I must confess that prior to seeing the 2010 Prius, I was set on getting a MINI Clubman. I guess curiosity got the best of me, so I did a search on NAM, to see if any other nut had cross-shopped the two cars. Here's some "interesting" reading - MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring - Clubman or 2010 Prius? What to do, what to do.... I thought the comments regarding noone being passionate about their Prius was particularly misguided. I'm sure they haven't visited PC. The MINI has its virtues, but I am SO ready for my new PIII.
Did you see the Mini E cooper electric car yet ? You can't buy it yet but you can trial lease it for 1 year. It will cost you about $800 a month which includes Mini coming to your home and installing the charger and covers all costs and repairs on the car. You also have to keep a log book and keep track of the car and your experience on a weekly basis. I think it only gets a 150 mile range with each charge. I saw it and sat in it at the NY auto show and it looks just like the gas Mini cooper.
I had heard about it but haven't had the opportunity to investigate further. The Cooper wouldn't work as we really need a useable back seat for kids and their booster seats. More importantly, my wife would never agree to a $800/month lease. Ouch!
Having owned four BMWs, I'm afraid of the long-term service and maintenance costs of the MINI. If not for the styling and handling improvements of the new Prius, I would probably be buying the Clubman (non-S).
I really wanted a Mini when I bought my Prius in 2007. But I stupidly didn't do enough research and didn't know that the Mini had overcome the reliability issues it had its first two years and become one of the most reliable cars sold.
you could also check out the Hyundai Genesis coupe 2.0T no get what you want, the mini's are good cars ive been in one briefly when a friend of mine picked me up from the airport, she had a base model non S it was a unique car and i could see myself owning one. Seems like it would be alot of fun, she had manual trans of course.
My wife and I crossed shopped the MINI as well. Yes the owners are very passionate about their cars. Our issues with the Mini were the fact the dealer was about 80 miles away. The salesman was a jerk. The car would take about 2 months to get in after we ordered it. Size was small and it has no spare tire. If you get a flat up in my area at say 10pm how are you going to get anywhere? 50 miles isn't that afr and we are fairly remote. No tire places are open after 10pm so not having a spare was a deal killer for us. Also if you have a problem with a Toyota dealership you can go to another one within a reasonable drive. You can't do that with MINI.
I believe Mini's and most BMW's (their parent company)come with run flat tires. I too was interested in the Mini a few years back but the accessories are very expensive and getting the car I wanted was about 30K which is crazy for a suped up go-cart. I think the Mini salesman being a Jerk is standard. They must get that training from BMW.
The MINI sales advisor that I dealt with was actually quite friendly. But they were strictly a MSRP shop. And there's only on MINI dealership in the valley. Re runflats, the standard tires on the non-S model are 15" tires are non-run flats w/emergency spare. Upgrading to 16" wheels or going to S model requires run flats w/no spare. So if you're performance minded, you're essentially stuck with RFs. In any case, I'm not tempted by the MINI (well, maybe a tad), but I think it's fun to talk and learn about other cars. Thank you Danny/PC for giving us the opportunity to do so!
The only time I drive MINIs are at the BMW events. They're fun as heck to drive but options are pricey. In non-supercharged (I guess turbo now) form, it's decently fuel efficient which would help offset the premium fuel requirement (also required in the smart). But hey, at least it's "German" (British)
Yes the non-S versions come with RFT's but if you live outside a large city like I do. You need a spare tire. Heck at night try and find an open anything, maybe a gas station but after midnight you're walking. Plus a lot of time the RFT can crack the rim on potholes. The Mini Forum covers all this stuff. RFT's = deal killer for me. I remember when Honda dealers used to be jerks as well. Funny how the dealerships with salesman like that are now out of business. we would hahve been taking delivery of a MINI if the RFT's and the dealer issues hadn't been there.
I may go for a Mini Clubman test drive within the next couple days. I saw one the other day and got me interested again. No 2010 Prius around to try out so I need something to keep me busy.
I liked my MINI a lot. Some random thoughts for anyone considering one. - I am 6'4" and broad hipped/shouldered, about 220 lbs. Plenty of leg room with the seat in the Cooper all the way back (didn't try Clubman, but I assume the seat wouldn't be pushed up against the back seat. BUT...the sport seats were very uncomfortable on my hips, because the side bolsters were so strong. (Again, I am broader than average, so others may not have this problem.) - I was tall enough that my eyeline was at the very top of the windshield. At some stoplights I had to literally duck to watch the light. - As soon as we had a child and needed to strap him into the child seat in the back, it became such a hassle that we stopped driving the MINI in favor of our other car, despite the fact that the MINI was more fun to drive and got way better mileage. (Our other car is a BMW X3.) Those were the major cons...on the plus side: - I got 31 MPG basically driving to and from work, in the turbocharged Cooper S. - It feels like a BMW. Interior-wise, the materials are pretty nice and solid, definitely below 3 series quality. But, still way better than most American/Japanese cars that can be had for under $25K. - The steering and handling was close to the BMW feel. Very responsive, very in control. You feel very connected to the car and the road. - Paid $0 for maintenance, since I got rid of it before the warranty/free maintenance period expired. The Prius is as fun to drive as the MINI, just in a different way. My current analogy, one week in to Prius ownership, is that driving the Prius is kind of like playing a video game. Figuring out how to drive it more efficiently, raise my mileage, make the ICE turn off, etc. I can definitely see why others aren't into this car. But I find it incredibly fun.
I'm not sure what that means. I said I was going for a test drive not writing a check. Besides Mini has one the best warranties in the business and free maintenance is attractive. Also the Mini has been one the most reliable cars in the last two years according to Consumer Reports magazine. Don't think the 2010 Prius is going to be bulletproof. There is a lot of new tech features that could be problematic in a new model redesign. I believe that a late model gen 2 will be more reliable or trouble free than a gen 3 Prius. Toyota has been rushed to release the new Prius because of Honda's Insight. I think that many interested buyers are waiting for the kinks, if any, to be worked out and wait for 2011 model.
your chain was being gently yanked - you said you "need something to keep you busy" (as he highlighted in red) so he was saying you would enjoy the mini because it is less reliable than the prius.
WOW ..ok thanks for clearing that up. For the record I test drive several cars every year. That does not mean I will buy them. I am doing my part to help dealerships and salesman keep busy so they don't go out of business.
