Hey, I'd buy it cuz it's got Vtak & I'm a believer. :cool:

 

The two are quite different.

The MINI is small. Smaller than a Yaris hatchback. The two models are very different and also priced about $3000+ apart. The base cooper has about 115 HP and runs about $20-21K loaded and about $18K bare bones. The Cooper S has an intercooler and supercharger and is rated about 167 HP and costs about $24K+. MINIs are highly customizable straight from the factory with many interior and exterior options galore. Too many to easily decide- requires a bit of detective work. Both models are available in manual and automatic transmissions. In Auto the base cooper comes with CVT while in the Cooper S it comes with an auto with paddle shifters. The Cooper S in manual transmission comes with an option Limited slip differential and both can come with upgraded runflat tires.

The base cooper has a stiff suspension and can be ordered with Sports suspension which is very similar to the Cooper S standard suspension.
Both models come with both front and rear anti swaybars (larger bars for the Cooper S).

Base cooper with 5 speed transmission often gets up to 38 mpg on the highway and about 32 overall. Cooper S with 6 speed transmission can get up to about 33 mpg on the highway and about 28 mpg overall. Premium gas is highly recommended but all grades of gas will work in the MINI.

Over 90% of all MINIs sold are made to order. Just the way the customer wants it. Those that are bought off the lot often have some add ons to aid the dealership.

The base Fit is not available in my area- dealerships have so few coming in it is not worth waiting for. The Fit Sport often is just Automatic transmission unless you want to wait alot longer- these choices vary from region to region. The Fit has four doors and alot more room and versatility for passengers and cargo. The Fit is definitely lighter.

Some areas are able to get the Fit at MSRP or less. Other areas are in short supply and high demand. In my area a Fit Sport with AT goes for $16.5K plus $3000 premium then all the add ons and fees. So easily in the same range as a loaded base Cooper.

Ride quality between the two is most similar between the Fit Sport and the base Cooper with stock 15" non runflat wheels and standard suspension. It's firm but smooth. The Cooper S has either 16" runflats or 17" runflats and a stiff suspension which is harsh on anything but smooth roads.

Most people will be quite surprised how roomy the MINI is both front and in the rear. Rear seats fold down flat and that leaves ample room for dogs, and much more. I have a MINI and fit a Sony 27" TV monitor in it's cardboard box in my rear area with the seats down. At autocross I carry: 4 race wheels (15x7 with 205/50-15 tires), a cargo box 5 gallon, toolset, racing jack, ice chest, helmet, race numbers, aluminum chair, two tarps, water jug, and more in the back area with the seats removed. My Cooper S weighs in at 2680 pounds empty.

The Fit is new and cannot be found easily used. The MINI has been out since 2002 and is easy to find used. A 2002 base Cooper with low miles (<20K) runs about $15,999 in my area. 2003 Cooper S about $20K+.

For those that need to seat four people regularly or to haul things of all sorts, the Fit makes sense. If you have one or two people most of the time then it doesn't really matter that much.

We do have surfers that own MINIs and a roof rack works nicely.

Reliability is better with the Fit. While early MINIs had trouble the latest 2006 models are much much better. Many of the used MINIs have already sorted out their problems through warranty.

If you are a tall driver up to 6'7" you can fit into a MINI very well. Not so sure about the Fit, got to try it on and go for a test drive.

The base stereo in the MINI is better than that in the base Fit. The Fit Sport has a good stereo and MINIs have the option for an upgrade to a Harmon Kardon DSP enhanced stereo for about $550 more. There is also a very high output digital stereo for alot more.

The MINI in all levels have the option for many different upholsteries. Leather in different colors, leatherette- which is like vinyl but looks similar to leather, cloth and combinations of leather and cloth. Leather gets expensive about $1300. There are many luxury options.

 

I think I know where he got them, i've seen the reference before at www.OUTOFHISASS.com :D

 

If I didn't have all my band equipment to haul around all the time (and a bigger budget), I would have been all over the Cooper S. I'd trade teh Fit in a heart beat for one.

