Well...

Went to AGMC (BMW distributor in Dubai) and decided to take the Cooper S for a demo. A day's worth. Had it since yesterday afternoon, giving it back this evening.

The General Manager of AGMC is a Cypriot family friend, so it made it much easier for me to take the car. The beautiful young Slovakian chick, Sonata, who helped me out had initially said that I would have to return the car early this afternoon, because a client had booked a test-drive just a bit later on. Then she came up with a better idea...'how about you take the Cooper S Works, and bring it back at 7 tomorrow night? Are you ok with that?'....hell yeah I am! So i get the CS W.

Panaromic sunroof, 'The Italian Job' vinyl, chrome 'Works' dual exhaust, and bloody loud. Blue, with a checkered (b&w) roof, black spoiler, full-on heavy-a** bodykit.

PROS

1) VERY F****** FAST!!! Exhiliariting is the word to describe the pull & power of this car. It instantly picks up once you pull on the clutch, the supercharger kicks in at about 2,500rpm and :Yikes: off we go! I calculated a 0-100 time of 6 seconds. From 80-120kmph it goes about 5 seconds. 6 gears. I topped 210kmph last night with it but I din't switch to 6th gear. It could do about 240kmph.

2) Handles superbly. Breaks well. Was on a large oval roundabout doing 100kmph on 3rd gear, sharp corner approaching, downshift to 2nd, tilt the steering wheel sharp left and started drifting in line...absolutely amazing. Did not lose any control in anyway since I've basically been trashing the car (but then again that's what a test-drive is isn't it?)

3) Good gear ratios. 0-70kmph with 1st gear at 6,500rpm, shift to 2nd and drop at 4000rpm where the maximum torque awaits, release clutch and 2nd gear pulls away. Same applies for 3rd, dropping at 3,500rpm. ALOT of torque. A LOT of power. Especially since the car weighs just over a tonne. And it has a tiny 1.6 litre engine.

4) The view inside the car thru the windscreen and windows is really good...as in there is no problem with the A pillars being in the way of your view. Wide. Full. Just great.

5) Seats. Pretty good. Not as good as the vRS & 2.0 Fabia seats. They give you the support, but they don't hug you.

CONS

1) Steering is too heavy, even for a sports car. The steering wheel sucks too. All those knobs on it are alright, but the 'leather' and quality...I don't know...don't like it.

2) The ride is too rough with the sport suspension setup. Too too rough...it's not a car you can drive to work everyday without feeling like you need a massage. It's a weekend car in my opinion.

3) The car is so so light it wheel-spins way too much, especially from 0...and this is with the traction control on (as standard).

4) Even though the brakes are good, especially when downshifting, they are not good enough for a light car with this much power. You gotta push real hard without downshifting to brake hard effectively.

5) Absolutely sh**ty interiors. No difference between this and the Mini One. except for the seats and a few more switches and knobs. All plastic. Nice finish on the plastic, buit still all purely plastic. And overtime a 'stain' takes over the chrome plastics in the car.

6) Clutch pedal. It's wierd. I have to bend my foot right to be able to get it under.

7) Absolutely no reason for the rear seats to be there. There is no space, and those rear seats do not look comfortable in anyway.

8) Considering everything above, it is ridiculously expensive, and it delivers just as well as a Type R, which is half the price of the CS W.

With 200bhp and 240Nm of torque, it's a super fast car, and I love speed. I love the power it delivers and it's handling is top notch. However, it isn't a car I'd buy. If I were to buy a car in that category of hot hatches, I'd go for a Type R no doubt.

Now, in comparison to the Fabia in general, I will say this. The Fabia is a great car. It is solidly built. It is quick, but it is underpowered. I have 122bhp in mine, and it pulls great from 0-100 and after, and, considering there is no supercharger to get me to a 100 in 8.5 seconds, I reckon it's pretty damn good. Gear shifting (at least in the 2.0) is pretty swift and quick...not the greatest gear ratios but it pulls.

The interiors of the Fabia are solid. It's not all plastic, beautiful steering wheel, great great seats and it's a comfortable drive (even when lowered, but compared to the CS W).

I love my Fabia & I dream that I'll soon be able to tune it to 200bhp with a turbo included. You can imagine the sheer power of a turbo petrol Fabia can't you? If I was offered a choice of a free car between a Cooper S Works & a Fabia 2.0, I'd definitely go for the Fabia, even though it can in no way compete in terms of power, acceleration, and top speed. Handling is a different story.

I'm giving back the Cooper S Works in a few hours. I've actually missed my car quite alot, and I saw her last night when I was driving on the highway where AGMC is, sitting in the parking lot patiently waiting for me to take her back home.

Nice write up and some interesting points

Nice

Nice Story,

Woudlnt own any mini, even if BMW paid me, gastly little things

Joel

Nice review , thanks.

Sounds like you had fun.

very good review and comparison. Could this be posted under reviews or something like that (excuse my ignorance)

JD

There's a reviews section?? Ooops If a moderator can do that then please do.

MCS Works is a very quick car. I remember one car mag testing it against the Golf GTI and CTR and it was quicker than either.... 30-70 mph in 5.5 seconds, and silly, silly ingear performance.

I think it would take an EXTREMELY highly tuned vRS to keep pace with it, and the handling would never be as good...

But at the end of the day, it still looks like a gay car.

Thought you might be able to get your hands on a 200 bhp Fabia soon.Unless that story died a death.

I am not a mini hater,I rather like them just think they are vastly overpriced.

Have you got a pick of Sonata?

cooper S works is quicker than that isn't it? i'd have one for free though

Just returned the CS W. Sonata will call me in two weeks to take a demo 170bhp Cooper S 2005 for the weekend

No, I don't have a picture. But imagine Patsy Kensit as a young 25 year old and you'll get the picture

cooper S works is quicker than that isn't it? i'd have one for free though

Quicker than what? If its the Fabia you're talking about then yes, but I already said that in the review.

i meant quicker than those figures, must be slower than i thought it was

No, I don't have a picture. But imagine Patsy Kensit as a young 25 year old and you'll get the picture

What... the prospect of driving a 2005 MCS gives you an erection?

Off topic but I even force myself through emmerdale to see Patsy

...but at the end of the day, it still looks like a gay car.

gay in comparison to what? a poxy fabia??!!??

gay in comparison to what? a poxy fabia??!!??

as subtle as always i see. i think the mini is a much better looking car aswell

:sofahide: