VW GTI vs. Mini Cooper S vs. Fiat 500 Abarth

My wife has an '07 mini s 6 speed and loves it. We bought it new in '07 and it has 130k miles on it now. It's been fairly reliable but did have some warranty and recall work done. All I've had to do is a thermostat housing, valve cover gasket, climate control panel and turbo oil feed line.

If the clubman was available in '07 we would have gone that route for the third door.

 

Some random comments:

1. Volkswagen has, in recent years, really improved the quality of their products.

2. The very small size of the Mini and the Fiat poses significant compromises (and yes, I know that you're keeping the minivan) in their usefulness and functionality.

3. I feel claustrophobic in the Mini (despite the fact that I've always owned small cars).

4. The GTI provides the utility of a hatchback (and I think it's available as a 4-door) with the fun of a good-handling car.

I think the VW will be the more pleasant/rewarding ownership experience for you and your wife.

 

Golf GTI in a heartbeat over the Mini Cooper and Abarth.

 

I love my Abarth, but it would be a stretch to put four people in it on more than the rare occasion if your kids are of decent size. People fit in the backseat, I've had four people in mine a number of times, but males may have issues. Unless the back seats are down, there really isn't much of a trunk. It's a great car for me, but it's just the wife and I plus we have a big SUV as well. If you don't invision needing the back seats much, its a great car for the money. It gets lots of looks and comments anywhere I drive it, and its down right fun.

Mark

 

Oddball sleeper of the year with nice accommodations, Buick Verona Turbo. I doubt you'll see another six speed version in your neck of the woods.

My experience with VW dealers and VW of Canada was beyond atrocious. Never, never again.

 

On the MINI:

I own a 2004 MINI ONE, which I've had from new - so I know this car pretty well. First generation MINIs (2000-2006) are very involving to drive. Heavy steering that provides excellent feedback on the road and really makes you feel like you're a part of the car (though the power steering pump can fail, this is an ongoing maintenance issue every few years if you plan to keep the car very long-term). Heavy clutch, and you can feel the weight of the shifter too, again making you feel like your efforts to drive it are having a great effect upon the car's performance. If you're in Europe, the pre-facelift ONE and Cooper (both designated the R50, naturally aspirated cars) built before July 2004 has the Midland gearbox, which is not as strong as the Getrag gearbox in the facelifted models built after July 2004. The Cooper S is supercharged (designated the R53) and you will hear much of the whine from the supercharger in these models - it's a love it or hate it thing, with few people indifferent to the sound. The supercharged models have a tremendous amount of mid-range torque in comparison to the naturally aspirated cars. If you wife loves manual gearboxes and is a good driver, she may prefer a naturally aspirated Cooper as these are more involving and rewarding to drive fast. The Cooper S can essentially be left in 3rd gear on most country roads and is a little dull from a gear-changing perspective. The ride in 1st generation cars is sporty/harsh and you get a real sense of speed in them - hitting bumps and potholes is a spine-jarring experience from time to time. The accelerator pedal is very much an on/off affair, and you get used to applying pressure upon it rather than stamping it down to get the intended power delivery - the modulation zone is very much in the first little bit of the pedal travel.

Second generation MINIs (2007-present, designated the R56) have much higher quality interiors (very tactile) and have higher performance levels. They have a more sophisticated and comfortable ride, however they lose a sense of speed and don't give much feedback about the road or what the wheels are actually doing. The clutch is extremely light, the brakes are extremely servo-assisted and light, the accelerator feels somehow disconnected from the rest of the car, the steering is extremely light and non-communicative. Essentially, it has great performance but it separates the driver from the thrilling experience of actually driving it - it feels like a larger car, even though it is a small agile hatchback. It is not to everyone's tastes. I test drove a MINI Cooper S Coupé and, while it delivered the performance I would have hoped for, it gave me no feedback through any of the controls and their lightness made me feel irrelevant as a driver - I want a car to make me feel like I'm needed and this one didn't do that. Depending on whether you depress the sport button or not, you can improve the situation, but it isn't a game-changing difference and it would be a little annoying to have to press that button every single time you start the car. I'm told the Cooper S Works model is a little more reminiscent of the way the first generation cars drove, but I haven't been in one personally. Automotive journalists don't seem to notice any of those criticisms of driver involvement, but a fair few driving enthusiasts in the MINI clubs who own 1st generation cars are deliberately skipping this generation of MINI for lack of driver involvement - and there is some suspicion that BMW deliberately made the drive feel detached to encourage people to upgrade to the BMW 1-series to get that feeling back.

Third generation MINIs are rumoured to come out in 2013 or 2014, and it may be designated the F56. Many hope they're recapture the driving feedback of the first generation cars with generational advances in build quality, while others fear it will remain a non-communicative drive to try to coax people into a BMW instead. It remains to be seen.

