[hatched]

Interesting article on Edmunds.com. They compared the Mini S to the SVT – and the SVT was chosen as first-place. Read the whole thing here.

 

[BUR_ZX3]

passing along to my mini-owner snobbish like friends now

 

[Egz]

A six-speed manual transmission is standard, and it received high marks with a few caveats. One editor complained that the clutch was especially touchy when launching from a complete stop and that it felt a bit notchy throughout the whole shift pattern. Another editor logged a more optimistic opinion saying that the Cooper S' gearbox produced a more positive feel after each shift was completed — more so than the SVT Focus' gearbox.

How different can the same gear box be?

 

[aha]

But, who's more reliable ? I don't hear many MINI owners regret buying them. I may be wrong but it looks like the MINI is more reliable.

=dRe=

 

[EggYolk]

Too bad MINIs have the ugliest interior I have ever seen - especially the whole "toggle switch" thing. But they looked kick ass in the Italian Job. Hmmmmmm....do I like them or hate them?? The new spy shots of the convertable look sweet-ass though...check it out....

 

[blueSVT2911]

A six-speed manual transmission is standard, and it received high marks with a few caveats. One editor complained that the clutch was especially touchy when launching from a complete stop and that it felt a bit notchy throughout the whole shift pattern. Another editor logged a more optimistic opinion saying that the Cooper S' gearbox produced a more positive feel after each shift was completed — more so than the SVT Focus' gearbox.

How different can the same gear box be?

Drive an SVT and then a MCS. The Mini's shifter feels a lot more precise, and the clutch feels different too.

 

[ZXmurph]

I know we've compared them a bunch of time around here, but curiously every single mini owner I've met never cross shopped an SVT Focus, and a few hadn't heard of it.

 

[focusdchaos]

A six-speed manual transmission is standard, and it received high marks with a few caveats. One editor complained that the clutch was especially touchy when launching from a complete stop and that it felt a bit notchy throughout the whole shift pattern. Another editor logged a more optimistic opinion saying that the Cooper S' gearbox produced a more positive feel after each shift was completed — more so than the SVT Focus' gearbox.

How different can the same gear box be?

Not diffrences in the actual transaxel, but diffrences in linkage.

 

[hatched]

In the 2003 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study, MINI was darn near the bottom …

(Sorry for the giant image)

 

[SilverSVT]

In the 2003 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study, MINI was darn near the bottom …

[image]www.jdpa.com/presspass/pr/images/2003028bfull.gif[/image]
(Sorry for the giant image)

Only problem with the chart, as much as I hate to say it, is that Mini is just one car, where as Fords results are filtered down by each car it makes. So the Focus might be on the low end but something like the Ranger Pickup (which according to my old man (works where they build it) is almost equal to Lexus when it comes to problems per 100 vechicles) helps the avg up.

 

[AtBlue5spZX3]

Nice to see the Focus getting the respect and recognition it deserves.....

 

[01sportwagon]

Hummmm… a forced induction 1.6L Mini against a naturally aspirated 2.0L SVT and there was only 1.5 seconds difference on the lap times? Cool.

 

[miked_wz]

what's up with the 8.5 0-60 times? Who was driving these things?

 

[blueSVT2911]

what's up with the 8.5 0-60 times? Who was driving these things?

High elevation test area.