Nice video,but You missed the fact that form 2006 onwards BMW used engines jointly developed with Peugeot. The same engine Peugeot used in the 207 GTi and 208 GTi, except in the mini cooper s it was supercharged as opposed to turbocharged in the PUGS. Lol.. You're welcome 😄
I have owned my 2005 R53 since the day I ordered it new. The things you complain about are picky and sort of ridiculous. I've been driving for over 30 years and have owned 200+ cars. My R53 is the most enjoyable car I have owned. You repeatedly state the car isn't practical, but never explain that opinion. I have driven mine as my primary vehicle for years. It serves almost all pourposes well. You can even fit a barrel of beer in the boot without folding down the rear seats. Complaining for the sake of complaining doesn't make a good review. There is nothing wrong with the R53.
I mean, I'm a owner of a r50 for the past 3 years. And yes, it isn't practical, the boot is ridiculously small, the back seats are small as hell too. But even with that, I love this car. Ive been thinking to upgrade to the r53, but haven't found a good unit yet. It might have some inconveniences (like any other car of this dimensions) but the feelings this car gives are top notch.
‘Sud was great. It just didn’t have the spark I expected it to. But I think that’s mostly down to the reverence in which it’s held, rather than a fault with the car.
@@TwinCam Fair enough! I had one when I was a student and it would go round bends like nothing else. The steering just did not weight up at all! Flat 4, inboard discs, so much character. 😊
Far better car than the original mini , Even the gen 1 like this is in a different league .Gen 2 R56 German designed is way better again .All the gen 1 cars i have driven seem hard to drive for a small car heavy steering and clutch and a choppy ride cooper s must be even worse
I’m thinking about getting an R53 , what’s the space like in the back ? I’ve got a 16 year old daughter that’s never in the car for a long journey but had an Audi tt and she could hardly fit in and she’s a small 16 year old
Great video. You captured the essence of these great cars. Your right, these seem to look better each year and are aging brilliantly. They will be a future classic for certain. These are already going up in value. My wife bought her 2006 R52 (convertible S) as an ex factory/staff car, at 6 months old, 5000 miles. 18 years and 116,000 miles later we still have it and its been brilliant. Most reliable car we have ever had. I serviced the supercharger last year, and gave it a good paint and tidy up underneath, and until then had only ever had normal servicing. Sometimes we think about having a change, then we look at it, drive it, smile and change our mind again (like today a trip down lots of motorbike roads, top down, end up in a pub. Sit in the beer garden and look at it. My wife drives there and me back, you know the rules, to a happy wife,,,,,,) And she drives it harder than me. And has the points to prove it
You are a really good motoring journalist. Top Gear, and the wonderfulness of the trio being the pinnacle of car sh*t, never to be replicated, you do a fine job. Please keep it up.
I freaking love mine for all the reasons you mention, it really is a stunning achievement in aesthetic and technical design, and just try not to smile as the supercharger spins up, I bet you can't
mini won the 2004 car of the year award in Detroit, thats when I ordered mine. I own my R53 since then until now. Since I retired 10 years ago, Im able to perform most repairs on my mini. The last repair was a new clutch, but I have dealt with everything from car door latch to harmonic dumpler to calipers and everything in between. I love the ride so much more now. Thank you so much for sharing the history/background of legendary Mini Cooper S!
I have a 2004 Cooper S that I've decided to trade for a 2013 JCW converible. It's bittersweet. I love my S even though I see the serious upgrade from the deal.
To many Americans of Ed’s age this is a mini; they are blown away when they see an example of the original and how tiny they really are. I used to compete in autocross with my MG, and there were always a few minis there. With wide slicks and a few suspension mods they would lift three wheels and turn on the outside front tire! Always a blast to watch.
@@philtucker1224 I had a 74 Morris Mini 1000. It was cold, uncomfortable, noisy and loud but the most fun car I have ever had the privilege of owning. Over the years I've owned more than 50 cars but none handed as well as my Mini
@@colrhodes377 yes they were great! (Mine was an older 850 for a while and then we dropped an MG 1100 engine into it) - much better! 😊stay blessed buddy.
That review deserves a like and a sub! Proud owner of an ‘04 R53. Gem of a car, and some thoughtful predictive maintenance will keep it running happily and you smiling all the way. Can absolutely see the value for good examples increasing in future.
Every friend of mine who had sold their 1st gen new MINI, was looking for another one shortly after. This thing is pure gold! Unbeatable in terms of fun/TCO ratio.
I bought my R53 new in 2004, and paid MSRP after a 10 month wait for delivery. The handling feels neutral until you reach the limit of adhesion, when it will gently under-steer. It spins a front tyre too easily in first gear. The seats are for XXL people. It averages 26 miles per USgal. There are just no new small desirable hatchbacks sold here in the US. After 18 years, this is still the best car for me. I love it!
03:29 - seems BMW saved the MINI. The New MINI is a great modern version of the MINI. The Classic Mini is fantastic, but the R53 is a better car, combining better machanical standards with good looks. Mine is a 2005 with JCW retrofitted. I'll never sell it. Still my "daily driver". Love it. Dreaming of a GP1.
Great video. Very well presented. I bought one of the very first R53 Cooper S models sold in the United States more than 20 years ago and I still love it. It continues to make me happy every time I drive it.
Find someone to let you drive one with the John Cooper Works (JCW) engine upgrade. Was a factory option with a worked head, larger injectors, tuned ecu, supercharger pulley and I think different airbox. They absolutely fly! There was also JCW body kit and suspension. You can have any without the other. All 3 quite rare.
I used to think they were just style over substance, until I drove one. I bought it 10 minutes later and I’ve had it 7 years now. Perfect driver’s car.
Really good looking car - Sadly, (in my humble opinion) subsequent iterations and updates consistently climbed higher and higher up the ugly - today’s car doesn’t work for me at all.
Great video, I had a Cooper S at launch, I then had the JCW upgrade, I must have had around four R53 JCW's as I got a new one every two years. These days, I have a GP1 in my collection, I agree that the gear changes were not smooth, however, the GP1 with the sound deadening removed to save weight, sounds like the engine is screaming when the supercharger builds up the power.
@@lewisteer183 I am as well, I had a few new R56's in my time, as with the R53, four I think. I collect the R56's now, two JCW Coupes, three JCW Roadsters, and one GP2, so all the two-seater models. The third generation does not do it for me, my daughter has had a couple of JCW ones, the second with the auto box, but for me, they have lost the Mini feel, that went with the R56 came to the end of its production run, and looking back, the GP2 was the end of era. I did have a deposit down for a GP3, but that auto box put me off, not for me. .
Enjoyed that buddy thankyou. For anybody watching...dead throttle easily made better by an electronic controller to speed up it's opening....eBay ones work just fine for about £50, and with regards to tuning them it's fairly easy to get them to around 190 to 200 bhp with simple supercharger gearing mods, 30% larger intercooler ...plus opening up the airbox to breathe and an exhaust makes the sound truly epic,and so cheap to do as well if you look on line...these engines are bullet proof and can take 400bhp on stock internals But be warned...when you start spending on them,it becomes addictive .
Nice video, you nailed the feeling people get when driving a R53 with the Supercharger and the six speed. One of the funnest Mini’s to own and reasonably easy to work on.
Superchargers are great, so long as you aren't paying the petrol bill. The BMW Mini is a bit like the Ford Focus, in that they got it so right with the first design, and then proceeded to make it just a little bit worse with every evolution.
Before I purchased my 2005 Mini (I'm a Yank and wanted a small European car), I was looking into the Fiat 500 Turbo (or Abarth). Whatever anyone may say about the 500's build quality or relability -- it turns out the 1.4 engine is pretty reliable when properly maintained. And surprise-surprise, that engine is Chrysler engineered! My only complaint is that they went with a cam belt instead of a chain. Odd because their 2.4 engine (Fiat 500X) has a cam chain. Anyway, the Mini won out with me and I'm completely bonkers about owning and driving it.