 

i like my cars japanese made because then there more effecient, so driving a mini cooper is no option for me :P

 

How do you define efficient?

1. Acting or producing effectively with a minimum of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort.
2. Exhibiting a high ratio of output to input.
3. Something else.

In it's base form the MINI is efficient. $17,000+ sticker price, 115 HP, seats four, lots of safety equiptment standard, versatile hatchback design, gets 38+ mpg with 5 speed manual or low 30s with CVT transmission.

The Cooper S is less of a bargain but is a lot of fun.:) :D :)

 

hmmm i would say, car works for 15+ years without having to work on it, gets good mpg, costs less then most cars, getting the job done

so yeahs thats efficient

 

My old 1982 Honda Civic sedan was like that.
Seems more like the definition of "perfect".

Well the MINI is not perfect. It's got British heritage and some reliability issues in the early years. Lately the 2005 and 2006 model years have been much much better so lets see if those can last 15+ years.

Otherwise I know where you are coming from.:D :D :D :D :D

 

perfect to me would be seeing a race car in example a mercedes benz mclaren slr getting 50 mpg and only costing 20k, but has a 0% chance of happening lol

 

Ha!:D
That would be "fantasy perfect" for me.:rolleyes: ;)

Everything is a compromise these days.

Great performance usually means cruddy mpg
Great mpg usually means laggy performance

The more versatile the car is the more people want it the higher the demand the harder it is to get the car and the more you have to pay or search really hard or wait and wait and wait.

Sound familiar? Oh well.
Guess I can always ride a bicycle for efficiency and economy.
Too bad there are few bike friendly roads to get to work, more like just the freeway and a high speed two lane road up and down a ravine.:(

 

If you're talking about the base mini, the performance is very close to the Fit, and the Fit wins in 0-60. The mini S blows them both away, but all those extra horses are expected to do that....

Here's the numbers for the 2005 Mini and Mini S at Edmunds.com (full test of both) vs the Fit - Don't know what the changes were (if any) on the powertrains for 2006 Minis:

0-60 times:
Fit: 9.3
Mini: 9.8
Mini S: 7.68

 

The best part of the MINI no matter if Cooper or Cooper S is that the cornering performance is on par with any sports car under $100,000.
This assumes a skillful driver and some sticky tires not the stock runflats.

On the straights the base Cooper doesn't have enough power. The FIT probably can beat a Cooper if both have manual transmissions but if both have automatics I'm not sure what would happen. The Cooper has a CVT transmission with full manual, full automatic and sport settings.

I've driven a Cooper S on the track vs new Corvettes, G35 Coupe and sedan, BMW M3s, and Lotus Elise and the MINI does very very well. What ground is lost on a long straight is made up for in the curves lap after lap.
I'm sure the other drivers felt like there was a pesky mosquito trying to bother them in the rear view mirror.:mad: :(

Now I'd love to drive like that on the track with a FIT sport! That would really make some drivers mad.:rolleyes: :D ;) Maybe someday.:)

 

I'm not trying to start a fight...
...because I really like the Mini and think I would like to have one someday.
FIT v. MINI (unbiased sort of...)
BUT the Mini is a two door and phsyically much shorter (lenght and height) than the Fit. The two doors add to the sporting nature of the Mini but seriously detract from the practicalness. I'm not sure what size people the rear seats in the mini were designed for but I have tried and failed at finding a position I could sit in the rear and not feel seriously discomforted. And when I placed the seats up front in a position where my father(he's 6'4" btw), and myself(i'm 6'btw), could be adequately comfortable. I found that at that point there would be quite literaly no place for myself to put my feet...essentially making the Mini S a two seater for me.

