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

[whateatsrabbits]

I am a mechanic and I have seen alot of minis in the shop... My driving impression of a mini cooper is that they have a crap chassis, cannot handle rough roads, doesn't turn like it should.

[FRiSson]

I've driven a base Countryman. A slightly bigger car than the FR-S. The difference was that while the Countryman had quick steering, it did not inspire 1/10th the confidence of the FR-S. It doesn't have the coherence of the FR-S, but feels more like a box of mixed parts working at odds with each other. Not terrible, but I really wanted to get off the highway as soon as possible.

[crazyyankeefan]

Some of you mentioned that Mini was practical. I really don't see the argument in it considering it's very short and small. 86 does have a somewhat spacious trunk for a coupe, doesn't it? If you want to talk about practical and on a certain level, fun to drive, then GTI or Golf R is the way to go.

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by crazyyankeefan

Some of you mentioned that Mini was practical. I really don't see the argument in it considering it's very short and small. 86 does have a somewhat spacious trunk for a coupe, doesn't it? If you want to talk about practical and on a certain level, fun to drive, then GTI or Golf R is the way to go.

You can easily fit larger items in the Mini with the large rear hatch opening and the rear seat folded down, and get stuff in and out easier. With the rear seat up though, the Mini does have less cargo room behind the seat. Rear seat legroom is about the same in both cars, I'm 6'1" and my two kids (8 & 9 years old) can sit in the back seat behind my wife and I with the same level of comfort in either car.

[russv]

I owned a 2008 Mini hatchback and was quite pleased with its handling and brakes as well as the ability to haul stuff. The FRS is a different animal but handles sharp. It is a hit harder to get in and out of because it sits so low. I sold the Mini because the warranty was almost up and didn't trust its long term reliability.

[dietz]

Originally Posted by Sirnice

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.

Winter tires. Plus the FRS has an LSD with 47% of the weight over it. Better, I think than a fwd with a regular diff (~35% over one tire).

Add cables for crazy snow. I'm fully confident I will be able to take my FRS on all of my snowboarding trips this winter.

[Sirnice]

Comparing driving comfort for long trips. Would you say the BRZ/FR-S is louder and less comfortable than the Mini Cooper (non-S)? I have regular tires on my Mini (not a fan of run-flats) and I have taken 8+ hour trips with it and it's pretty comfortable to me. I rate in the same ball park as my past Corolla but with a little bit more wind noise.

[dietz]

Originally Posted by Sirnice

Comparing driving comfort for long trips. Would you say the BRZ/FR-S is louder and less comfortable than the Mini Cooper (non-S)? I have regular tires on my Mini (not a fan of run-flats) and I have taken 8+ hour trips with it and it's pretty comfortable to me. I rate in the same ball park as my past Corolla but with a little bit more wind noise.

I went on an epic road trip with the FRS starting in Albuquerque, out to LA (one day), then up the pch (hitting up some Malibu canyon roads in the morning, some side roads in big surprise, and skyline boulevard at the end of the day, ending in San Fran...I.e. making it another 12 hour drive), up to wine country and back, out to Yosemite, from there to Vegas cutting through crazy remote Nevada, And finally Vegas to Albuquerque. I was plenty comfortable to whole time. Seats were great (set it in one position and leave it), its very quiet-when you want it to be-and my friend and I had plenty of room to keep all of our luggage in the trunk, including camping gear! Of course that trunk was PACKED, but we didn't have to worry about random crap flying about in side, hitting us in the head when I drove the FRS like it was meant to be driven. It was THE CAR to take, bar none.



I've been in a mini around town, and even drove one briefly, and I think for me, I wouldn't like the upright seating for long trips, and the fact that there is no separation from the luggage compartment, even as much as I like the versatility of a hatch back . (I took my kayak to the beach INSIDE a fiat 500, but can't in the FRS due to the trunk pass through height.) Don't get me wrong, I'd still road trip a mini too if I had that instead, but I think the frs is very road trip capable.

[djdnz]

My wife owns a 2009 Mini Cooper (non-s) MT and I have a BRZ Limited MT, so I guess I qualify to comment here.

Practicality:
The mini has better visibility.
Both cars are relatively similar in size, so each of them (individually) fit in our ridiculously small garage fairly well :P
The Mini's backseats are way better.
In terms of storage, they both have their pros and cons, the mini is a bit shorter inside so long items dont fit as well, but on the other hand it has a hatch which is much nicer for transporting bigger items.
Both the Mini and BRZ are similar in terms of road noise, neither one is too bad, not up to higher end German standards though.
Mini fuel economy is at least 7-10mpg better, I don't remember exactly what she's getting per tank but the best I've done in the BRZ is 31mpg AVG (50/50 driving)

Driving:
BRZ is rear wheel drive, so completely different handling between the two cars. The RWD is a LOT of fun! The mini is one of the best handling FWD cars I've driven though, so it does well anyway.
You sit much lower in the BRZ, getting in and out is a bit of a chore sometimes but worth it, feels sporty!
The clutch in the mini is much firmer, not really a pro or con, just different.
The BRZ has quite a bit more power, and honestly just sounds more enthusiastic while driving hard.
The powerband of the BRZ is noticeably different, revs for what feels like days and feels much torquier in the lower RPMs
Seats are much more laterally supportive and sporty in the BRZ, though the Mini seats are better for a long drive (3+ hours)
Transmission, both are good - BRZ is notchier and you feel the shifts a bit more, the mini is a smoother motion. Again just a matter of preference here
Turning circle is similar
Both feel very fun and sporty to drive, but the mini feels taller and heavier, BRZ is sharper in just about every way.
Steering feel on the mini is excellent, as is the BRZ. BRZ is lighter, Mini is heavier
Braking feel on the Mini is very aggressive and touchy, but once you get used to it not too bad. The BRZ on the other hand is a much more gradual and easy to modulate pressure. Both have excellent braking!