The 500 is a curious thing to study in the UK, because the basic car is now 16 years old, and is still incredibly successful. They're *the* standard choice of car for a teenage girl here, and the Abarths are considered brilliant little weapons. But here, as elsewhere, Fiats have a perceived quality/reliability problem. But the 500, despite some convoluted service techniques, has proved itself so successful that it's managed to pull away from that Fiat perception and just be considered a great little car, and that's funny, because the MINI has never quite managed that.
Had the slightly revised 2004 R53 Cooper S for a few years. Had a Kavs reduced pulley on it and went like the proverbial off a shovel! Very thirsty though and swapped out runflats for normal tyres. Loved it.
I just bought a 2004 R53 with 15K miles and it's the most fun one can have with their clothes on. I have owned two MR2's, two Civic SI's, and an EVO VIII. None of them put smiles on my face right from the jump like this Mini does. IMO, the car is brilliant in every respect. I see no issues with power delivery nor shifting. It's far and away the best handling car I've ever owned. Go-kart handling isn't hype as it exceeds expectations.
Do you have an S? Or JCW? I'm looking into getting an R53 in the next month or so and wondering if it's worth searching for longer to find a JCW. I've found a few 05 or 06 really clean S's but not sure how much I'd be missing out.
@@dsher503 I would buy an s and then get a smaller supercharger pulley along with new headers and air intake from aitec, plus Mégane front brakes and you will be as fast as the John cooper works
So true and value is insane, got my 06 r53 for 3k back in '19 and fixed it up a little, got it to 205whp etc. etc. , more fun than my built 11 sec 04 wrx
Have you driven a Lotus Elise ? I’ve never driven a Mini but I’m in the process of buying a Cooper S R53 it will be interesting to compare the 2 cars……
I've had 3 over the years, and currently have a british racing green R53 with white accents sitting in the driveway. It's a fantastic car to drive and I have a lot of love for it. Unfortunately its a pita to work on and constantly having small issues so I find myself driving my FRS more and more while the Mini has fallen to winter beater duty.
I’ve owned an R53 Cooper S JCW for five years now. It’s the modern Mini that most closely aligns to feel and characteristics of the original Mini. Always puts a smile on my face when driving it and love the super charger sound, which gives an impressive power boost when needed. I’ve driven the later generations of modern Mini as well and although they are more comfortable, the R53 is the most fun to drive.
I sold my 05 plate R50 Mini One on Thursday. Enjoyed driving it but I wouldn't buy a newer one. I hate the Union Jack lights and other tacky gimmicks that've infested the newer models.
A very good in-depth review video! However as a a fan of the R50 I want to scream 'not another R53 Cooper S review' video. Judging by the videos on the 1st generation MINI on RU-vid, you'd be excused for thinking the One and Cooper never existed. Hope you get to try a standard R50 soon - they are without the fun supercharger whine, but are significantly more economical, reliable and I think a more usable day-to-day car, and 99% as fun.
I plugged in a Sprint Booster throttle response unit on my 03 S. It fixes all the lag, and I run it in race mode. I put it back to stock last week just to test it out, but it`s not the same car without it. I`m sure you can add a program to tune throttle response, but an easy solution is the Sprint Booster.
Great video, love my r53, gives me the same grin & giggle you had every time I drive it! The 2 issues you mentioned are easily rectified on these, gear change, probably just worn, new bushes & a grease & you get a really slick shift! Throttle response can be vastly improved & made adjustable by fitting a sprint booster!
I will admit, I hated the 'Fake Mini' when it came out. I, like so many around me, was simply too enamoured with the original. However, looking back two decades later, I realise that it's a fairly good update which at least tried to capture something of the character of the original. I do despise the subsequent versions, though - they're just bloated beyond all recognition.
