If you love cars and are looking for no nonsense fun reviews then Damo Drives is the perfect channel for you.
My name is Damian , a family man with a down to earth attitude and bringing a slightly different perspective to car reviews, with videos on a wide range of vehicles you should find something to intreat you from budget family hatchbacks to SUVs, hot hatches to the occasional supercar.
If you have an intreating or slightly different car and want it to possible feature on the channel send me an DamianMartin@DamoDrives.co.uk (Based in East Sussex)
The only thing I would say about this is most people will have these cars on finance for 36-48 months and then exchange it for a new model. For me it’s not the technology with the issue it’s the public infrastructure and ability to charge at home
honestly think mini needs to go back to superchargers i have an r58 s and seriously low end power sucks in these plus who doesn't love a 4 cylinder with a whine
Glad you enjoyed the video. Good luck with the project, if it’s a daily I would make sure you have a suspension setup is not too extreme. Mine was really low when I purchased it and it was not very nice to drive but looked good.
@@luisvalencia9817 They don’t make that exact size anymore so would need to be used but they are FIFTEEN52 TURBOMAC 8j offset - about £300(ish) per wheel
My first Ferrari and it was great. Similar to the 308 gtb and s. 2 seats in the back be quite small. Great handling. Whats not to like. I actually owned three at various times then went fot the GTB and GTS. There are some that say its not a Ferrari unless it has a V12.
@@roycarlisle3421 I would be surprised if Ford had designed a light to allow water in. It might happen with quite a few cars but does not make it right
Great video Damo! I've recently fitted the Tein coilovers to my 2005 R53 too...what dampening setting have you set yours to? Fully 'to the left' is too soft and a little wallowy for me...too far over to the right and my fillings are shaken from my head! Any recommendations? Cheers, Simon
Been an owner of the 2024 Kuga FHEV for a month now, lovely car, smooth ride and seems to get quite a lot of Electric usage when driving around town with stop/start and traffic lights etc. Found I’m not having to fill up the tank quite as frequently as my previous Petrol Focus which is a bonus
I have an airtec intercooler on mine which seems to work fine, afraid I cannot comment really as it’s the only 1 I have experience with. Have a few other r53 videos which might help
Takes a bit of getting used to … although that’s CVT gearboxes in general. If I remember correctly they use CVT boxes as they are the most efficient. I found in the short drive I had it was pretty good , driving it normally and did not try hard acceleration.
I have the 2003 r53, w 161 hp, I'm not a mechanic, I keep the fluids topped off, and new tires on it. I've been up to 105 mph, and it hugs the road like no other.
They are great little cars (although the build quality vs the latter models is a bit questionable lol) mine is 201whp and certainly progresses. Best on twisty roads
Help me to understand one thing: so the FHEV has the same engine and a small battery, the PHEV has a bigger battery and some extra weight (about 70-80 kg as I look into that), so how PHEV consumes more? the principle is the same, right? when you're moving you're charging the battery but you have the advantage to store more into the battery in the PHEV because is bigger, so if you're traveling alot outside the city you have the battery prepared for the entrance in the city, also when you're taking a break at a supermarket you're also charging. Isn't the PHEV better this way? from what I've seen the difference in price is not that big.
I ordered a PHEV Kuga in December 2023, preferring it over the FHEV version because: It has more power (225 vs. 190 horsepower). There is no control over the engine in the FHEV; it kicks in whenever the car decides. I received a government incentive of 6.2K euros. I received the car at the end of March, so here are my thoughts after three months and 6.2K km: I've averaged around 60 mpg so far, including a long trip. It's still hard to control when the engine kicks in. Even in electric-only mode, the engine starts by itself if you floor the gas pedal with a low battery. It needs to be charged daily. If you don't have access to a personal socket, it's better not to buy. I charge at work, but it still gives me range anxiety. These days, it's very hot, and after charging, the car consumes about 8 estimated miles per real mile driven. (Ouch!) I really like the electric drive feeling in the city. It's a bliss at traffic lights and in traffic jams. Overall, the car handles very well. If I were to buy again, I would get the same model, provided the government offers the extra cash, which is no longer the case. So, I'd probably go for a 1.6 manual Tucson instead. (Disclaimer: I am a diehard manual fan.)
Help me to understand one thing: so the FHEV has the same engine and a small battery, the PHEV has a bigger battery and some extra weight (about 70-80 kg as I look into that), so how PHEV consumes more? the principle is the same, right? when you're moving you're charging the battery but you have the advantage to store more into the battery in the PHEV because is bigger, so if you're traveling alot outside the city you have the battery prepared for the entrance in the city, also when you're taking a break at a supermarket you're also charging. Isn't the PHEV better this way? from what I've seen the difference in price is not that big.
It is all relative. If you drive mainly on highways, the battery and electric motor are basically useless, and the extra 100 kg will result in somewhat higher fuel consumption. However, if you drive in the city or on hilly roads, the bigger battery will store extra energy from regeneration, leading to lower consumption. I can't speak about the FHEV, but my PHEV regenerates a lot. Additionally, having the advantage that I can plug it in, it's hard to say in reality if, and by how much, one is better than the other.