Now, on the performance side of things:
The Mini was designed SPECIFICALLY to be a fun car. Alloy wheels, 5 and 6 speed manual transmissions. 115hp out of a torquey little 4 pot engine and an S model with a variant of the same 4 pot but with a nice supercharger pumping out almost 50+ more horses.
The wheels are almost located at the outmost extremities to provide a gokart like handling quality and the body has been reinforced in key places to eliminate almost any and all flex that would muck up performance.
low slung suspension aid too in keeping the center of gravity close to the ground and firm spring rates keep all four wheels planted to prevent the loss of traction during sporting manuvers.

Fit:
Honda designed the Fit much like the design any Honda. They looked at what market segment they wanted to dominate and they did just that. In Japan these B-seg cars are limited to around 100hp and are always 2ltr(or smaller) 4 cylinder engines(or smaller). The Fit is a City minded car. Gearing is very short. being that theres no overdrive gear 5th can be used at speeds as low as 30mph(possibly slower) as a result the fit gets much better fuel economy than the mini(cooper included) the engine in the fit(as everyone here knows) is a 1.5ltr 4cyl producing 109hp. The car weighs in a little lighter than the base mini. Honda went and took great strides in persuing the Fit to be a very well built and popular car among young people and enthusiasts alike in giving the fit fully independent front and rear suspension. Honda also located the fuel tank mid-way to make it a very safe car...at the same time also putting a very heavy item in the middle of the vehicle adding to the performance aspect. Being from Japan where space is golden, the interior of the fit is very large compared to the somewhat small size of the outside. The rear seats are built to fold into three main configurations to aid in the practicallity of the vehicle and also make it more space friendly...for young drivers who spend much time in their cars because of the high cost of property and leasing in Japan. I(I'm 6' btw) found that when my father(he's 6'4" btw) puts his seat at a position where he is comfortable I can, in fact, sit behind him with a bit of room to spare. Making the Fit truely capable of sitting four FULLSIZE adults.

Really the two cars are from different worlds..with different features that make each very cool to own and drive. We just have to acess our own needs when choosing a vehicle and not put very much weight into what others try to convince us.
and that's my final take on it...wheww:cool:

 

If you have just a driver and maybe one passenger (a couple) and you do mostly commuting then either FIT or Cooper (any) will work. The longer the commute the more the Cooper might work-handles long range well. In the city both are fine.

If you have four adults of 6 feet size or larger then the FIT probably will work best although I do know MINI owners that are 6'8" and doing fine as drivers- but doesn't leave that much space in the rear seat. For long trips the back seat is not friendly for passengers much larger than 5'6" tall. Kids will be OK up to teenage.

Safety wise both are very good. MINIs can avoid accidents very well.

If you are big on performance the base Cooper and the Cooper S will not disappoint and the tuner scene for upgrades in the US and abroad is rich with options (see webbmotorsports.com or helix13.com). The MINI community is rather mature with local and national clubs and websites. Maybe someday the FIT will have as big a following but for now the MINI has a head start on that. See Northamericanmotoring.com or MINI2.com

An interesting question is how do people in Japan feel about the Jazz vs the MINI. I bet they like the MINI more just because it isn't Japanese- just more exotic. Heck they'd like the Pontiac Soltice if they could get it imported for a half decent price.

One more point- MINIUSA only has to worry about promoting and supporting the MINI (a few different models) while Honda has many many models including the FIT. This means Honda can't dedicate the same effort to support FIT owners for events both local and national- heck they don't even make enough FITs to meet the most basic of demand from buyers in most places.

Bottomline- you can't really go wrong with either a MINI (2006) or FIT (any 2007). They set the standards for small modern and safe cars that most people would be very happy with.

 

Just got my fit last Thursday, have had my Mini Cooper for over a year now. I got a red DX MT, without tires but with a set of 14" alloys from the dealership in addition to the steel rims - I put 195/60R14 Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Pole Position's on the Fit to fix the desperate handling with the stock tires. Mini's got stock rubber (also horrible, but not worn out yet, couldn't do a similar deal with the dealer when I bought it).

