Faults:

Parking distance control module needed to be replaced.

Front seat rear access was not operating properly, and entire seat rail system was replaced.

A smudge was appearing on inside of both front side windows, so the window rollers were replaced.

The sunroof made a noise when opened, and the rail system was replaced.

All of these, with the exception of the parking distance control module, are just nuisance items that were all covered by warranty, and taken care of at no cost to me.

General Comments:

My overall thought of the car is PURE LOVE! There really is nothing bad I can say.

Yes, I hear about the power and lack there of with the Cooper, but what do you expect when 116 horsepower is pushing 2500 pounds? I personally am impressed with the power that is available, especially if you keep the RPM’s above 3500. If you understand one thing about this engine, understand this; it produces 70 pounds of torque per liter of displacement, which is the same as the Z06 Corvette!

The gas mileage I have experienced (with a heavy right foot) is 29.8 MPG city, average speed 25 MPH, and 35 MPG highway, average speed 80 MPH.

Let's talk street legal go-kart, like it's on rails, accident avoiding handling. Sure, the ride is a little rough compared to a sedan, but have you ever ridden in one of those tuner cars before? (now that’s what I call rough). I have improved the ride some, with ditching the run-flats and stock wheels, and replaced them with 17” racing wheels and BF Goodrich G-Force Sport 215/40 ZR17 tires (which subsequently also improved the feel and handling of the car dramatically for the better).

The interior styling is stunning and very functional. I have the interior chrome package, and it all just POPS!

I have the Harmon/Kardon upgraded sound system, and I must say I am impressed with its performance (especially with its tonal balance and clarity). This is coming from an auto sound system enthusiast, who will eventually install an aftermarket system, and get back into competing in auto sound challenges.

The exterior styling is unmistakable MINI, and I have the pure silver with black top, and a center bonnet and boot racing stripe.

Now let's talk safety. I recently was in a collision that involved my friend's 2002 Cooper S (I was driving it) that involved some twisty roads, gravel and one unfortunate 2003 Nissan Frontier. I managed to get myself into a curve that tightened considerably in a blind section, started to lose the tire track in the road, and got into the gravel that was on the center line. I could not correct the situation (I doubt that any other car would have been able to) and clipped the truck at the driver's rear wheel with the driver's front corner of the Mini. Everyone was fine and no major injuries were sustained.

As for the Frontier, the truck did a 180 and the rear axle was turned 45 degrees. The wheel was gone, the suspension some 50’ away and the rear drive line was sitting 20’ feet away from the resting point of the truck.

The Mini however sustained localized damage to the driver’s front quarter section to include the front bumper, fender and filler (that small section between the fender and door), driver’s front wheel and suspension, air bag deployment and the driver’s side window (which was broken and removed by my left arm being launched from the air bag).

The combined speed of the impact was estimated at 75 MPH. I sustained only a few minor abrasions on my left arm as a result of going through the side window. Despite having the driver’s front wheel turned to the left from the impact, I was still able to control the car enough to avoid going over a 120’ embankment by steering the car to the right. I’m not sure I would be here today reviewing this wonderful little car if I was driving something other than a Mini.

Now after reading the other reviews, I have to comment on the service. Not only does the dealership treat me like I am driving up in a 7 series BMW, but they provide a rental car (at no charge) on repairs of the littlest things and service intervals. I have received no argument whatsoever from the service staff, and even received some freebies. So to rebut the previous reviews on service, I would suggest finding another service center that cares.

Faults:

Squeak, rattle, rattle. I guess this is typical, but still annoying to say the least. Fortunately the dealer has been helpful when it came to the dash rattling like crazy.

The dealer was very quick to point out that I had aftermarket wheels on the car, as well as that I had placed lowering springs in it. I understand this and respect this as they don’t want to deal with any problems associated with the springs / shocks, as I have already found out they mentioned to me that the upper housing on one of the shocks was loose, and couldn’t do anything about it because of the lowered springs. That didn’t bother me.

However, I do have a squeal coming from the clutch as it engages into first gear, usually when the car is cold or has sat for more than 2 hours. This is when all the fun began with really poor customer service. So the dealer starts to right away feed me excuses as to why they can't determine the 100% what the problem is, and then they start to attribute the problem to be wear and tear; this sounds funny, especially when the car only had 17,000km's on it.

Next the dealer proceeds to tell me that my large wheels have placed extra strain on the clutch, and that that could be causing the problem. Again, I find this funny as MINI offers 18" wheels.

Finally they tell me that if they were to look at the transmission and clutch, and found no fault on it, I would have to pay for the repair. A clutch repair is just under $2000 at BMW, so needless to say I'm furious.

This issue of the clutch squealing I have found to be common with hundreds of other people through out North America; just check out www.mini2.com or www.northamericanmotoring.com, and many people have had the problem fixed and the fault was found due to a prematurely worn throw out bearing.

I ended up sending an email describing my disgust to BMW of Canada, in which they replied that the dealer couldn’t replicate the problem, yet I ended up arguing with both the supervisor and manager about it. So for the last 6 months, I have been led in a circle, which hopefully will end soon when I get a hold of someone higher up in BMW.

It's really too bad that I have to deal with this, especially as I bought a NEW car not to deal with this. The problem with MINI is the spinning propeller posh attitude of BMW.

General Comments:

What about the good stuff, every time I get in this car, it puts a smile on my face, it's a quick little car that loves to get tossed into the corners, and the whine of the supercharger begs you to go faster!

The ride may be a little uncomfortable due to the lowered suspension, the 19" wheels and 35 series tire, but that’s a small drawback that goes away as soon as you hit that on ramp to the highway.

Ohh yeah, and don't believe the lovely gas mileage sticker on the car, the Cooper S is horrible on gas, I roughly get 12.5L/100km or roughly 19 MPG.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing. What do you expect it is only 6 weeks old.

General Comments:

I love this car. I advise anyone who is thinking about buying one to take the plunge. It is so worth it.

My previous car was a bright green 2001 Volkswagen Beetle, and I loved it dearly. It served me well. However, I never realized how much fun driving could be until I bought my Mini. It is very quick yet I am still getting 30 MPG with my Cooper S.

The interior is very refined, and the car is as cute as a button.

My 6'1" boyfriend can easily fit in the car and has no problems. The only problem he has is getting me to let him drive the Mini.

It is a sports car though. I have the 17" wheels and going over potholes is a little bumpy. But you should expect that when you buy a car like this. The trade off is that you can take a corner at 45 mph and not even notice it.