Faults:

The clutch went out at 9,000 miles. For no reason it just broke. I drive it very cautiously. I don't do anything that you would do in a regular sports car, I treat it with care.

My daughter has a Mini and her clutch went out at 12,000 miles and 33,000 miles.

There is obviously a problem here. There is information about it all over Internet. I do not recommend anyone to buy them.

Faults:

Basically I have never had problems with my Mini Cooper S; it is great and fun.

General Comments:

I love this car and it handles like a go-kart. I find its performance to be outstanding, and quick to the touch. It is really reliable and gets good mileage.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Exterior Appearance:

Metallic Silver paint is stunning and changes color in different lighting conditions. It looks good from all angles. Very hard to tell the new model from the old model. We got black bonnet stripes and highly recommend them.

Interior:

We got redwood leather lounge seats. They are extremely comfortable and hold the driver in place well. Interior and controls are quirky. The Speedometer is pie plate sized and in the center of the dash, but this does not matter, as the speedometer has a digitalized display in front of the driver so is okay. The toggle switches, turn signal, radio controls, AC controls are confusing until you figure out which one you need, than they makes sense. None of this matters as the vehicle has lots of style and personality. Lots of luggage space with the seats down. It fits front passengers comfortably and I am over six feet tall.

Performance:

Outstanding acceleration and handling. Very very quick when accelerating from just about any speed in just about any gear. I rarely down-shift to accelerate around a situation. The steering is even more telepathic than the 3 series BMW that we also drive. No detectable turbo lag. It corners and steers far beyond any possible speed that I would want to drive it at. Very safe vehicle. Highly maneuverable to avoid other traffic or potentially bad situations. They tell me it handles like a Go kart and I believe it. The only possible issue is the firm suspension, but with sports suspension is as expected.

Summary:

The vehicle is very BMW like in both performance, controls and quality feel. A great second vehicle. Don't get this vehicle is you have more than two people in your household and plan to make this your primary vehicle. Don't get it if you live or have to often drive on unpaved or badly paved roads as it has no ground clearance and a very stiff suspension. Don't get it if your driving style is inattentive to problems, as most other cars and trucks are bigger than a MINI. Do get it if you want full involvement in the driving process and like a vehicle with high performance good lucks and 30 MPG (observed).