We acquired seven Mini Ones for staff of our development company to use as company vehicles and for advertising - they are covered in stickers! I run one of the seven as my own company car having covered 36,000 miles in thirteen months.
When we went in search of staff cars, we were originally ... Read review
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Advantages: funky styling, pointy, rock solid grip Disadvantages: dull and uninspiring handling, rough engines, crap ride, not practical
We acquired seven Mini Ones for staff of our development company to use as company vehicles and for advertising - they are covered in stickers! I run one of the seven as my own company car having covered 36,000 miles in thirteen months.
When we went in search of staff cars, we were originally looking for a cheap option. We considered Nissan Almera, VW polo, and Vauxhall Corsa. We went for the minis because of the eye catching styling. ... ...mile daily commute which the Mini is not designed for. Aspects like the washer bottle isnt big enough for some winter trips can be a problem although 400 miles on 1 tank of gas is good - but not for a small car like this with a big 50 litre tank. I tend to get 37mpg from it although others tend to get less, closer to 30mpg which is poor. The reserve will do about 70 miles, which is excellent.
We acquired seven Mini Ones for staff of our development company to use as company vehicles and for advertising - they are covered in stickers! I run one of the seven as my own company car having covered 36,000 miles in thirteen months.
When we went in search of staff cars, we were originally looking for a cheap option. We considered Nissan Almera, VW polo, and Vauxhall Corsa. We went for the minis because of the eye catching styling. For this reason they are ideal and because of the low depreciation, leasing was fairly cost effective - but not the cheapest. between all of the cars, in excess of 150,000 miles has been covered!
What has gone wrong? Windscreens! My windscreen was replaced because it hummed. its replacement wistled! The wistle has now gone. Another of the fleet had this problem, which seems to happen at high speed. Stone chips are a real problem due to the steep rake of the windscreen. Occasionally this results in replacements. One of our vehicles has had four windscreens in 30,000 miles.
Other than that nothing major, one or two electrical problems - wipers failing to work, horns breaking, headlights staying on even when they switched off (!). `my car had a leak on the windscreen washer hose which was replaced for £10.
Just recently the car has started to make a drumming sound, so I suspect that a wheel bearing is on its way out.
If you are buying new get the TLC pack.
Living with it Minis are not at all practical. The boot is poor and so too is the rear passenger leg room - even for kids. They have made the cockpit roomy for front seat passengers. Great, but I sometimes have to carry four people. Oh, it is a four seater only - not for five.
There is no spare - because the boot is already far too small. This aspect i didnt think would be an issue until i had a tyre come off a rim which meant having to be towed, rather than being able to make a swift tyre change and go on my way. Turns something simple into a catastrophie.
I do a round 130 mile daily commute which the Mini is not designed for. Aspects like the washer bottle isnt big enough for some winter trips can be a problem although 400 miles on 1 tank of gas is good - but not for a small car like this with a big 50 litre tank. I tend to get 37mpg from it although others tend to get less, closer to 30mpg which is poor. The reserve will do about 70 miles, which is excellent.
The seats are crap in the basic One. the squab is far too short meaning sore backside - not helped by the roughish ride. The steering wheel is not adjustable for reach and average height driver like me (5'8") always find that the steering is too far away when the seat is adjusted correctly for confort and ability to get to the pedals.
On the plus side the column mounted rev-counter and digital speedo/temp guage are cool and very useful in this position.
The transmission is poor on the car and crunches into revearse. I often miss gears in this car which is not a normal for me. The gearchange is fine, although the clutch release mechanisim feels like it is stuck together with gue. The clutch bit point is low and not very positive.
Performance and Handling The 90 bhp One is a punchy performer and I would describe it as a "warm" hatch. The engine isnt a rever so there is always plenty of torque available and overtaking performance is good to the point of arogance. The engine is coarse and noisy when pushed or at motorway speeds. Performance could be better if they had made it lighter. The handling and grip is rock solid. The car has a very direct feeling to the steering which inspires confidence, although, when the car is pushed the chassis falls to bits and understeers on the limit - safe I know but I have grow up with 205/309 GTIs which dont do this. An event on a wet roundabout where i lifted off the throttle suddenly - narrowly missing a lamp post affirmed my position on understeering cars which is that I dont like them.