Hello Ed, long time viewer, first time commenting. I love the detail you embed in every review and your shared views. Tonight I purchased a 2003 R53 Cooper S. My first ever drive of a R53 was earlier this evening - I bought it. I have to now derided the modern mini for many of the reasons you have raised in this video - my appreciation of the cars fundamentals aligns perfectly with you descriptions. I have never felt a gear change as I did tonight, strange/different, I needed more time to perfect it - you raise this about half way through your review. Connected and a great sense of knowing what the car is doing - a wonderful sense as my drive progressed. A blend of the BMC/Rover view and the end result. I ended my drive with a confidence that a purchase was the best thing to do. I believe I now own a fantastic classic car; your review has confirmed it. Keep up the great work.
Great review, and interesting model history. I have a R52 Cooper S JCW convertible with 48k miles in California, and it's a ton of fun. Previously had a Boxster, Cayman, Elise, MX-5, MR2 etc - the Mini makes even a supermarket trip good fun, whereas those cars needed the right road on the right day. I find there's a real sense of occasion each time I take it out, and it gets a lot of compliments too. Recently spent a day in a new Z4 which was numb in its steering feel and entirely lacking in character. Couldn't wait to get back in my little $7k Mini. I struggle to think of a better bargain at the moment. Surely a future classic. Surprisingly they're also great cars for tall people. I'm 6'4 and fit better than in any sporty car I've previously owned.
I had a 2003 mini S, and had to sell it about a year and a half ago. I regret it so much, that I’m probably going to end up trading in my car and picking another one up. Absolutely hands-down the best car I’ve ever driven, I miss it every day 😂
Good review, it's strange why this video is so deep in the search, I already started to think that no one had done reviews on the S R53 until I came across this miracle in the depths
I have a 2019 JCW with all the toys, yes it's a modern one and I love the looks, the comfort, the ride, the 230 horses, the handling and in white/silver with a red top it's the dogs shiny bits. As it's now three years old I've recently test driven a Porsche Macan, a Cupra Formentor, a Volkswagen T Roc R and a boring 4 series BMW, none of these excite me as much as the Mini so I can't see any new car in the near future, if I had to change anything on the car I'd like a BMW badge on the steering wheel and on the outside in a discreet location a badge 'MINI by BMW'.
We had a 2005 Mini Cooper S when it was virtually brand new, fantastic fun to drive, but lots of issues with the gearbox and flywheel under warranty we decided to get rid of it. Also the R50 Minis are the best looking of all the modern Minis, they've just got bigger and uglier over the years. You also need to remember at this time many manufacturers were launching retro models, either remakes of a classic or something that looked retro (VW New Beetle, PT Cruiser, etc), so the Mini was launched at the right time, and the marketing for them was brilliant. The throttle response can be tuned to improve the response. Also it's worth saying the R50 Mini was one of those rare cars that was classless. I'd love another R53 as the supercharger whine was addictive. You ought to keep up the retro theme and review a Beetle 1.8 Turbo, or V5 Sport, completely different to the Mini obviously but all of this retro renaissance era.
@@darrenholmes3142 - What? The Peugeot 205 GTi shared nothing with a R50/51/53 Mini! It's a normally aspirated PSA 1.6 or 1.9 injected system, designed in 1983. No Turbo. No connection to Rover or BMW. Couldn't be more different and that was Gordon's point!
@@unkelartgarf3792 yes I agree but I’m talking about the 205gti of roughly the same era say, 2004/5 onward,, it was basically the same engine but with turbo instead of supercharger, too me supercharger best because no lagg which is bloody annoying when you are trying to “push on”😉
I love that car very much ,the engine and stile wise. A real icon! What they have done afterwards with a styling in the future generations after r53 don’t like it whatsoever. Always wanted one like this one but at the end have purchased Abarth 500 which I am happy with. Perhaps in the future if I find a good second hand one I may get one just for fun! Warmest regards and congrats on your channel!👏👏 P.S. Perhaps if you consider, do one on a little Abarth 500🔥🔥🔥
All went well till you compared it with the Alfasud. Yes for sure the Mini is better, its just developped about 40 years later then the Alfasud. Better comparison a Giulia Quadrifoglio with a basic Mini Cooper S. Or a Stelvio with a Cooper S. The Cooper loses anytime
No. Why would I ever directly compare a '70s car with a '00s car? That wouldn't make any sense. These things are done with context. The MINI is more impressive compared to '00s cars than an Alfasud is compared to '70s cars. In fact, the Alfasud rather disappointed me, because it's bigged-up as this revolutionary little drivers' car, but in reality, it's just very good. Nothing more than that. Very little personality.
