Write a review on the Mini Hatchback Overall Review Rating: 8.2
15 Reviews Found
1.6 Cooper S Chili
I find my Mini a very pleasant car to drive, it has a very punchy engine and has plenty of power for the size. It does a good mpg for the performance that you get. You wont find a diesel engine with that amount of punch up to 60. It has a very modern and stylish design. The build quality is very good and so far seems 100% reliable
- Cruise Control
- Automatic lights and front wipers
- Front heated screen
- Trip Computer
- Colour lighting change interior
- Heart beat alarm light
- Bluetooth cd head unit
The only improvement I would suggest is the standard sound system which lacks power and bass. There is also limited boot space but that comes with the true image of a Mini.
1.6 Cooper
Being a relatively new Mini Cooper owner, coming from a 1.1 Clio I am absolutely blown away by this car!
The build quality is superb, and the car drives perfectly. Being an older model (2002) it is in perfect condition and drives as if new (35,000 miles on the clock).
It's features and quirky design that makes it stand out from every other car on the road! I can quite certainly say that I will now always be a Mini Owner!
Quirky arrangement of speedometer/rev. counter. Good fuel efficiency and stylish looks which turn heads!
Additional functionality i.e inbuilt SATNAVs/multimedia systen, iPhone/MP3 connectivity, improved fuel efficiency.
1.4 One
Well I will do a Good/Bad list to show both sides of owning a Mini One...
Good: The Mini, in any variant or colour looks good on the exterior and the interior so for someone who likes car's because of cosmetic reasons then this would be a good choice. I think the best colour on a Mini is the cream convertible. The dials and gearstick are nice designs too. Also the on board computer system is a good feature, as is the CD/Radio system. Unfortunately this is the only good thing i can think of.
Bad: The worst thing about the Mini, and it is a big thing, is the gear changes. On my previous car (a Ford Fiesta MK6) it was sooooooo smooth changing gears and it was perfect. With the Mini you have to use a high amount of force to push the gear in, there is no smoothness at all, and that accounts to every gear. Another bad thing is there is 6 frigging gears, why do they need 6 gears in a 80 Bhp/ 1.4 engined car? this is not a Mercedes or a BMW, and because of this fact, it ruins another part of the gearing system. It is because of the 6 gears, Mini have put the reverse gear right next to the first gear. Bravo what a good idea, now when we want to start and go forwards, we go backwards through the wall. Or when we want to reverse, we go through the thing in front. To get the reverse gear you have to push the stick all the way to the left (and that requires a lot of effort too) so thats really stupid.
Then we come to the performance...i was expecting the 1.4 Mini Diesel to be pretty nippy, seeing as its quite a small and light car. I was very wrong. It's one of the slowest cars i've owned. My 1.4TD Mk6 Fiesta before would ace it easily.
And not only is it slow, but because you need to use more power to try to make it go faster, the MPG is rubbish. I can get up to 65 MPG if i'm going very slow in it. But for your usual day to day runs where say you go on a main road, then i average about 40. it should be much higher than that.
The windscreen is a major flaw too as it's too steep, just a few days ago we had to get a replacement windscreen due to a foot long crack we've had in it for about 6 months, not to mention other digs. The windscreen needs to be less steep.
Also the dial layout on the car is rubbish. I dont want the MPH dial 10 metres to my left where i can't see it. I want it in front of me, and the MPH dial is too big, it's like Big Ben's face!
Now the space, it's so small that you can just forget about the two back seats already, anybody in the back will get their legs broken. Other cars are practical, I tried making a parcel inside a Mini, it took me more than an hour for something that should have taken 5 minutes, because there was no space. The wheels are too small too and I now need to purchase new tyres because of it
Also the aircraft style switches in the cockpit are a design flaw as you always accidently flick on something else such as the fog lights etc.
Overall, stay well clear of the Mini. If your needs are purely appearance based then it may be the one for you but if you are even a little practical based, then walk right past it and get a Fiesta or any other car!
Well there is not really many things that come to my mind in the Mini...
If I have to say something then it would be the CD/Radio player, it's simple to use and provides an average sound, i use an IPOD on it and it works great, so if you have an IPOD then you may be happy.
Well, improve everything about the car, even if the looks have to be decreased. It's just so impractical...
