04 reg Mini Cooper S or brand new Fiesta ST?

Question

Don't know which to go for?
Anybody got either of these two cars and can give me some advice?
Thanks!

I have been edging more towards the mini simply because of its bhp and speed from 0-62mph, but I'm also worried about fuel consumption... Do either of them need to run on Super Unleaded? What is the actual fuel consumption like - the guideline amounts are rarely accurate...

My main concern is a car that is fast fast fast... I am a speed demon! Being a woman (who drives like a bloke) I get very little respect on the road, and would like a car that is going to help gain me some... :) xx

The clio 182 might be quicker, but it's butt ugly! Plus their re-sale value is pathetically poor! Wouldn't touch one with a barge pole!

Answer 1

get the Mercedes Smart Car...
they are awesome



.

Answer 2

I have no doubt that the mini is the better car out of the 2 and should also maintain it's resale price better! Any new car loses thousands in value the instant you drive it off the lot and somebody already took that loss for you in the case of the BMW Mini.
I would suggest you go to ebay and look up the prices on old mini coopers and compare them to the price on an old model ford fiesta! Plus
although for sold tons of the old fiestas you can't hardly find one now they have all been sold for scrap but you will find lots of old mini coopers either still in nice shape or completely restored due to the fact that their owners loved them so much they just would not let them go

Answer 3

Neither

Get a Clio 182 Trophy

It puts both the Fiesta and the Mini in the shade by a long way.

Answer 4

The Fiesta ST is a really good car, is it the one with the low back?
However, personally I'd get the Mini Cooper S. Why don't you go to a show room and ask to test drive both to compare. you dont have to buy them from there.

Answer 5

My choice would be the Mini Cooper S, but you may prefer the reassurance of knowing the full service history of the car - i.e. the Fiesta option. You will probably get better aftersales service terms buying brand new.

Answer 6

No I haven't but would go for fiesta if I had the choice as I think that the Mini-Cooper is over-rated and over-priced. Cheers

Answer 7

We Loved The First MINI Cooper S Works Edition And The Latest Version Ups The Ante Still Further. Andy Enright Goes Giant Killing

Theres an age old saying in boxing circles that a good big un will always beat a good little un. It doesnt always hold true however, especially when youre driving the Goodwood race circuit in a 400bhp BMW M5 and trying to shake a 210bhp MINI Cooper S Works from your tail. Down each of the Goodwood circuits straights, the M5 could inch inexorably away but through each twisty section, the MINI would close the gap back, registering an identical lap time to the German super saloon. Its safe to say that this very special hot hatch punches well above its weight.

When the MINI was first launched, you could choose between the sedate One and the Cooper, which provided a touch more by way of pep - but not too much. Sales soared but word on the street was that there was more to come from the MINI chassis. Much more. Sure enough, in summer 2002 we got our first glimpse of a MINI with an intriguing letterbox-shaped aperture in its bonnet: the MINI Cooper S had arrived, bringing supercharged performance and transforming the warmed-over runabout into a genuine hot hatch contender. This model really caught the imagination of the MINI fanatics and it flew out of the showrooms but forced induction only opened the door to a whole host of go-faster masters to offer performance upgrades for the Cooper S. Only one of them is backed by the factory and its the real deal. John Cooper Garages boosted the cars power output from a respectable 163bhp to a decidedly hairy chested 200bhp.

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An instant hit, this model beat cars like the Audi RS6, Ferrari 360 Modena and Porsche 911 in Auto Express magazines Greatest Drives of 2003 test. There were however, a few who grumbled that given the additional expense over the Cooper S, there really needed to be a little more power. After all, the MINI is an inherently heavy car, and even with 200bhp on tap, the £18,000+ Cooper S Works wasnt significantly quicker than a £16,000 Honda Civic Type-R.

"With 210bhp on tap, this MINI can face down some serious sporting machinery"

Realising that the gripers possibly had a point that that the MINI chassis could certainly cope with even more power, a revised John Cooper Works offering was quickly prepared at the companys West Sussex Garages base. In addition to the existing Works package, theres a freer flowing air filter with an inlet flap that opens above 4,500rpm so that the engine can gasp great lungfuls of cold air, injectors that will throw correspondingly large slugs of unleaded into the cylinders and a tweak to the engines electronic control unit that together add up to another 10bhp. Even without gunning the car from cold, its easy to notice the sharper throttle response and the way that the revised gear ratios mesh better with the engines power delivery. One criticism of the old car was that when accelerating from a standing start, it took a few seconds for the engine to really plug into the meat of the power curve.

In those first few seconds, decisive advantages are lost, especially on a race track with slow chicanes to interrupt the flow. The latest Cooper S still doesnt give an instant low-down wallop, but as long as the car can deploy its power cleanly, its no longer quite so breathless. Traction, however, is an issue in a front wheel drive tot with this much grunt. Give the Cooper S Works the full treatment off the line and youll see the traction control light blinking furiously.

In the wet, its even more pronounced, with even moderate getaways from T-junctions and roundabout entrances provoking the electronic nanny into action. Its an unusual entity, the Cooper S Works. Not strictly speaking a model in its own right, its more an upgrade package for the Cooper S devised by MINIs perennial partners in crime at John Cooper Works, but the work is now done on MINIs Oxford line for an extra £3,600 on top of the £15,495 asked for a Cooper S. So, what that additional outlay get you? Aesthetically, youre looking at special Works 18" alloy wheels and a particularly fetching set of Works sports seats. Not to mention the John Cooper Works badging liberally smattered around the car. Of much more importance is the havoc that the John Cooper tuning kit wreaks under the MINIs skin. Top speed becomes a rapid 143mph and the 0-60mph time is lowered to 6.

4 seconds: youll also get impressive in-gear performance thanks to 181lb/ft of torque at 4,500rpm. The good news for existing Works Kit owners is that they wont need to chop their car in if they want the full quota of 210bhp. Instead they can have an upgrade fitted (new air filter intake system, injectors and calibration) at John Cooper Works, or any other official MINI dealer, at a cost of £335 (inc. VAT) + one hours labour fitting time.

Both the new kit and upgrade are fully approved by MINI which means that vehicle warranty and MINI tlc service pack remain unaffected. Granted, they wont get the benefits of the revised gearbox, but for the additional power, it looks money well spent. After all, its not just a backyard hop up kit. Every component of the John Cooper Works is the result of years of development work and innumerable road tests.

The gutsy performance and first-class handling are testament to 150,000 road miles of durability testing and 20,000 miles of high-speed testing undertaken by experienced and exacting engineers. It has been put through its paces in 35-degree heat and a freezing minus 20 degrees. Few of us require many excuses to get behind the wheel of a MINI Cooper S and the Works edition makes the experience even more intense. With 210bhp on tap and the option of suspension and brake upgrades also offered, this MINI is not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Will it succeed? Lets just say that it has better than a punchers chance.

Answer 8

If you can afford it, and don't mind a harder ride, the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Edition, check it out, if you dont' like it, at least it'll make you laugh

Answer 9

No brainer ...... the Mini Cooper is class, class and class ... hey, it's a BMW after all. And the Fiesta is a Ford .... my case rests.

I would be surprised if anyone disagrees ......

Answer 10

Honda S2000

Answer 11

MINI Cooper all the way, looks nicer, more fun to drive, more iconic, etc. You get the picture.