[jeremybingham]

So just to confirm what all you f56 cooper petrol engine owners know already-the little 1.5 turbo engine is a real gem. I've now had the 'pleasure' of driving another manufacturers 3 cylinder-we took our Dacia Duster for a service and i had a 3 cylinder Renault Captur 120tce for a loaner-and it just confirmed what you already know-the mini engine is amazing- far far smoother and nicer sounding than the renault, which was so grufff and vibraty(?!!) that had the service lady not told me it was a petrol, i would have thought was a diesel-it was quite pokey at low revs but ran out of puff far earlier than the mini, was no more economical and sent vibrations through the pedals quite strongly. It was quite a nice ride and a practical little thing but plastics were VERY scratchy!

 

[Evlkarl]

After driving several MCS as loaners and new car test drive ( MCS Clubby 3/4 Cylinders) I have to say that the 3 Cylinder F55/56 is perfect for my needs on a day by day base and I would order another one with 3 Cylinders and take the extra savings over the MCS towards more options. Of Course if Mini/BMW would bring the 210 over here or I would buy a JCW there goes that idea.

As far test driving the Clubby with a 3 and than a 4 Cylinder I would go with the 4 on the Clubby cause it feels a little more alive than the 3cylinder.

 

[Davyboy]

Pre launch of the F56 I was invited to test a 3 & 4 cylinder MINI's.

Bear in mind at the time I was running a R55 JCW, I liked the Cooper S a lot but then driving a Cooper I was blown away.

So when it was time to say goodbye to the JCW I had no hesitation in buying a 3 cyl Cooper

Jeremy have you driven the Ford Ecoboost?

My son has a 1 litre pushing out 140bhp I would be tempted in the new series 7 when out later this year

 

[jeremybingham]

No but it is supposed to be a great engine. Tiny too. Time to get it into a motorbike?

 

[uke]

Every time I've driven a justa loaner, I had to smile at the eagerness and can-do attitude of that little 3-banger. It's a winner.

 

[daydotz]

We about to buy a Clio TCE 120 it's fantastic I'd say it match's the 1.5

 

[Davyboy]

Not forgetting it's also fitted in the BMW i8

 

[ollie87]

We about to buy a Clio TCE 120 it's fantastic I'd say it match's the 1.5

Shame the car it's attached to:

1. Is uglier than the older Clios
2. Rides poorly
3. Has a terrible interior
4. Has terrible wind noise
5. Is bland to drive

And this is someone who's a fan of Renaults, I've even own RenaultSport products. However the latest Clio is awful.

 

[daydotz]

Shame the car it's attached to:

1. Is uglier than the older Clios
2. Rides poorly
3. Has a terrible interior
4. Has terrible wind noise
5. Is bland to drive

And this is someone who's a fan of Renaults, I've even own RenaultSport products. However the latest Clio is awful.

I've always been a fan of my clios we have a 10 year old mk3 its been the most dependable car we own granted its not the fastest or handles but theirs something about it that i love



It feels different enough to be new but still familiar it still felt like a clio

The only thing that took me by surprise was the steering was even lighter then the mk3

As a package its got some performance plenty of toys LED lights climate decent stereo sat nav reversing camera allround parking sensors keyless entry 4 year warranty

Its not offensive to look at the interior isn't mini standard & abit odd but its got a charm of it's own you can look past that when it's discounted like a Renault

 

[ollie87]

I've always been a fan of my clios we have a 10 year old mk3 its been the most dependable car we own granted its not the fastest or handles but theirs something about it that i love



It feels different enough to be new but still familiar it still felt like a clio

The only thing that took me by surprise was the steering was even lighter then the mk3

As a package its got some performance plenty of toys LED lights climate decent stereo sat nav reversing camera allround parking sensors keyless entry 4 year warranty

Its not offensive to look at the interior isn't mini standard & abit odd but its got a charm of it's own you can look past that when it's discounted like a Renault

Well you've not had the Mk.2 Clio is was by far the best car Renault have ever made. It's been down hill ever since, especially the Mk.3 **** me that was an awful car to drive compared to the Mk.2.

 

[MINIkiter]

Pre launch of the F56 I was invited to test a 3 & 4 cylinder MINI's.

Bear in mind at the time I was running a R55 JCW, I liked the Cooper S a lot but then driving a Cooper I was blown away.

So when it was time to say goodbye to the JCW I had no hesitation in buying a 3 cyl Cooper

Jeremy have you driven the Ford Ecoboost?

My son has a 1 litre pushing out 140bhp I would be tempted in the new series 7 when out later this year

Hi, my wife had the 1 litre 3 pot Fiesta, I really liked the sound it made, quite a surprising growl for just 3 cylinders! She changed it for an (older) R57S, and no matter how much I try to big up my JCW, she always ends the argument with "yes, but does its roof come down?"

 

[russ331]

5 of my 7 motorcycles had 3 cylinder engines, so I'm biased in favour of 'triples'. I prefer the sound & character of my Cooper engine to that of any 4 cylinder car I've ever owned or driven or heard.

 

[daydotz]

Well you've not had the Mk.2 Clio is was by far the best car Renault have ever made. It's been down hill ever since, especially the Mk.3 **** me that was an awful car to drive compared to the Mk.2.

I've had a mk2 ph2 if that counts

 

[macroenie]

picked the 3-cyl over the diesel. The savings in road tax compensate the more expensive fuel.

 

[CraigP]

Agree it is a great little engine. I've just moved to a Cooper S but I'd say the initial pick up from the three cylinder sometimes feels quicker - especially round town.

 

[SpaceGhost]

Considering that it's a 3 cylinder the power is good but I wouldn't say I love it. The power band has some dead spots. You ever hear someone talk about a rev happy engine? This one is rev unhappy

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[JJH]

I have the LCI Cooper with 7-speed DCT Gearbox and it delivers super-smooth, seemingly endless power with NO 'dead spots'.

This is not only the best MINI I've ever owned, its powertrain is superior to many BMW, Mercedes & Audi cars that I've either owned or driven extensively.

None of the four cylinder F-series MINIs I've driven feel quite as sharp/direct in handling so, for me, the 3-cylinder + DCT is the winning combination.

 

[jeremybingham]

No not driven any fiesta of late but the 3 cylinder in the st is supposed to be quite good; just prefer a unique design ; hence mini for me! i too never found my cooper lacking considering but take the point that right at top of rev scale is a bit pointless due to the power delivery being so low down in the rev range. Still loved that engine! Mind our jcw does sound amazing!

 

[VolcanicF54]

I recently happened to hear a BMW i8 which, almost astonishingly, uses the same 1.5l triple as the MINI plus of course electric power, being given the full beans. It sounded really impressive.

The 1.5 in my Clubman is very quiet, very responsive throughout the rev range, super economical and entertaining, especially in sports mode.

 

[mikeswagon]

I recently happened to hear a BMW i8 which, almost astonishingly, uses the same 1.5l triple as the MINI plus of course electric power, being given the full beans. It sounded really impressive.

The 1.5 in my Clubman is very quiet, very responsive throughout the rev range, super economical and entertaining, especially in sports mode.

I had the pleasure to drive an i8 a few months back thanks to the dealers drive-it day. It did sound good and was probably the only car on the day I really got into using the paddles. But I said it at the time, it was still good to get back into Tommy for the drive home.... he may have used a few more revs than normal that night.