On the Fiat 500:

I test drove a standard Fiat 500 and was not impressed. The interior felt very plastic and low-budget. The standard second generation MINI interior is far superior. The Fiat 500 felt more communicative than the second generation MINI, but it too suffers from a lack of a sense of speed. I have not driven an Abarth variant, so don't know how much help that is.

VW Golf:

I've never been in a VW Golf, GTI or otherwise, so can't comment there. Sorry.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Golf R. . http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2012-volkswagen-golf-r-us-spec-vw-gti-news
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOj30fJLx3E[/ame]

A drivetrain just begging for a BG (boost gauge) and MBC (manual boost controller). 100 extra hp is a mere 4-5psi away.

I am biased.

 

Speaking as a FIAT owner...Abarth if occasional back seat use by one kid behind the passenger seat. Unless your wife is petite she probably won't be comfortable with the driver's seat forward enough for reasonable leg room behind her, thus the FIAT is more 3 seater than 4.

The GTI hits the right mix of sporty, space, & style if something a bit more practical is wanted/needed. Reliability seems to be a bit of an issue from what I've heard but I have no direct experience.

That said, the MINI has several different variants so you can likely find at least one that checks off the wants/needs at least as well as anything else.

Other options, especially if 4 door/5 door is the way to go, are Ford Focus ST & Mazdaspeed3. Though they have performance to spare (relatively speaking) they do lack a bit of cachet compared to the FIAT, MINI, and even the VW.

Might want to check out some of the comparisons by the various rags, e.g....

Ford Focus ST vs. Volkswagen GTI vs. Mazdaspeed3

You could always get one of each.

BAN HIM!!!

 

Thanks for posting this. It does make a compelling argument for choosing the VW over the Fiat or the Mini. However, it's more of an apples to apples comparison if the VW GTI (rather than the R) is used as a benchmark against the Fiat and the Mini. For the wife, the GTI would be just fine!

 

I love the GTI and only mentioned the R because of the 4wd, good luck.

 

I've had a GTI (purchased new) for slightly more than 2 years. Zero issues. Unbelievable practical, fun to drive, good milage. There are things I would change, but overall I've been happy.

 

GTI offers another option that the others dont: four doors. This would be a value if the kids and/or their friends pile in. Add in an arguably better interior plus DSG and you have a winner and a good step going from a Minivan to something fun.

 

I'll vote for the Mini Cooper S hardtop. I drove one a few years back (stick shift) and loved it -- the BMW genes come through. The panorama moonroof and tall ceiling made it feel bigger than you'd expect, and the whole thing felt like a quality product. I thought the giant speedometer was a little boy-racer-ish, but overall liked the driving position, power-to-brake balance, etc.

I had a VW GTI way back when, so can't comment on the newest one, but IMHO if she's looking for a fun car you need two doors (not four) and something less functional and more cool. The VW is maybe a little too functional for the third car role. Mine was built like garbage, but that was back in the '80s. My 2010 Audi has been very good, FWIW.

 

This is what happened to our stock MINI Cooper S. We had the car for 2 years before it spontaneously combusted.

We bought an Abarth to replace it and couldn't be happier. The car has real character, the exhaust sounds really good (for a 4 cyl) and it's very fun to drive, everyone who test drives one ends up buying it. I wouldn't use it to transport 4 every day though.
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Just reread the OP post. If your wife is picking up teenagers, the VW is the only choice--4 doors. My GTI is 4 doors, and feels as though it has more room in the back seat than our newish X3.

If your want, there are also numerous upgrades (programming) for the GTI to increase the power and torque. The big option that was missing from the GTI was Homelink and a dimming review mirror--which is a less than $200 upgrade in the aftermarket.

 

+500!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8Fd47g1PPU[/ame]

 

I guess you didn't get the updated auxiliary water pump?

 

My car was #13 before BMW decided to issue the recall. Ironically this happened an hour before I was due for a service appointment.

 

Focus ST-better than all three mentioned.

 

FWIW, here is a similar thread with poll from 2011, Fiat 500, VW GTI or Mini Cooper S??

 

Update to that, I got the Mini, sold it little over a year later for a Fiat 500 Sport (mainly due to the price difference and I got a new job which put my weekly driving from 300 miles a week down to... 5 miles a week) and now I am seriously thinking of getting an Abarth.

The regular 500 is damn fun when compared to a non-S Cooper. But all I can think about is the Abarth version... and its true, once you test drive it you can't wipe the smile off your face. Its addicting! I refused to test drive one last August when I got the 500 but I gave in and now my mind is consumed with acquiring an Abarth.

 

I would go with the Golf R. A 16 year old boy had one at a TireRack driving school my 16 year old daughter was in and the Golf R looked, sounded and ran great. I now want one myself!

 

I would go with the Golf R. A 16 year old boy had one at a TireRack driving school my 16 year old daughter was in and the Golf R looked, sounded and ran great. I now want one myself!

 

EVO.