Mini Cooper (non-s) compare to the FR-S/BRZ?
 

I have a 07 Mini Cooper MT and I really enjoy driving it. It really is like a little go cart.
Anyone here have both vehicles or have compared them.

I'm wondering if the BRZ/FR-S is more fun to drive. I find the Mini to be fun, superb eco and practical. I know I'll lose some eco and practicality with the BRZ/FR-s but is it worth the trade?

Someone please convenice me to buy one :)... I'm easily convinced...:thumbup:

Car driving history....
--Started with my dad's 89 Chevy Corsica
--Purchased a new Corolla (MT) after the Chevy died prematurely (under 50k miles)
--Drove the Corolla for 10 years and sold it (amazing value and reliability)
--Replaced Corolla with a 2007 Benz C230 (MT) - Very nice and smooth ride but can't handle snow..so traded it for...
--Infinity EX35 (Sporty cross-over) - As nice as the Benz but got bored with it after 2 years...and got..
--Mini Cooper - fun, great on gas, but looking for something faster and fun(er?)

Just to make it clear. You currently have Mini Cooper and Audi TT, and you're thinking of replacing Mini Cooper with FR-S/BRZ?
If that's the case, then I would at least wait until 2014 model comes out.

I don't know how you feel about the ride characteristics of the Mini Cooper, but the FR-S does offer a better ride.

You'll miss the go-kart like experience, because the seating position isn't as upright, the windshield isn't as upright, and the wheelbase isn't as short, but you gain legit boot space, greater potential out of the chassis, and considerably more power with little fuel mileage sacrifice.

The cars I've owned are in my signature, but due to the nature of my previous job, I've driven over 2,500 different cars and a few exotics in the past year, and no, I was not a valet guy.

That's what I'm thinking and wait until 2014 model.

I had a 2007 Cooper S for a few years. The FR-S/BRZ is much more of a sports car. The driving position is MUCH lower. Grip and handling is better. Interior space is MUCH smaller. The Cooper S is plenty of fun, but I feel like on a twisty road the BRZ is much more composed and secure-feeling. The MINI gets a little unsettled when you push it hard in the twisties, especially on bumpy roads. Both cars are really fun to drive in the sense that you can grab them by the scruff of the neck and slide them around a bit. The interior of the BRZ/FR-S is far more intuitive and easy to live with than the quirky/bizarre MINI interior. (I defy you to correctly identify the radio volume knob the first time you get into a MINI.) But you could honestly put a full-sized filing cabinet in a MINI, and there's no way that's going to happen the FR-S.

The MINI is fun but more practical, the BRZ/FR-S more focused on the sport of driving.

--Dan
Mach V

I've had a 2005 Mini Cooper for a little over seven years and I've had my BRZ for three months, both with manual trans. I bought both with autocrossing in mind, and special ordered my Mini with minimal options to keep the weight down (2370 lbs in stock class autocross trim), but did get the optional sport suspension and sport seats.

I love both cars, and I'm glad I didn't have to get rid of my Mini to get the BRZ, as I've grown very attached to it over the years. If I had to choose only one though, it would have to be the BRZ. Four of the top factors would be RWD vs FWD, the lower seating position of the BRZ, the BRZ has an LSD, the Cooper doesn't and the BRZ is a little bit faster in a straight line.

I came from a turbo mini s, you will not miss the mini one bit. Mine did not have a LSD, corners were a joke with the "tc" on and just sad with it off. I have never been as disappointed in a car from a drivers POV than I was with my mini.

I agree with Dan's write-up. To sum it up, the FR-S is a small and low RWD sports car. The Mini is a surprisingly nimble FWD hatch. The Mini is more practical, the FR-S is more fun. I like them both, but only you can decide whether the trade-off is worth it.

If you had a R53 Mini Cooper, I'd say keep it; but since yours is a 2007... sure, trade up. Completely different cars, but the Zx6 twins are faster and arguably more fun.

Personally, I owned a standard Mini Cooper when they went on sale back in '02, then upgraded to a JCW Cooper S in 2006, and have driven a friend's 08 (I think) JCW Clubman S. The newer Minis are alright, but I personally don't like them as much as either the older ones or the Toyota/ Subaru twins. You don't lose that much practicality, to be honest: the back seat down offers almost as much cargo room as a Mini, but the trunk opening just limits the size of things you can load up (in other words, you'll be able to carry as many suitcases in your FR-S, but you can't load up a big-screen TV and TV-stand like you can in the Cooper hatchbacks). Minis feel like go-carts, but the twins feel more like proper sports cars; neither one is better than the other, but I throw it out there because there *is* a difference in the handling characteristics that go beyond the typical FWD vs. RWD debate. A FR-S won't drive like it's on rails quite like a Mini, but will be a lot more communicative and forgiving when limits are reached, and I think with practice and technique (and maybe some courage) its outer limits are higher than the Mini's.

I'd strongly suggest a good test drive, because while both cars are awesome, and I'm glad to have owned both at some point in my life, they're really two completely different approaches to motoring.

Plus the powerband (at least in the S) made my wife's Mini feel more like a bulldog than a greyhound. And I didn't like that. Also the Mini IMO may be only slightly more practical for bigger things, but I don't know if you'd be able to fit 4 tires and a toolkit in the back like the FR-S. The Mini's trunk is very shallow.

I think a high revving engine in a smaller lighter car is almost always the way to go.

I also agree with the short wheelbase making the ride a bit jumpy on undulating curves.

I could easily fit all four race tires plus tools and jack and airtank in the back of my Mini Cooper with the rear seat folded down with room to spare, and still have room for a passenger in the front seat.

I test drove a non-S Mini right before test driving an FRS and then the BRZ that I bought. I like the FRS/BRZ chassis feel while drive alot more. The BRZ also looks so much more sporty than Mini. Don't get me wrong, I liked the Mini when I drove it, fun little car. Just for me, the FRS/BRZ feels alot more like a sports car to me and more balanced. A little more straight line speed too (or at least that's how it felt when I drove all three cars mentioned).

I still grab the wrong knob for the volume.... haha

[QUOTE= (I defy you to correctly identify the radio volume knob the first time you get into a MINI.)
--Dan
Mach V[/QUOTE]

Thank you for all the input. Winter is coming... I'm afraid the FR-S/BRZ might not do too well in the snow. I'll probably keep the Mini for the Winter and trade it in for the BRZ since it'll be my daily driver.