Mrs Squad is thinking about a new (to her) car now her Civic Type R is getting on a bit.
Amongst other things she’s looking at the above cars.
Does anyone know anything about them? She’s a bit of a speed freak and fancies something with a bit of poke. I’m thinking the Audi will be more refined and have no idea about the Mini? Any other suggestions (£10k ish) gladly received.

Honda S2000

She’s a bit of a speed freak

Dacia Sandero 75 (see Top Gear France)

Renaultsport Megane.

BMW E92 335i? Her type R is getting on a bit, miles or age?

I’d have the Audi or the vw golf r for the same underpinnings but bike carrying ability 🙂

I’ve driven a couple of Minis, a Cooper D and a Countryman, and I now understand why people rate them to drive, they’re great fun, the Cooper D was like a bloody go-kart, but I really hate the interior, the dash is an ergonomic nightmare, the huge great speedo right in the centre of the dash where you can’t really see it, the tacho in front of you with a silly little digital speedo, and the glass angled backwards so if the sun is shining into the front or front-side of the car, all you can see is your own brightly-lit face reflected in the glass.
I guess you’d get used to it, but I’d rather have the Audi.

titusrider – Member
I’d have the Audi or the vw golf r for the same underpinnings but bike carrying ability

For 10k-ish? R32 money

Get her a new Type-R. Then laugh. Laugh at her hideously stupidly looking car.

JCW Mini is hands down the best car I’ve ever driven in terms of potency. More grip and poise than I thought possible.

Both have image problems imho. Scirocco?

Please buy this JCW so that I can stop thinking about it. It’s just down the road from me and keeps calling out to me.

JCW would get my vote because ima fan of the new ones….we’re on out fourth. On paper there are lots of quicker cars but point to point they punch above the weight.

The TTS will be way more refined but no where near as much fun.

For £10k I’d be looking at the E90 330 or if you’re really brave the 335 (brave because of turbo issues, HPFP etc). We had a 330 and it was a great car. Despite liking a drink it wasn’t too painful to run and it made a lovely noise.

Has she looked at the new Polo GTI? Bloody heck, those things are quick, 1800 turbo, putting out 189bhp, in a fairly small car, much, much nicer interior than the Mini, and just a more refined car generally.
Golf GTD’s are impressively quick, and very smooth as well, nicely laid out dash, and a lovely driving position.
I’ve never been a particularly big fan of the Golf, but, having driven a couple for sixty-seventy miles each, I’ve rather changed my mind.

The thing about the Mini interior – is that it’s a Mini interior. It never really feels like any other car and I like that.

Sure, it’s not sensible or ergonomic, but it has a unique charismatic feel. Some odd features perhaps, but it’s as if someone wants you to realise at all times that this car is unique and fun.

A Polo GTI, (ferinstance) will just feel like a sensible runaround shopping car, souped up with a few GTI badges and probably red trim thrown about.

A Mini feels like a Mini. A JCW Mini is like an hysterical ballistic go kart.

The Mini speedo is in the centre as that’s classic retro styling like the original car

OP the Mini is pretty quick but imo not a particularly nice place to be. Audi TT or the Golf R suggetsed above

The JCW is properly mental, but test drive one on some off camber back roads with the power down. The E diff can get a bit squirmy. Sold mine five years ago, it was the first of the second gen ones, my kids still talk about the pops and bangs, it did just make you laugh out loud. The big brakes look ace, and never faded on a track day.
Seats not great for me, swapped out the run flats cos the ride was harsh on the back. Forget the back seats exist. Interior build quality no where near VAG.
Bonkers car, loved it.

My better half has one, great fun to drive, very fast and superb handling but it’s very loud inside. If Im in it for a long drive I find it really annoying, but she loves it. My sister-in-law has a Countryman Cooper SD and that is much less brutal

Some good ideas here thanks.
I think the Honda S2000 is getting a bit long in the tooth style wise now as we saw it at the motor show when it first came out all those years ago.
Not seen the new Polo but I’m imagining it’s a bit above budget. I love the Golfs and Sciroccos and they will definitely be worth looking into.
Nice to hear some JCW owners rating the mini though. I think ‘bonkers’ is probably just what she’s looking for?
Jimjam- she absolutely would have the new Civic in a heartbeat if she could afford it. She actually called it ‘beautiful’ yesterday. I think it looks like a Transformer!

I’ve had an 8P S3, Golf Mk5 R32 and – more recently – a 2012 (R56) Mini Cooper.

Ok, it’s not a JCW; but I feel able to address some of the issues raised above. I’ve not had the Cooper long, but I do think its interior is a standout feature and of equal quality to the Audi or Golf (which share lots of oily bits with a TT). Of course, it’s a small car – but the rear passenger space is no worse in daily life than the TT, although the boot is small.

There is actually a small digital speedo readout in the dial in front of the steering wheel, so in practice I don’t use the central speedo. First interior impressions are akin to an Edwardian gentleman’s vision of a time machine! The drive is very likable… every inch the “go kart” of Mini advertising lore.

I’d find it hard to choose, but it would depend whether I wanted a motorway cruiser or a more fun, compact all-rounder. People like people in Minis in my humble experience, whereas they view people in Audis (I’ve had a few) with more suspicion!

MX5 not as fast, but much more fun to actually drive

Personally, I like the interior of MINI’s – they’re good fun and loads more interesting than VAG interiors (not a VAG hater – I have a vRS as a company car).

The R56 generation of MINI’s was when they first really started to feel like baby BM’s – the screen information on the rev counter are very similar to that of the E90.

