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Mini Cooper vs. VW New Beetle - READ ONLY

20 messages,  Last post on Dec 17, 2006 at 12:52 AM

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What is this discussion about? MINI Cooper, Volkswagen New Beetle, Coupe, Convertible, Hatchback

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#1 of 20 Kissing Cousins? by brechbiel Apr 06, 2002 (7:58 pm)
The new Mini Cooper and the recently introduced VW New Beetle have much in common: Both are retro European small cars of similar size. Both are front wheel drive. Both have a smorgasboard of safety and performance features, combined with a huge "fun factor." One is available with two different turbo charged motors. The other can be had with a supercharged motor. Both have a similar price range. Both are essentially German, of not made there. The New Beetle, of course, is inherently more familiar to Americans, and perhaps less novel than the Mini. I like em' both!   Let's hear it from those who have compared these two models. Which do you prefer? Would you (have you) bought one?   Also, has anyone found interior volume specifications for the Mini Cooper? It appears to be 10-15% smaller than the VW New Beetle.   Start your engines... Replies to this message: captainm (Jun 17, 2006 6:37 pm)
#2 of 20 Difficult Question.... by tollag Apr 07, 2002 (4:50 pm)
First, the cooper is about 10% smaller on the inside than the VW, but you can't really tell from the inside... When it comes to handling, I enjoyed the Cooper S much more than the VW turbo. And with he price... I say you should all act fast and reserve your Cooper, while it IS MSRP, because dealers WILL be jacking up the price... Mine gets here in September!
#3 of 20 MINI vs. BEETLE by verozahl Apr 13, 2002 (11:06 am)
My Fad vs. Your Fad!
#4 of 20 by freddy_k Apr 16, 2002 (9:54 am)
Of the two people I know with a beetle, two of them were unhappy with the car. One has already traded for a Miata, the other is already looking forward to the Mini. The beetle doesn't offer much. and not much though went into it besides getting trend seekers and VW fanatics to buy it. Anyone who knows whats good for them will veer away from this one. Replies to this message: captainm (Jun 17, 2006 6:39 pm) cct1 (Jun 18, 2006 8:19 pm) happycooper (Dec 02, 2006 9:05 am)
#5 of 20 Mini :) by tollag Apr 17, 2002 (5:28 pm)
I also have two friends with the VW Beetle... Growing up in Poland, I had a little Mini Cooper S, red, with a black roof... Looking for a new car, I was ecstatic when I heard the MINI was coming back to the USA! First I drove one of my friends' VW' s.... It was awsome! Then, I test drove the new Mini... Before I left Herb Chambers BMW, I had left my $1000 deposit, and my Electric blue W/ white roof baby on the way.... I will admit that the VW is a fun ride, but, it is nothing compared to the "S"...
#6 of 20 the mini . by dusti Apr 30, 2002 (10:38 am)
is the first car to hit the USA market designed with an Euro sense of logic rather than the bloat and bad taste that American buyers have either been brainwashed or gluttonized into desiring.   wheels spliced out at the corners for maximum handling capabilites.   narrow slab body for maximum space efficiency and minimum manufacturing costs.   these type of cars are the modus operandi in Europe - cheap, mainstream, and highly functional.   now they're being parceled out on a highly rationed basis in the US with the requirement that they have to optioned to the gills with unnecessary junk to those with more bucks than brains.   hopefully that portion of the American market attracted to the newness or whatever will get satiated, and Americanized junk will continue to be popular enough to relieve buying pressures on this car ...   else it's investigating the grey market for me.
#7 of 20 mini interior is questionable by bananadan May 02, 2002 (9:16 pm)
OK, I can see that the Mini is a blast to drive, but after sitting in the Beetle Turbo S, in my mind there is no comparison. The fake aluminum plastic in the mini is revolting, and the knobs and gauges are cartoonish. The VW has a professionality about its interior that is totally lacking in the mini - - it is as if they said, "how can we make a fake Audi TT that kinda picks up TT styling cues but costs the same as a beetle." For instance, replace aluminum highlights with fake aluminum-like plastics. Controls feel cheap and look cheap. Result: tackiness. So: if handling is your be-all and end-all, the Cooper S might be the ticket. But if you're going to spend long hours in the interior, the Bug (turbo sport and turbo S) are mighty nice, and way better put together, with materials that are better integrated with each other and that are of higher quality to begin with. (that is, in my opinion only.)
#8 of 20 by verozahl May 05, 2002 (5:25 pm)
"Cartoonish" describes both the MINI and the Beetle.
#9 of 20 VW quality by bruticus May 07, 2002 (6:09 am)
A coworker/friend of mine took delivery on a GTI 1.8T last November (not a Beetle, but it is a VW). He spent almost 4 weeks sucking up a line of smoke&mirrors from the dealer; first they took his deposit and told him one was on the way, then they said they could get one in 10 days, then told him it'd be 2 weeks, then they called him to say the car driven in from Connecticut (DRIVEN, not trucked) was the wrong one (manual tranny instead of the Tiptronic; how can you screw that up??), then jerked him around for another 2 weeks before he got the car had been waiting to pay for for over 3 weeks.   Since then, he's had the vehicle into the dealer because a) the alignment began to drift after 1000 miles, and it took the dealer 2 tries to fix it, b) a number of interior bits (screw covers, recline-handle on passenger seat, some part of the cupholder) started falling off a few weeks after delivery, c) if he uses Tiptronic mode for an extended period of highway driving, when he slows down, the tranny the refuses to engage overdrive in either auto or Tiptronic mode until he drives really slowly, or shuts the car off to let it cool (the dealer has no clue what's wrong there)   In addition to that, it doesn't handle as well as he'd like it to (and he's not a go-fast junkie like some people I know) and is considering upgrading shocks & antiroll bar.   So that's a month of getting the shaft to get the car, several bonafide problems in ~6 months of owning it, and less-than-complete satisfaction independent of the troubles he's had. From the reviews I've read of the Beetle, even in "sporting" trim, it shares the handling deficiency that seems to be endemic to all VWs (at least from the rides I've had in his GTI and reviews I've read of Jetta, Passat, etc). In sum, VW has moved off my list of possible new-car purchases.   Just my $.02   DjB
#10 of 20 I like em both ... by perry40 Jun 01, 2002 (12:56 pm)
I really like the looks of both the New Mini and Beetle ... but both are out of my price range. Some of the reviews I've read of the the overall reliability of the VW have been somewhat dissappointing though ... especially since I'd like to pick up a good used unit in a few years. My friend/neighbour has a Y2K Golf 4-door in Indigo Blue that rides like a dream ... but uses oil and has been through 2 sets of wheel bearings ... and he babies it! Seems like the VW's that were manufactured back in the 80's were better than the current crop. Still love the looks of both the Mini and the Beetle though ...

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