Interior:
Both cars are kind of lower grade, but I'd say theres a bit more premium materials in the BRZ - marginally though
Layout of the electronics (I have the Limited version so Premium is different) I'd give to the BRZ because the Mini's ergonomics are horrible...
The Mini has steering wheel controls which would be nice on the BRZ
Stock sound system is better on the BRZ by a fair margin, not sure if this has been improved since 2009 on the minis, but it sucks on ours

If you have any more questions let me know! The mini cooper S might be a better challenger for the BRZ in terms of power, I imagine they'd be pretty close.

[Sirnice]

Excellent comparison, exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you.

The MPG on the Mini is truly incredible. my on-board computer computed 41.7 MPG hwy and ~40mpg mixed driving. I can get up to 570 miles a tank when I drove from MD to Atlantic Beach, SC.

I used to get around 37 mix driving but after changing the stock spark plugs to NGK Laser Iridium Spark Plugs, my MPG improved quite a bit.

Originally Posted by djdnz

My wife owns a 2009 Mini Cooper (non-s) MT and I have a BRZ Limited MT, so I guess I qualify to comment here.

Practicality:
The mini has better visibility.
Both cars are relatively similar in size, so each of them (individually) fit in our ridiculously small garage fairly well :P
The Mini's backseats are way better.
In terms of storage, they both have their pros and cons, the mini is a bit shorter inside so long items dont fit as well, but on the other hand it has a hatch which is much nicer for transporting bigger items.
Both the Mini and BRZ are similar in terms of road noise, neither one is too bad, not up to higher end German standards though.
Mini fuel economy is at least 7-10mpg better, I don't remember exactly what she's getting per tank but the best I've done in the BRZ is 31mpg AVG (50/50 driving)

Driving:
BRZ is rear wheel drive, so completely different handling between the two cars. The RWD is a LOT of fun! The mini is one of the best handling FWD cars I've driven though, so it does well anyway.
You sit much lower in the BRZ, getting in and out is a bit of a chore sometimes but worth it, feels sporty!
The clutch in the mini is much firmer, not really a pro or con, just different.
The BRZ has quite a bit more power, and honestly just sounds more enthusiastic while driving hard.
The powerband of the BRZ is noticeably different, revs for what feels like days and feels much torquier in the lower RPMs
Seats are much more laterally supportive and sporty in the BRZ, though the Mini seats are better for a long drive (3+ hours)
Transmission, both are good - BRZ is notchier and you feel the shifts a bit more, the mini is a smoother motion. Again just a matter of preference here
Turning circle is similar
Both feel very fun and sporty to drive, but the mini feels taller and heavier, BRZ is sharper in just about every way.
Steering feel on the mini is excellent, as is the BRZ. BRZ is lighter, Mini is heavier
Braking feel on the Mini is very aggressive and touchy, but once you get used to it not too bad. The BRZ on the other hand is a much more gradual and easy to modulate pressure. Both have excellent braking!

Interior:
Both cars are kind of lower grade, but I'd say theres a bit more premium materials in the BRZ - marginally though
Layout of the electronics (I have the Limited version so Premium is different) I'd give to the BRZ because the Mini's ergonomics are horrible...
The Mini has steering wheel controls which would be nice on the BRZ
Stock sound system is better on the BRZ by a fair margin, not sure if this has been improved since 2009 on the minis, but it sucks on ours

If you have any more questions let me know! The mini cooper S might be a better challenger for the BRZ in terms of power, I imagine they'd be pretty close.

[TRD_86]

okay so which one look better on street now?

[Sirnice]

They both look good in their own ways. Tinted Mini with 19" wheels, spoiler, looks nice. I'm sure the same can be said about the FR-S/BRZ. My GF thinks the Mini is "cuter" hehehe

Originally Posted by TRD_86

okay so which one look better on street now?

[Miniata]

Originally Posted by TRD_86

okay so which one look better on street now?

Depends who you ask. Our Mini Cooper has gotten more complete strangers coming up to my wife and I to talk to and compliment us about the car than any other car (we've had more than 20) we've owned, including our Mustangs, the Miata, the BRZ, etc. Of course a lot of people hate its cuteness as well. It tends to be more polarizing in that regard than a lot of other cars.

[Cameronghanson]

I had a new Mini Cooper jcw with tons done to it and it drew quite a bit of attention but nothing like my brz. Brz and the mini are very similar and completely different. I'd say for tuning the brz has a way higher potential just because the jcw being front wheel drive and for having the most extracted from the small engine its pretty much the most you can get. But it's almost the opposite with the brz. I've done a bit of ecu tuning and have got 35 more whp with that alone. And the steering is different just because you are controlling only where the car goes not the drivetrain and steering. I sold my jcw and got the brz and honestly one of the best choices I've ever made. I lOVED the mini but the brz I love just that much more