They’re good fun to drive, although that generation is not hugely refined (the current model is much, much better in that regard).

interior impressions are akin to an Edwardian gentleman’s vision of a time machine!

Nicely put. I always thought they resembled something from the original Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers series with Larry Buster Crabbe, which is the same thing, basically.

Bump. Toying with getting a JCW but fear it may break me on a motorway run. Any views on an Audi S1 instead?

I had one of the older supercharged (non JCW) cooper S from around 2003

A complete to hoon around in and great fun.
Also really tiring if you are doing lot of miles or motorway runs (I was doing around 20k a year)

Not driven a TTS but had one of the first 3.2’s which have a similar power output. The mags say that they are staid and not great to drive, but being able to use a good %age of the power in all weather is a great trick and most people cant drift!

I had a 09 2.o TSI scirocco and loved it – better handling than the Golf GTi (I had a 55 plate one) and a really nice place to be.

Not sure of your budget but there are some crazy cheap Golf R deals to be had at the leasing companies – check pistonheads best leasing deals. Or perhaps a scirocco R ………….lovely!

I had a mk1 TT 225 Quattro. It was fun to drive, but still felt safe. Interior was very refined.

I’ve not been in a newer version, but I imagine they’ve only got better.

The other half has a Clubman Cooper S and compared to a VAG car, the build quality is shocking in my opinion. Also, the engine (08, so R56?) also drinks oil and has an incredibly difficult dipstick to read. I cannot believe how such a simple thing could be so hard to read! There all also issues with the belt tensioner I think it is, so beware of it if you buy one – assuminge it is essentially the same engine in the JCW. Search for Mini Death Rattle to see how common it is. There was a recall in the USA, but of cvourse in the U.k. the dealers state there is no such problem – my asre!

Alos, can you actually get a TTS or Golf R for £10k? I thought they were still more than that?

You can get a baggy 100k mile TTS for £10k, but not a good one.

R56?) also drinks oil and has an incredibly difficult dipstick to read. I cannot believe how such a simple thing could be so hard to read!

Not all of them do. Mine barely drank anything in 15k miles.

fear it may break me on a motorway run

I’ve done a straight 200 motorway miles without stopping and without any comfort issues, though not a JCW model, merely a N/A Clubman running 15″ wheels and stock shocks. The JCW and S models probably have firmer suspension but whether that will really make much difference on a long motorway journey is a little outside my experience as I’ve only driven the others around A roads.

Death rattle will depend on the year – it was sorted after it was ‘officially’ recognised – not sure when that was. Same as the water pump setting the car on fire – all sorted before BMW took it all in house and stopped the R55/56/57 in favour of their own car with a ‘MINI’ body.

I wouldn’t suggest a current scirocco – they’re based on the mk5 golf. The mk7 golf GTi is apparently 18% more efficient than the mk6, fwiw. Still great cars I’m sure, but the golf is so much more. Having said that, you can pick up some great deals on sciroccos around the 10k mark, and compared to golfs or tt of the same era, I’d be hard pushed not to take the rocco.
I might be biased though, I had two mk2s. 8)

A Polo GT, (ferinstance) will just feel like a sensible runaround shopping car, souped up with a few GT badges and probably red trim thrown about.

A Mini feels like a Mini. A Polo GTI is like an hysterical ballistic go kart.
FTFY

Funny seeing my original thread resurrected.
Unbelievably my wife still hasn’t bought anything but will be, in the next couple of months.
She has now dumped the idea of a Mini in favour of either a Fiesta ST or a Focus ST.
The Fiesta gets great reviews, and is cheap tax and good mpg though it does feel tiny inside which isn’t great as it’ll be our only car.
I prefer the Focus for size and with 250bhp it should keep her grinning?
These are a couple of grand more though, so who knows which she’ll go for?

The Fiesta gets great reviews, and is cheap tax and good mpg

😆 Good MPG!? 😆 I guess you haven’t looked into that, high 20’s / low 30’s with a heavy foot. I’ve seen as low as 17mpg driven by complete idiots.

Not read all the responses (and I have never driven a Mini to compare) but the TT is a great car – but all the reviews I ever read always said to just go for the standard 2.0l petrol as it is more than enough for anyone and is the best-balanced of all options. I miss mine greatly.

Toyota GT86 if you are want something different. 😀

There is no way you are ever going to get 17mph out of a fiesta St.
I used to hoon it around in a Subaru WRX and the worst I ever got out of that was 20mpg.

choppersquad – Member
There is no way you are ever going to get 17mpg out of a fiesta St.
I used to hoon it around in a Subaru WRX and the worst I ever got out of that was 20mpg.

I’ve got a mk7 golf gti and managed to get 18mpg from a tank after a day out on country roads so I reckon I could screw 17mpg from a fiesta st quite easily.

You mentioned Fiesta ST, my wife’s just changed cars (had the last one 9 years from new) and considered the Fiesta but didn’t like it for various random reasons and ended up with Corsa Vxr, which is great to drive and not as common as the ford as the reviews on the net are not quite so good. The boot seems really impressive for a small car, but if load carrying is key you may well be better of with the Focus or something of a similar size.

This BMW or something like it. The TT is a dull drive and the mini is a bit meh IMHO. I had a type R and she is likely to find both of those pretty unexciting in comparison if a bit more refined but that BMW is a very good car and it’s stupidly quick.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201610048421565?price-to=11000&postcode=kt89lg&radius=200&minimum-badge-engine-size=3.0&make=BMW&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&sort=sponsored&advertising-location=at_cars&model=1%20SERIES&fuel-type=Petrol&price-from=9500&page=1

Not really helping your choice though eh