Which minis are supercharged

The best that can be said about this is that it's less failure-prone than the unmitigated disaster of the base Cooper's CVT, but we still can't recommend the auto. The interior is also slightly less prone to rattling. In its final year, the R53 got a few special-edition models and unique cosmetic upgrades, but there's really no advantage to buying an '06 over an '05 apart from mileage and condition.

Note, however, that late production cars come with larger lug bolt holes, so getting aftermarket wheels to fit might be an issue. Worth a mention is the very rare John Cooper Works GP, which are almost never for sale and fetch a huge premium when they do show up. Everything about this last-hurrah is unique, and it blends some of the suspension and aerodynamic enhancements of the next-generation car with the rawness of the early Mini. It's the ultimate R53, but expect to pay through the nose for one.

Where to start? As we've noted, the newer the Mini, the better: these are pretty complicated little cars and you can expect to pay BMW parts prices when things go wrong. The original British Leyland product usually started if you threatened it with a large enough hammer, but this semi-Germanic version is a bit more prone to fritzing out.

Even though this is a guide to the Cooper S, it's still worth re-broadcasting that the base Cooper's CVT is not a transmission to be set aside lightly; instead, it should be flung into the nearest dumpster with great force.

When you finally find your perfect R53, it's your job to make sure no friend ever buys one of those fragile continuously terrible transmissions. Where the Cooper S is concerned, there are a number of continual failures to watch out for. The radiator expansion tanks on all R53s might as well be made out of Wensleydale cheese for all their durability. They are reliable, in that you may reliably expect them to crack and leak.

Replace before attempting a road trip. Minis also leak oil, which is a nice way for BMW to honor English automaking traditions. The crank seal is a particular problem, but the oil pan gasket can start seeping too.

The former is a bit more insidious, as you may not notice the oil leaking out, it has a tendency to run down the front of the block and blow away when driving. Keep an eye on your oil level. Aside from rattles and creaks and periodic electrical gremlins, one of the really serious issues to watch out for is mushrooming shock towers. Because the Cooper S comes with such a rigid suspension, the sheetmetal can take a real beating from rough roads. My comment was maybe a little harsh - but it was to make a point!

I thought the later cars were nicer to be inside than the first Minis. If that matters to you?? The turbo did seem pretty lag free and it also had the stop-start system which always made me think it had stalled reminded me of my first car mk2 Golf which used to cut out at every junction - although I believe this was a fault rather than an eco-design feature! I am sure that there are far more in-depth reviews between the two, rather than my mindless waffling.

I think it gets a bit like the turbo versus NA debate within VX circles You still got that VX?? The turbo is leaps and bounds ahead. The supercharged apart from the noise was s t in comparison. Get an r DanGT posts months. The supercharged seams to be a bit more reliable than the Turbo But as said the fuel use is a lot more, The build on both new and old is not as good as it should be.

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Matt Robinson 2 years ago. Remind me later. Share Tweet Email Whatsapp. I have a S John factory order Cooper works car with only 40k on it. It is great, fast fun an not for sale Tim Rodie. Alessandro Renesis. Marcus Tomczak. Jesse Billington. Chef Simonetta. Jane Fyffe. Kyra Sage. Alex Robbins. Join In Want to add something? Comments 10 Popular Latest. Dim Angelov Drives.