Terrific review! I’m really fond of this generation MINI, but also the R55 Clubman, which still has heaps of charm and character (despite having turbo). I really wish BMW would go back to the R-series cars, but make them more reliable.
I have two first gens, r50 park lane and r52 cooper s and absolutely love them, and to be honest love gear change feel, feels purposeful and solid, not sloppy and light
Definitely the pick of the bunch. Huge fun and great looking. I would suggest not riding in the back though. I tried it a couple of times and, on the rather lumpy roads in the Cambridgeshire fens, I was nursing a headache from the constant contact with the roof. Fun for about two minutes. Best to just use the drivers seat then all is good. Good job Ed.
Considering it as a weekend driver, but its price is skyrocketing and I can't afford owning two cars at the moment, but one day it will be in my garage. I drove one of these for like 20 minutes and I've had a massive smile on my face
Always fancied one but unreliability horror stories put me off. Instead we own it's rival from 2005 the Fiesta ST150. Not as polished or as fun perhaps but in 8 years hardly anything has gone wrong and last four MOTs passed with no advisories. Also, being a sporty Ford it too is a future classic. If I had a mini it would be the R53 though.
Bought one of these on its release 20 years ago and loved it.The supercharger whine reminded me of the transmission noise in the original mini and I never tired of this.Residual values were amazing.I heard these cars cost more to produce than the 3 series.I did own the subsequent turbo versions but these were not as enjoyable and the quality of the car had gone down.The current offerings are dreadful.
@@Triggernlfrl I believe that is a reference to the Rover K series engine which is unrelated to the Honda K series. It would have been interesting to see what would have come of the new MINI (and Land Rover and everything else) if Honda had bought Rover Group instead of British Aerospace. (I doubt the Honda K series engine, which came out in 2000-2001, would have fit in the new MINI either as it quite physically large too. I guess the new MINI would have ended up with a Honda D series engine of some kind -- maybe a four valve or twin-cam 😉 variant!)
Frank Stephenson another underrated car designer, added to the likes of Raymond Lowey, Giovanni Michelotti and David Bache. I am not a fan of the new MINIs, those Union Jack rear lights are so stupid, and the size of the new ones make an Austin Maxi look tiny, even my Super Snipe looks small next to one. You must try an Audi A2 from the early 2000's, a car that the garage I use hates, I am using one due to both fuel pumps going on our Rover 75. Wonder if those are made in Germany? My former boss has gone electric, so has kindly lent me his little Audi, love it for it cleverness, even the daft bonnet. Great handling car too! Your uploads are getting better all the time. Keep up the good work.
😄 Ed, I hate you! I hate you as I seethe with all-consuming jealousy at getting behind the wheel of the tribute to the original Mini of the days of my rallying yore. They were and are a whole bundle or exciting and rapid fun. My first experience of when was when the local rallying butcher friend bought one to the club night, and we all had a go - and were utterly amazed not just by the performance but the proverbial to a blanket handing. The baby seem even a great deal better and to use and a proverb, it sounds like the dogs unmentionables! A thoroughly enjoyable and most competent video as we all now expect from the testing new kid on the motoring block - albeit you have reach the memorabale three years of doing it! Lol. Thank you. Rob
I have had my R50 (same color combo as this one- Hyper Blue with Aspen white roof) for 5 years now. It is let down by it's horrible reliability and some cheap plastics on the interior and I have thought about getting rid of it several times. Then I drive it again and just can't bear to part with it. They are just so good to drive!
I really didn't want to like the BMW Mini, being a die-hard classic Mini fan and owner. Then, a couple of years after selling my last classic I drove a 2018 Cooper and you could feel the essence of the Mini in it. Once I'd done that it was game over for me - I started looking for R53s a couple of years ago, because supercharger, obvs. And about 18 months ago I bought an 04 plate Cooper S and completely love it! It's nowhere near the same as any of my old Minis, but the spirit is there.
