2012 MINI Cooper Coupe

A REAL Sportscar!

By knightshold (NH) on Sunday, May 12, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 12,000

Pros: "Handling and acceleration, fun, fun, fun!"

Cons: "2 passenger. Not to take grandma to doctors"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Wow! I have driven the JCW for 10 months and its performance still excites. It handles like a go-cart! Yes it's a 2 seater, but what is the advantage of an empty rear seat? Instead you get a useful trunk. The surround sound system delivers incredible sound! Six forward gears, turbo, and a 208 hp engine is a temptation to take it up to 150. As an engineer, it isn't the hp itself. The hp/weight is a better measure of performance, but torque/weight = acceleration. That's the name of the game! The car's low stance, rear spoiler, wide tires, and firm suspension give incredible handling! Since it uses a Saab designed turbo, there is no turbo lag, but you need to keep rpms over 2000 to get full turbo. Fuel injection works with the turbo to match the fuel with the air supply. Dynamic timing increases the spark advanced to suit the rpm. Even driven hard by me, I am getting 32.3 mpg. Less aggressive driving gets 35. Comfortable bucket seats with side support are important if you are making 0.5 g corners. The dash is like a cockpit. The brakes are huge and the stopping distances very short. The tach is right in front of the driver, where it should be in a sports car. (BTW, a car w/o a tach is NOT a sportscar!) In the center of the dash is a huge speedometer. This recalls the location of the speedometer in the Mini's of the '60s when they were a popular car for rallies. I was often the navigator in the right seat of the Minis of those days. That was before calculators, and I did computations with a slide rule and you got a better look at the speed when it was centrally located. There are 2 banks of switches, aircraft style, one low in the central dash & the other above the windshield. The heater/air/air conditioners are controlled by two rotary switches, one for the fan and the other for the temp. A third rotary switch controls air distribution. The rear view mirror must be set carefully. When done so, you get a full view of the entire rear window without the rear spoiler getting in the way. The seat heights and length are manual. With the standard tires I passed many snowtire equipped cars on my way up the steep hill in 3 inches of snow this winter. This is an ideal car for a sports car enthusiast. It is most like a Porsche at a third of the price!"

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Great Sports Car with lots of Admirers!

By Noojin3 (FL) on Saturday, May 11, 2013

I owned and sold this car
Reason: Upgrade to Roadster - My approximate mileage is 16,900

Pros: "Performance, Ride Comfort, Sporty Look, Fuel Econ."

Cons: "Only 2 seats; battery can discharge if not driven"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"The Mini Cooper Coup (new model in 2012) was an absolutely great sports car and it always got positive looks and lots of comments and questions everywhere I went! The design looks like a very expensive foreign sports car; very striking and unique design. Performance was excellent and I especially liked the automatic wing that would rise and lower based upon speed. The car had many available options and you could customize it to your tastes. In addition to its performance, the fuel economy was great--up to 35 mph Highway, which is hard to beat today. Its compact size made it easy to park and weave through traffic. I had the leather package special edition which was very nice. I took the car on 650 mile drives at a time for 12 hour stents on the road and the ride was very comfortable and this was with sport seats, sports suspension and the sports package. I could take sharp curves at 60 mph and the car hugged the curve with no body lean. Excellent on mountain roads as well. I only sold it because I was wanting the convertible. Also, for a two seater, it had a very large trunk compatible with the BMW 328i trunk."

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