MINI COOPER HATCHBACK READER REVIEWS

My car

After having endless problems with my Suzuki Swift I traded in for the Mini. As I do a lot of miles I decided to go diesel and its the best thing I have ever done. No regrets there. I have to say that he mini is one of the best cars I have driven, it handles the road like a much bigger car and it can fairly shift. Great for a long commute or a camping holiday up north. It also looks great despite Estate Agents ruining its street cred in the past. The stop -start engine is a really great fuel economy feature.

The only negatives are to get a great interior, air con and other such features you have to pay the extra for a chilli pack - shocking considering the price tag for the basic car. Also, the run flat tyres which are constantly flagging up with faults and so I have had to return to the garage with these several times. I plan to just replace them with ordinary (and cheaper) tyres over time.

The boot is small which can be a pain but you fit a good shopping in there. Over time I've learnt how to pack the car like a pro. I have managed to fit all our camping gear (tent, food, sleeping bags, gas hob thingy, clothes) and the sister in law, her friend and their bags, myself and my other half in the car. And it still powered up the motorway.

I do sometimes dislike the fact that the cars have become so common, on my way to work I am often surrounded by them. But now I've had a mini I think I would struggle to find another car that even compares in driving exper

My car

I bought this car new in March 2007 (R56 model) and have just sold it after four years and 78,000 miles. I had a love hate relationship with this car, loved it's looks, the way it drove, the way it made you smile... just not the way it broke so often.

I was driving 20,000 a year in it so I was far more likely to have problems than most, but for a car thats sold on being a premium brand it's wasn't perfect. The rear suspension broke, the engine seized after the dealer monkeys had a play and countless parts replaced. The warranty was brilliant though and kept the car going, but when my TLC XL package was due to run out I couldn't risk owning this car any more... couldn't trust it.

Having said all that I miss the car as it was fantatstic to drive and when it was working never failed to make me smile. I averaged 45 mpg which for the performance was brilliant, great engine just wish all the parts were made as well as the car looked.

P.S. Never run this car out of warranty! Parts will eat your wallet.

My car

I picked my new black Cooper up about 8 weeks ago now and am mostly thrilled with it. It is amazing to drive and even makes the morning commute to work fun. It even did a 6 hour motorway drive from Southampton to Newcastle easily. The engine has plenty of power so you don't need to work it too hard. Interior has tons of space in the front (I'm 6 foot 3 and have no problems at all). Great stereo, Bluetooth works a treat. Practicality wise it works for me as I don't need to carry a lot of stuff. Though it did an admirable job when i needed to move house recently!

Bad points? The ride is very firm on the 17 inch alloys. It is mostly fine and adds to the fun, go-kart-like driving experience but hit a pot hole and you really know about it. The big tyres also kick up a bit of a din on rough surfaces on the motorway. I guess those are to be expected. The one thing that I have been very very disappointed with is the fuel economy. The car doesn't sit in traffic a lot and gets a good run every day plus I'm not a manic driver. It had covered 1800 miles and I have yet to get more than 32.5 miles to the gallon out of it. Mini sell their cars partially on low running costs so I am raising this with the dealer.

That said, I would forgive it most things on the basis that I love it so much!

My car

Having spent over £17.5k on ours we are somewhat underwhelmed. This is pre stop start and economy over 20k miles is disappointing and tyres expensive and don't last long,positive is low tax and no servicing due to TLC. Number of problems with it - four different rattles initially it and despite four attempts there is still one present in the speedometer area ( a courtesy car I had suffered same issue ). The sump leaked and there was rust coming out from underneath chrome trim on belt line on rear offside wing as it approached tailgate. the sensors for puncture / DSTC failure have played up. not that impressed with dealer response either. I think i'll have a new Fiesta next.