon thousands of jobs at risk at the factories. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the closure of Rover! Luckily the UK Government stepped in and refused to allow this evilness to occur!

The original mini is still the best, the new mini is far too big to have the name ‘mini’ emblazoned upon it! It should be called medium! Because that’s what it is! A medium sized car that’s living and trading off the history of a car that has no resemblance of the ultimate mini!

It’s a shameful representative of what a mini is supposed to look like! The original mini is a car that demonstrated the British! A tiny car with huge success! (A tiny country with huge success)

Anyway, the car has been beset by huge problems in its design! Firstly, there was a problem with the fuel filling, it blow the car up because the fumes could escape when filling up! Then there is the hugely publicised poor quality interior! Ripping and snapping! And the more recent gearbox trouble! It sometimes goes into a gear, and will not come out again! Thus leaving the driver stranded!

I have seen so many new minis by the roadside! Bonnet up with ugly rear end!

Do yourself a favour, do not buy anything to do with BMW! They are here to eliminate the competition and taking what’s best and keeping it, and disregarding the rest!

Aston Man!

I love minis! :evillaugh http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/15543502_cooper_ht3carbon_1.jpe

The mini is awesome..old & new!:smoka:

just to say - THE NEW ONES ARE NOT MINIS!!!!! Have you senn the size of them compared to a mini?!?! they aren't:
#British
#small
#British
#cheap (to buy)
#British
#cheap (to insure)
#British
#easy to home-modify (due to engine computer)
#and did I mention British?

if I wanted 150Bhp, I'd stick a 1275 engine in with twin SU's and some Nos!!

:flipa: :flipa: :flipa: :flipa: :flipa: :flipa: :flipa: :flipa: :flipa: :flipa:

I have to be honset. I only sat on a new mini once, and it felt cramped, wheras in the old one, considering the size, it feels spacious. When I saw the price tag on the new one, I thought what a waste of money. But that's my opinion, nothing else. Full respect to the new owners!

In any case, it should have to be a classic Mini Cooper for me. Timless design.

The new Mini is just as cool as the old Mini. Since when is a Supra a cheaper car than the Mini?

Originally posted by Ringo
The new Mini is just as cool as the old Mini. Since when is a Supra a cheaper car than the Mini?

The Supra became a cheaper car in 1999, when they stopped making them :D It's a cheaper car now because you can only find used ones.

I own a 2002 Mini Cooper, and I own 2 classic Mini's as well. I love mini's.

It actually is still partly made in Britain, and there is plenty of room in it. Obviously, it's not a family car of any sort, but for a young married couple, it's awesome :D

OH! And this is my first post here! I can't believe I never saw this site before. Awesome!

Welcome Mini Miles!! Its nice to have a new Mini afficionado in the group!:smile:

Thanks Ringo! Good to be here, glad I found it :D

Hello All,

I just test drove a new MINI tonight and I have to say I was NOT disappointed. I currently own two Honda CIVIC Si's and they are both highly modified. I am willing to sell them both for a MINI Cooper S.
I really have to get one, it has so much character and style.
Have to sell the Hondas first, but I think I will own one real soon.

Mike

I ordered a Mini Cooper S. I had to wait 6 weeks for it to arrive. 3 weeks before it arrived I decided to order the John Cooper Works kit. It was backordered so my car came before the kit. I got to drive my Mini Cooper S for 3 weeks before the kit arrived.

If you think the Cooper S is a hoot to drive the John Cooper Works version is amazing. 1st and 2nd gears are so much stronger and 3rd is insane!! I always reserve my opinion on the handling until I have autocrossed the car. Its the only real way to push a car safely to it limits and form an opinion.

My regular Autocross car is an RX-7 I run 10" wide Hoosier slicks and it has a fully adjustible racing suspension. That said this Mini handles like a dream even though it has 200 hp compared to my RX-7 370hp what is lacks in power it makes up in agility. I was amazed and very pleased with the Mini's ability on the Autocross course.

MY RX-7 and my Mini weight the same I have corner weighed my RX-7 and it truly weighs 2600 lbs. Mini claims my Cooper weighs 2600 lbs. I need to corner weigh it because it feels so much lighter and more nimble that my RX-7.

I just purchased a set of racing tires for my Mini and I plan on Autocrossing it again. I suspect it will be very fast. With the crappy run flats I was faster than Mustang GT's on race tires.

The SCCA has classed the John Cooper Works in ASP class. Which is a class made up of Z-06's Vipers M-3's Porsche's etc... I really think I may be able to hang with them.

This car is amazing machine right off the dealership floor. I cannot recomend it enough to anyone that likes to toss their car around on twisty roads. It is a pleasure to drive.

I love it, I love it, I love it.
I am going to sell my 2 CIVIC's and get a MINI-S