The dials need to be changed
The gearing needs to be changed
The space needs to be increased
The wheels need to be larger
The windscreen needs to be less steep
The aircraft style switches need to be removed
Needs to be safer
Needs to be faster
Needs to be economical at average to high speeds
1.6 Cooper
Right, here goes....
I have had my car for 2 and a half years and I really like it but it is not without its downsides. I really don't know too much about cars so this will be a frank account of my experiences, but it probably won't be too technical.
I really like my MINI. He is cute and called COCO (not after chanel!) and is red with a white union jack roof and white bonnet stripes. He looks good, he drives well, he is reliable and he makes me feel safe on the road. It has a 1.6 litre engine and this makes it relatively powerful and it can reach high speeds when necessary. The handling is realy good in my opinion, it just goes round corners as if it is on rails and the steering is amazingly responsive and quick.
On the bad side, he isnt too cheap to insure (£600ish for the year) and is not very good on petrol, servicing and parts are very expensive. For example, to buy a new bumper, not fitted or painted, would cost £480 which for a piece of plastic, is outrageous. I know this because I almost ripped it off by driving over a tree thing. Not good times.
The mini is a very hard, 'sporty' ride which is not very confortable over long journeys and my grandparents are not very confortable in the car.
The car also is not very spacious. I mean it is kind of explained by the name of the car but for any passengers in the back, there really is not a lot of legroom. (unless you sit behind me, but I have little legs). The car is pretty big spacewise and we have managed to really cram it before, if there are only 2 people in because the back seats fold down really quickly and easily.
The car has 4 seats and the back ones are really nice and buckety if you like that. I also like the little storage spaces in the back but find that the backs of the front seats get fairly scratched easily from peoples feet and things.
I do really like this car, don't get me wrong but it is not overly practical and you are paying a lot for the design and the kudos of having the car. I think it is a bit of a hairdressers car, but my boyfriend also drives the car and looks pretty good in it, so I don't think this is really an issue.
Also, because of the flag it is easy to find in the carpark! but it has a low flat roof so it is quite little and can be hard to see!
The colour is really good and bold and vibrant and overall it is in my opinion a really good looking car.
The seats are comfortable and the interior is also stylish and it has retained some of the old mini styling with the big central speedo etc.
The back seats fold flat really well and easily which is great for fitting things in to the car. Also the tyre pressure sensor is great and the sporty feel is good but a bit too rough sometimes. The handle is really the best bit - its like being on a roller coaster!
More leg room in the back, a larger boot, I know its a 1.6 but i would like it to be more economical on fuel because it is quite expensive to run.
I would have liked more things like the half leather seats but i didnt get it from new so i didnt get to decide really. Apart from those things I think it is a pretty good car and I recommend it!
1.6 Cooper Chili
The Mini Cooper 1.6 might be small, but it certainly doesn't drive like the average hatchback of its size. Performance is excellent and it can definitely embarrass cars much bigger than itself. Perhaps one of the best aspects of the car are its precision handling. It can go around corners at unbelievable speeds without stepping out of line, and the steering has plenty of feel so you know exactly whats going on beneath you. Reliability is very good, as the cars are built by BMW, so build quality is also excellent. Equipment levels are average, with air con not standard on all models, but there are hundreds of oprtions available so finding one to suit you shouldn't be a problem. The performance does, however, affect fuel consumption. Average around town seems to be between 32-35mpg. Another disadvantage of the Mini is its impracticality. The boot is so tiny there isn't even enough room for a spare wheel (a type of "puncture repair kit is provided) but this is a minor inconvenience, and lets face it, you wouldn't buy a Mini if you wanted to carry furniture around with you! Altogether, I would highly recommend a Mini Cooper, the impracticality and fuel consumption being a small price to pay for the amount of fun and enjoyment it will bring you.
The best features of the Mini Cooper are its individuality in comparison to other small hatchbacks on the road. The interior could be described as "retro", with lashings of chrome everywhere, and the large central speedometer harks back to Minis of old. Because much of the equipment was available as options, it is very difficult to find two the same.
To improve the Mini Cooper, it would be an advantage to include a spare wheel, as this could be accesssed from the underneath similar to a Peugeot 206.
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