Absolutely agree, driving pure electric in town is a bliss. I do have my own charger so we literally fill the tank every 2-3 months. PHEV makes lots of sense when you have somewhere to charge it and if there are some government incentives
Great video, I really enjoyed it! I had a 2008 S that suffered from the timing chain issue. I had to trade it in because they hadn't yet recalled it. I always regretted having to let it go. I test drove a 2025 about a month ago and immediately ordered one! Should be here within the next month. Can't wait to get back into it. It is a shame there's no manual but the automatic felt amazingly responsive.
Love the review. I have an R53, for daily driving through 22years and I still looooveee, but this is better and quicker ( unless yours isn't stock ). Even the C is similar to stock r53 and because it's not affordable here in Greece the 2 litter, I choose the C with the jcw trim which I loved and it's just perfect and quick. I was going for the f56 ( which I like but only the lci2) but thankfully Mini canceled the order cause this model is better for me. More roomier, fresh, comfortable and better tech. I love the dct ( 22 years manual in traffic is enough for me). I love the design in and out ( I saw yesterday a f56 and it seems huge the tail lights to me). The suspension is better, the DCT too and the power is plus 20hp...for the cooper c. I don't want anything more. Thanks again for the lovely review!!!!
Always great shynny paint jobs to hide thats these cars aren't reliable , easy rusting chassis & some are dangerous.. GO p Porsche in same years no problems ..
I had one of these on test for a day, plugged her in overnight next morning still 1% Battery even though the LED on the car was on green. Drove 35miles on country lanes & averaged 43MPG, not bad I thought. With a Tiny bit more thought this could have been an excellent car. Cup Holders are useless (arm rest gets in the way) Steering wheel needs more padding & the Entertainment System Heads Up is terrible but great standard speakers.
It’s millbrook testing ground used by manufacturers to test their new cars for handling , high speed etc. Afraid it’s not available to the public. This was an industry event which you had to apply for and you need to be press, media, trade etc
@@DamoDrives No, I didn't drive the PHEV. Although I could plug the car in my garage I don't drive every day and I drive 50% or more (Kms) in highway/roads annualy. In those long range (500 km) travels I would rarely save much fuel with the PHEV (may be a little). I do 5000 Km/year in town. With PHEV I could save 300 €/year. But I have to install a charger, and I would have a quite more complex electronic/software in the car. The FHEV is lighter, more agile, and less prone to failures.
I’m thinking of getting a used three or four year old one and great to find a review that focuses on the practical stuff I care about. Have you tried the All Wheel a drive version, Damo?
I ordered one as well, the Active X version PHEV, which in the Netherlands has 243ps. The Active X trim here is almost fully loaded, didn't get the panoramic roof and the matrix headlights. Can't wait to get my hands on it, but the leasing company says that delivery will be January 2025 :(, so for now I'm just watching video's of it on YT. Thanks for the content :)
@@DamoDrives Well first of all, I didn't really have a choice. In the Netherlands you can only order de PHEV atm, but even given the choice, I think I would go for the PHEV, unless the price difference would be dramatic. I can't charge at home, don't have a driveway unfortunately, but I can charge about 50 meters away in my street for a good price. Did the calculations and it's about 50% cheaper than petrol for me right now. Also, a few of my friends have PHEVs and I love the feeling of driving electric for short drives, but also want the freedom of taking a 2000 mile road trip whenever I want, so fully electric isn't for me just yet.
I’m torn on this car - I’ve driven it along with my other choice (Kia Sportage) both in top trim. They both had pluses and detractions -I really don’t like the interior of the Ford though, every car I sat in (and I sat in pretty much every competitor in the segment) had a better interior, with better quality materials….its not an easy decision.
no diesel option i getting 54mpg in local driving so the mpg hes getting isnt very good prices are too high putting you in the high V E D bracket so ill be sticking with my current kuga
Bought one of these Kugas on Saturday, replacing a 21 plate diesel S max. Quite looking forward to delivery after this review, if we do better than 37 mpg, all will be good
We have had our FHEV for two weeks and averaging 47mpg doing 10-30 mile journeys, not tried a long trip yet but happy with that so far. it is actually the same mpg as our diesel Focus ST we traded in..
I saw your review for Vitara, and I enjoyed it a lot because it was comprehensive. After that, I started searching for your review for S-Cross. I'm planning to get one of them, but I'm not sure yet which one! If you're the one who's going to buy, which one will you choose and why?
While I love my 2018 Mustang GT convertible so much, I would dearly love to have a Healey BN2 Le Mans. Or just a BN 1 or 2. Just , lol. More than just. I had a tri carb I never got back on the road (divorce) . ALWAYS wished I had.
2 very good hot hatches so you are bang on although the Mini is a rather good car and hoping I can drive the JCW at some point. Hot hatches generally are a dying breed as everything is going SUV
I'm genuinely curious about how good this could be as a daily. Looking at spec the high end trims come with gear you'd usually find on *much* bigger cars (massaging seats! in a Mini! AR navigation, 360 cameras, heads up display etc) along with a pretty comprehensive suite of driver assist systems. If the ride and noise are on the right side of civilised (and from the bowl test it's looking good) while still letting it drive like, well, like a mini then as weird as it sounds a Cooper S Sport with level 3 options coming in just under £36k might be something of a bargain with the way car prices have gone recently.
I really like everything about the car, while the boot is not that big you could do a weekly shop, a single suitcase or several soft carry on bags. It’s certainly bigger than my R53, comfortable and as you saw at 100mph not that loud (you would probably have music on as well) if you can drive 1 or an extended test drive I would consider it. Still feels like a mini as well
