A Used Mini Cooper S Is The Cheaper, Sillier GTI Alternative You’re Overlooking

Allow me to begin by admitting my bias.I own a 2017 Mini Cooper S that I bought used, and I love my car more than most. When I was shopping for a fun, affordable, practical daily driver, my wishlist included Volkswagen GTIs, but my bank account disagreed. The Volkswagen GTI is largely credited with starting the hot hatch revolution in the 1970s, but Mini introduced the zesty Cooper S in the 1960s, with numerous notable racing wins throughout the decade.

Though the modern GTI is one of the best balances of performance, practicality, and efficiency on the market today, even used MK7 GTIs are still too expensive for many buyers (me included). Good thing comparable Mini Cooper S hatchbacks are around $10,000 cheaper than GTIs right, and they offer higher reliability rankings, comparably fun driving dynamics and similar hatchback versatility with an much more zesty personality.

Let’s start with some titillating statistical comparisons. The facelift model of the previous-gen GTI had 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and it weighed around 3,100 pounds. The contemporaryMini Cooper S had 189 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, but it weighed a few hundred pounds less than the GTI. Car and Driver recorded a 6.2-second 0-to-60-mph time when they tested an automatic Cooper S four-door hatchback in 2015, while a DSG-equipped 2015 GTI achieved a 5.6-second 0-to-60 time.

So the Mini is slower in a straight line, and probably around a track too, but real-life driving doesn’t involve acceleration times or hot laps, it includes commuting and sitting in traffic and occasionally taking your car out to the canyons on an early morning. Flip the car into Sport mode and the throttle sharpens, the suspension stiffens (if it has adaptive dampers), and the steering weights up, prepping you for a grin-inducing romp wherever you’re going.