Great video! About 6 months ago I sold my boring Nissan Micra, after owning a series of other car just like it, and finally bought something I've always wanted -- a Mini! I live in central Canada and older cars are pretty rare given our 5 plus months of solid winter. I knew very little about the new Minis; I ended up getting a 2010 R55. There were only three R55s for sale in the entire country at that time. I was also interested in a really nice R50 but this is my only car and my daily driver so I was afraid of getting some too old to maintain. If I had to do it over again, I'd go for the R50!
Just got an 05 in Pepper White this year. Had to do some maintenance, but none of it was too hard or expensive. It had 115K miles on it, replaced the timing chain tensioner and Cam position sensor. Did an oil change (added a Fumoto). Went ahead and replaced the valve cover gasket. All pretty easy. These cars do have a problem with mushrooming the strut mounts because the struts are so hard, but I got a set of Strut Tower Defenders and fixed that issue. They handle extremely well and are super fun to drive. Did the one you drive have the cackling exhaust, because it sounds great and is super fun (especially with the JCW exhaust). My wife want's her car to do it, too. 8^)
I’ve always wondered why superchargers aren’t anywhere near as popular as Turbos? After all, SCs run much cooler than turbos ( that need masses of cooling in a road car) so I would assume more reliable ?? 🤔
In the modern era of efficiency and fuel economy targets, turbochargers increase the thermal efficiency of an engine (allowing a smaller, more efficient engine off-boost at least) whereas superchargers just add parasitic drag all the time (unless fitted with a clutch to disengage) which is the opposite of what you want to increase MPGs. There are a couple of cars with twincharger setups of both a supercharger and turbocharger -- the VW 1.4 TSI twincharger version (discontinued 2016ish due to reliability and complexity issues) and the Volvo 2.0 twincharger setup on some variants.
The first generation new Mini was fabulous. It wasn’t over-styled, and it was actually small. Since then, there’s been a general bloating - and it really doesn’t suit the brand.
2:18 just a quick fact check,some early model MPIs (97-01) minis did receive official Rover badges at the top of the B pillar. Only about an inch high, but they were there.
Certainly not in the UK. But if we’re talking about overseas markets, many Minis from 1988 onwards had Rover badges on the bonnet. Japan being the primary example.
R53 is the biggest barging out there for driving experience I have driven loads of cars and this is one of the best I have even driven it’s shocking how much of a barging they are!
When you say it’s smooth I take it you weren’t talking about the ride as we could here every bump and probably every small stone you drove over , sounds like everything is rattling about inside , puts me off getting one
They're great little cars, but as my mechanic put it "a little delicate". I sold it when the maintenance costs became a problem. By the way - I changed the gearbox oil on mine at about 135 000km and it made a world of difference to the gearbox and gear change.
The Mini has had to balloon in size to remain successful in the US because Americans themselves have gotten so fat that they need an SUV to be comfortable..... There.... I said it.
I do love this generation of mini and I'd never looked at the r53 s models assuming that the insurance would be high but the premiums are lower than my metro so definitely a consideration, would live a 56 plate with the panoramic sun roof and those wheels
Great seeing you enjoy yourself having a blast about the lanes Ed 🚗 I remember test driving one when they came out and they were a a lot of fun to drive 😊 I've always thought there's something a little off about their proportions though, especially to length of the doors relative to the body when combined with the rather bland rear silhouette when viewed from the side. Maybe that's just me though...
What a great video and what a great drivers car. Being old 51 and had about 150 cars and owning a metro gta fiat coupe 20v turbo and cooper s r53 the mini is much better car as a drivers car. I think everyone should have one. Electrics aren't great on them don't buy one with sat nav I only did because I wanted both clocks in front of me. Amazing cars. When are you buying one lol. 😊
Had one of these for a while with a few engine mods and performance exhaust to match 220bhp small pulley and remap all I can say is it was a riot not good on fuel but the torque steer was… interesting!!! 😃🤪