So far here are my impressions. Both are fun, quick, hold the road really well, have good ergonomics, comfortable seats and a quality feel. The Fit doesn't have as much power in the lower end of the power band - presumably less torque, but I haven't compared the curves. It also sounds more strained as it revs, which is where the power is, which is too bad. But then BMW spent a fair bit of time and money making the Mini engine sound more impressive than it is - sound is an impression thing. The Fit gets bent out of shape in situations where the Mini wouldn't - I suspect because of weaker anti-sway bars and softer shocks. I look forward to the shocks wearing out so I can put stiffer ones on - or to my finding that I've got a spare few hundred to upgrade...

Fit and finish is excellent on both cars. The Fit has it in terms of creaking noises - there are none. That is the Mini's achilles heel - the dash creaks as you drive along. Of course with the radio on at all you don't notice it, but it's kind of disappointing for a "premium" small car. The Mini has it in terms of solid-feeling - doors are more substantial, everything feels more substantial.

But - the Mini cost almost twice as much ($27K vs. $15K CDN), and while it has more amenities (power locks, mirrors, sunroof, cruise control, heated seats, outside temperature, six speaker stereo, seat height adjustment, traction control, cargo cover, many more interior lights, air conditioned/heated glove box, windows and sunroof opening from remote, HID lights, etc.), does that make it worth double the money? Not sure, but I think I own two of the best cars on the road, and I'm not planning to switch either for a long time!

 

cooper s > fit. in terms of performance and fun.

 

Well that's your opinion...haha

Awww...I just hit 16K flawless, drivin-like-a-bat-outta-hell miles today.
Lovin' every minute of it.

 

New for 2007 are the R56 MINI Cooper and Cooper S (turbo).
Manual transmission or automatic with paddle shifters. No more CVT transmission.

Utility goes to the FIT but gas mileage would slightly favor the base Cooper.

Both are very fun but the Cooper has option for Sport Suspension and for the Cooper S an LSD from the factory. There is a sport mode button that is worth a test drive.

Fits come base or Fit Sport with one optional wheel and not much for optional interior upgrades.

MINIs come with too many options to even think about unless you are a shoppaholic or like to dream.:( :rolleyes: :D

A used 2002-2004 MINI cooper would be close to about $15,000.

 

Find Your Car: MINI Listings Near Spring, TX - AutoTrader.com

but with how many miles on it? you can't get a Base cooper for $15K under 40K around here? and the base cooper still only gets 25mpg city and 32mpg Hwy....which if I'm not mistaken....is significantly worse than the Fit's 35mpg City and 38mpg Hwy.

But realistically:
you're comparing a small BMW to a Honda Fit....I fail to see how these cars always get compared save for the fact they are small and cute. :)

 

2003 MINI Cooper in my area about 18,000 miles in very good condition
5 speed usually about $14,999 or less, I've seen several times over. I'm in Hawaii so few people drive more than about 7000 miles a year and some much less.

Listing in yesterday's newspaper
2003 Cooper 22,000 miles, Excellent condition nicely equipt, $14,995
BMW of Honolulu

True, the older MINI Coopers had lower mpg ratings I was referring to the new R56 base Cooper. MSRP $18,050.

For 2007
Honda Fit with manual transmission
28 mpg city 34 hwy
27 mpg city 35 hwy (auto transmission) (Hey I don't get that kind of great numbers in my Fit Auto! Only 30-32 highway and I drive the speed limit)

MINI Cooper (not turbo) with manual transmission
27 mpg city 36 hwy (many owners report 38 to 40+ on highway)
26 mpg city 33 hwy (auto transmission)

More than being small and cute (yes they are small compared to other small cars). They are similarly powered (HP) and come as hatchbacks (lots of utility but more so for the Fit). They both are at the lower end of the price scale for each automaker.

And if you don't think they are both very fun to drive then you've got to test drive both in similar transmissions. The MINI in either transmission is fine, just press the sport mode button (just the base model with no frills). The Fit is much better in manual transmission but so darn hard to find.:(