Article Comments - 2007 Mini Cooper S vs. 2008 Volvo C30

28 messages, Last post on Sep 01, 2009 at 12:54 PM

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What is this discussion about? MINI Cooper, Volvo C30, Car Comparisons, Hatchback

Comparison Test: 2007 Mini Cooper S vs. 2008 Volvo C30 - To see if the civilized C30 has a chance against the recently redesigned 2007 Mini Cooper S, we put them together head to head. We did all our usual track testing and back-to-back comparisons, and then plugged all that data into our scoring spreadsheet to determine the winner. (more)

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#19 of 28 Re: Yaris? [ellenbetty] by british_rover Aug 10, 2009 (10:03 am)
Replying to: ellenbetty (Aug 10, 2009 5:31 am) You can't realistically compare the Yaris to the C30 and the MINI Cooper S. The only thing they have in common is that they are both hatchbacks. After that they are completely different vehicles. The C30 and MINI Cooper S are sporty hatches. The MINI Cooper traces its history to the original Hot Hatch Mini and Mini Cooper from back in the 50s before we even knew what a hatchback is. The C30 is designed after the gorgeous P1800 ES sport wagons that Volvo made in the 70s. They are both sporty fun to drive cars that can still be very practical. The MINI Cooper S is more Sporty while the C30 is more practical because it is larger. Both of them have powerful forced induction engines and the MINI does get great gas mileage for its size. I averaged over 40 mpg on the highway with my MINI and mid 20s around town. I would guess my combined average was close to 30 mpg even with some autocrossing thrown in. The Yaris is a transportation pod designed by the most boring car company on earth with no history behind it and is only good for going from Point A to Point B. There are people that only want to go from Point A to Point B and don't want to drive anything that is remotely sporty because to them driving is a chore. The Yaris is perfect for them
#20 of 28 Yes I can by ellenbetty Aug 10, 2009 (1:11 pm)
While the Toyota Yaris can be souped up as a race car with a after market Stage II turbo kit, (doubling horse power), fuel management system, carbon fiber hood, air grabbing body parts, TRD parts, super grip tires, carbon fiber light weight batteries, I have zero interest in such air polluting hobbies. (I do know a guy who claims about having a sponser covering part of the cost of racing his Toyota Yaris). I love the advanced cab forward design of the Toyota Yaris. (The Toyota Yaris has a drag coefficient of .29). Plus the shape of the Toyota Yaris, combined with Meteor Metallic paint, reminds me of the color and shape used by shuttle craft for the NX-01 Enterprise. Add custom tags on order, NX13SC1 and NX13SC2, (yes I own 2 Toyota Yaris 3 door liftbacks), and a planned custom paint job to support my personal Star Trek web site. Each to their own hobby. Since I hypermile, horse power is less important than fuel economy.
#21 of 28 Do Not get the Volvo C30 by stacy26 Aug 19, 2009 (8:08 am)
I bought a volvo C30 over a mini based on reccomendations by the "car experts" here and at the Wall St. Journal and doing test drive. The Volvo is way more comy than the mini- however go over 40 miles an hour and you have AWFUL wind noise at the drivers door. I have had the door adjusted, seals replaced everything. On the Volvo c30 forum- users are saying it is a design flaw. Also the car seems to fall out of aligment at the drop of a hat! DANGER DANGER DO NOT BUY a VOLVO C30. I am going to take the hit and get rid of this car I am looking a Mazda 3's Replies to this message: qbrozen (Aug 19, 2009 8:09 am) stacy26 (Aug 19, 2009 8:28 am) british_rover (Aug 19, 2009 9:41 am)
#22 of 28 Re: Do Not get the Volvo C30 [stacy26] by qbrozen Aug 19, 2009 (8:09 am)
Replying to: stacy26 (Aug 19, 2009 8:08 am) however go over 40 miles an hour and you have AWFUL wind noise at the drivers door You've learned a lesson here. Never buy a car without test driving. Replies to this message: stacy26 (Aug 19, 2009 8:28 am)