The ride is particularly poor when compared with the French competition. I initially thought this was due to the car being fitted with run-flat tyres, but these are not fitted to my vehicle. My girlfriend as a passenger finds the car uncomfortable in this respect.
Brakes are fantastic being discs all-round. The ABS can be problematic, often cutting in too early.
Overall A car designed for pretty boys and girls who dont travel very far. There are lots of better options available that are not as stylish but do a better job. Everyone that has tried mine to drive likes it - but like your sisters little baby, you can give it back when it becomes a bore. I would still buy a Cooper S if they were cheap enough.
Advantages: Fun; Styling; Handling; Practicality Disadvantages: Cost of car and extras
...This is an 05 plate Mini One, in Chili Red. We added a few options to the basic spec: manual air-conditioning; chrome lining on the exterior and interior; the 'storage' pack (whoever heard of a glovebox being an optional extra?); and, in a capricious moment of vanity, removal of the 'One' badge. All in it came to £11,300.
We had gone for this car for the simple reason that we wanted something 'fun'. Both of us being 'professionals' we found ourselves ... ...of car. The Mini and the Mazda MX5 were the only cars we really considered, and one test drive of the Mini was all it took to make up our mind.
The performance isn't really all that far down on the Cooper, so we decided the money saving was worth it, and at the time we wanted to see how the car went before deciding on a Cooper S.
Four days after taking delivery we were heading to Skye with the boot loaded up (seats folded down) and a couple of ...
blackpuddinonnabike 21.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of MINI One
Advantages: Solid, fun to drive high quality small car Disadvantages: Heavy on fuel, not alot of leg room in the back
We bought a Mini One in 2005 for my wife as a second car. We bought it on the lease purchase scheme that they ran at the time. It works by paying a deposit, we paid £2500 then for 3 years it was £199 a month with a final payment of about £5000 after the 3 years or you can trade it in for a new one and continue the monthly payments. We paid the final installement.
Anyway enough about the boring finance, whats the car actually like? Its great it feels ... ...keep everyone happy. Mini customer service is second to none and they are very helpfull. Its also worth buying the TLC plan, this is an upfront service plan and i think it only cost around £250, the service indicator in the car lets you know when the next service is due. We have had the car nearly 4 years and we have only had one service done due to the low mileage of the car. Money well spent.
Downsides: There isn't many, it's very hungry on fuel ...
trevn74 24.06.2009
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of MINI One
Advantages: Physical improvements on the old mini Disadvantages: Needs to live up to an icon and legend
...to preview the new BMW Mini which has the tall order to live up to and build on the reputation of the old Rover Mini.
One big difference is the new owner of the brand is German, though they keep it very low key, and there is infact no official BMW badge on the car. I did spot the words BMW moulded onto the petrol cap but that's hidden from view anyway behind a flap.
The intention is to sell these cars as Mini very distinctly from the rest of the ... ...the centre like the old mini and the Toyota Yaris and the rev counter is above the steering column. The dials are silver rimmed and the switch gear chromed. The chrome extends itself to the exterior grill, around the lights and door handles. The handles are the fridge door squeeze type. Space is fairly tight as my knees were rubbing against the (adjustable) steering column (I'm only 5.8) and the rear occupants only enjoy small car legroom. Access ...
opinion-maker 01.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of MINI One
Advantages: nippy smart and stylish Disadvantages: cost
...have taken the old rover mini and made it better. The Germans have had a knack of doing this over the years and they have done it again.