#23 of 28 Re: Do Not get the Volvo C30 [qbrozen] by stacy26 Aug 19, 2009 (8:28 am)
Replying to: qbrozen (Aug 19, 2009 8:09 am) I did do a test drive, but was not allowed a "long" test drive and the dealership is in a city. So now I know not to accept what the dealership tells me. And I can't figure out why no review that I have read from the "experts" mention this. Only cars that real people drive have this issue. Plus I was not allowed to test drive MY car just the tester.
#24 of 28 Re: Do Not get the Volvo C30 [stacy26] by british_rover Aug 19, 2009 (9:41 am)
Replying to: stacy26 (Aug 19, 2009 8:08 am) You know the Mazda 3 is the same platform right? Its the same car as the C30 but with a different motor and little different outside skin. Never had that problem with the half dozen or so C30s I have sold.
#25 of 28 Cooper, C30, S40, Fit, Yaris, Civic, SX4 and Others by m4x Aug 24, 2009 (1:48 pm)
Drove all these cars (except the C30) in a 7-day span in my quest to replace our old clunker. Checked all forums I could find and read many reviews. It was a choice between fun2drive, mpg, styling, resale value and personality. All of these cars are just utilities for many people. For me, they are like my horses. I want to drive something I love, something nice and something that is also practical at this economic crisis. We have 2 primary cars (euro cars) and we needed a 3rd car for going from point a to b. We thought of getting the Fit or the Yaris. We drove the Fit for a couple of miles. It was nice and easy. The Yaris was nice as well. Drove it for a mile and thought of this car for my 75-yr old mom. These cars are too boring and they don't have personalities. They are just cars. The C30 and the Mini Cooper are not just cars. I took the Mini for a 1-day test drive and really enjoyed the drive. It's something you will always look forward to. Something I felt when we got our first 5 series few years ago. The C30 is a nice car too but never had a chance to ttest drive it (the closest dealership is like 50 miles away. On the 7th day, it was not a hard decision because the Mini took all the honors on 4 of the 5 areas (fun2drive, mpg, styling, resale value and personality). The hardest part is whether to take the Cooper, Cooper S, CLubman or Clubman S. I ended up with the Clubman S. I needed extra inches just in case I have passengers at the back. I've been driving this for 2 weeks and have zero regrets. I always look forward driving this baby. Never been this excited to drive to work - really! I would have regretted if I took the Yaris. Replies to this message: qbrozen (Aug 24, 2009 5:38 pm) m4x (Sep 01, 2009 12:54 pm)
#26 of 28 Re: Cooper, C30, S40, Fit, Yaris, Civic, SX4 and Others [m4x] by qbrozen Aug 24, 2009 (5:38 pm)
Replying to: m4x (Aug 24, 2009 1:48 pm) I'm pretty confused here. You posted in a C30 vs MINI discussion, typed C30 in your post heading, yet you never even drove one? Not much of a comparison. Replies to this message: m4x (Sep 01, 2009 12:54 pm)
#27 of 28 Re: Article Comments - 2007 Mini Cooper S vs. 2008 Volvo C30 [actualsize] by g0thamite Aug 25, 2009 (6:27 am)
Replying to: actualsize (Aug 29, 2007 11:02 am) I agree. I have just recently purchased a 2009 MINI Cooper Hardtop and when I invoke the "Sport" button the car becomes another animal instantaneously. I used it when I'm merging onto the highway. It's like a Jekyl and Hyde button.
#28 of 28 Re: Cooper, GTI, S40, Fit, Yaris, Civic, SX4 and Others [qbrozen] by m4x Sep 01, 2009 (12:54 pm)
Replying to: qbrozen (Aug 24, 2009 5:38 pm) Well, don't be confuse then. Was a mistake putting it there but I did plan to test it. Read the thread, they were talking about the Yaris and the Mini at some point. And since I drove both, I gave my 2 cents. I will not drive 50 miles just to get to test drive the C30. And just more FYI, I forgot to mention VW GTI. Took this for 3-4 mile sprint. It's fast and agile, has the best front seats but stereo is so 1998 and it's overall finish seems like it's not VW.