To do this they had a job. They had to keep the foibles and quirks that made the old mini so lovable. They had to inject modern styling and performance with the handling to match. They had to make it safe on today’s roads and frugal enough to pass tomorrow’s emission tests. They had to do all this at an affordable ... ...its ancestor that is what mini driving is all about. Handling too is crisp. A little choppy at times on uneven county lanes but that is to be expected as a result of its short wheelbase. On longer runs it is smooth and quiet. A vast improvement on the old mini.
Safety is paramount. Airbags, side protection and cup holders are all included in the most basic specifications. The mini rates highly in both safety and security. Again, a vast improvement ...
cabletow 06.12.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of MINI One
Advantages: Cool (Less is more) Disadvantages: Curb damage on the wheels
...wife and I bought our mini one convertible in June05. When we purchased it we liked the look of the mini cooper S convertible but couldn't quite come to terms with parting with all that cash so we opted for the cheapest option. We ordered a red mini one convertible with 17" S alloys, pepper pack, cd player and sports seats with black fabric. Oh, we also asked that the one badge be removed from the boot of the car. When it arrived we were so pleased ... ...he had not seen a mini one with that spec (or so he said). Anyway since we have had our mini for 3 months there have been many fights over who was going to take it to work. Although its the bottom of the range, it looks the part, and to be honest thats all that really matters. We were not bothered about the extra 5 seconds or so from 0-60. Lets face it, we can only go as fast as 70 anyway, and on average, we don't get above 30, so its all about the ...
Pie_And_Chips 22.09.2005
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of MINI One
Advantages: Retro looks, economy, great to drive, solid feel Disadvantages: BMW service, build quality suspect, annoying remote key fob
have to forever check the doors are locked. Build quality is questionable. My mini is black - the paint appears soft and scratches very easily to reveal the layer underneath - I daren't use a car wash. Passenger door doesn't fit properly - not spotted on the pre delivery check.. The boot has an intermittent fault that prevents it being opened. I've just had a large bill for a seized brake caliper - on a car in constant use that's not three years old. I've long given up on BMW and use an independent service point - with high miles it's not going to effect the resale value. Would I buy another Mini - possibly! But not a new one, not from BMW and I'd have it serviced by an independent from the outset. ...
Myboomerangwontcomebck 10.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: somewhat helpful Review of MINI One D
Advantages: Great Looks, great performance, holds its Value well Disadvantages: Lack of Torque up to 2500 RPM, No rear seat leg room, only 4 seats
Having owned the MiniOne D for six months now I can truly tell what the good, bad and ugly points are with the MiniOne D.
The car is completely standard with 100,000 miles on the clock.
Good:
Top speed (rated) is 103 mph, I have had it (cruising) at 110.
Acceleration - once the turbo kicks in you really feel the acceleration, have had 0-60 in 8.9 seconds.
Grip - Amazing, as you would expect with BMW engineering, it really feels like a go-cart.
Sound System - I have the uprated 8 speaker system which can play everything from Wagner to The Prodigy pitch perfect.
Seats - Sports seats all round, perfect comfort.
Interior - Beautiful, well designed and the central speed indicator is brilliant, real throwbak to the original.
Front Styling - Beuatiful graceful curves, makes you smile whenever you see it from the front.
Brakes ...
Glen1540 01.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of MINI One D
Advantages: Excellent Resale / Service Package / Looks Disadvantages: Waiting time
I own 2 BMW Minis a Cooper manual and a One Automatic, I run a driving school and find them not only easy to drive and fun but also easy to teach in and of course the pupils love them. The reason I went for the Minis was based on a number of factors, but resale value was a huge factor, I traded back a 2 year old MiniOne and had lost very little money on it. The other factors that make this a great car to buy are the looks, reliability and of course the TLC package, this allows the car to be serviced a number of times by a main dealership. Finally I would like to say that I will continue to buy the Mini until there is a serious competitior, I have looked at the Fiat 500 and Suzuki Swift but have to say that after an extended test drive they were no match ...
WWW.CHEQURED-FLAG.CO.UK 06.03.2008
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: somewhat helpful Review of MINI Cooper
