A MINI and a Golf
- Thread starter minigolf
- Start date
Welcome mate, good to see there is another aussie joining this great forum. I have to ask, why do you have both the mini and the golf ? Is it because they are both great cars and you can't decide which one to have? They certinally look fantastic. How is the ownership experience been, and how well does both cars compare to each other?
Well, the answer to why both cars is that the MINI is my daily driver, the GTI is my wife's daily driver.
We've had the MINI since June 2004 and the GTI since November 2006 (it was one of the first 3drs delivered in Australia). Ownership experience with both has been great. The MINI community rode a wave for a year or so which was great to be a part of with regular GTGs and drives etc. It's kinda died down a bit now, but some great friends still remain.
As for the cars, both are fantastic, although I'm getting a bit over the MINI's harsh ride now. There's one or two nice roads nearby that I love taking both cars on. The MINI is sharper and more focused, it has a big advantage in steering feel and turn in. The GTI is clearly the more practical, even in 3dr form and really is the great all round package that journos keep raving about. I'd be happy with either one for weekend blats if we had to give one up.
We've had the MINI since June 2004 and the GTI since November 2006 (it was one of the first 3drs delivered in Australia). Ownership experience with both has been great. The MINI community rode a wave for a year or so which was great to be a part of with regular GTGs and drives etc. It's kinda died down a bit now, but some great friends still remain.
As for the cars, both are fantastic, although I'm getting a bit over the MINI's harsh ride now. There's one or two nice roads nearby that I love taking both cars on. The MINI is sharper and more focused, it has a big advantage in steering feel and turn in. The GTI is clearly the more practical, even in 3dr form and really is the great all round package that journos keep raving about. I'd be happy with either one for weekend blats if we had to give one up.
CorpusCallosum
Oversteer Expert
Another Australian member. We must have a few now? Where are you from Down Under? Two very nice cars you have there and also some nice photography. Welcome and enjoy your time posting! I know I have 
Welcome and enjoy your time posting! I know I have
CC now is a GCF addict, and you will become one soon
Well, the answer to why both cars is that the MINI is my daily driver, the GTI is my wife's daily driver.
We've had the MINI since June 2004 and the GTI since November 2006 (it was one of the first 3drs delivered in Australia). Ownership experience with both has been great. The MINI community rode a wave for a year or so which was great to be a part of with regular GTGs and drives etc. It's kinda died down a bit now, but some great friends still remain.
As for the cars, both are fantastic, although I'm getting a bit over the MINI's harsh ride now. There's one or two nice roads nearby that I love taking both cars on. The MINI is sharper and more focused, it has a big advantage in steering feel and turn in. The GTI is clearly the more practical, even in 3dr form and really is the great all round package that journos keep raving about. I'd be happy with either one for weekend blats if we had to give one up.
Thanks for answering my questions, I still have a few more to ask.
Did you keep the run flat tyres on your Mini? How does the 2 engine compare? which car is faster on the straight and around the corner ? Have you modified your cars ? And which gearbox do you have for your GTI?
CorpusCallosum
Oversteer Expert
CC now is a GCF addict, and you will become one soon
He unfortunetly is not kidding
I'm sitting at work, eating my dinner and checking posts on GCF. Can't get much better! Well... I love the mini except for the wheels. I have never approved of any modifying
Manual ftw!
I ordered my MINI with 16" X-lites which I used as track wheels mainly. The Enkeis above were a pretty good deal and nice and light, so I flicked the X-lites for them. The usual wheels are R90 replicas.
The MINI has a 15% reduction pulley, ALTA CAI, Milltek cat-back, MTH ECU reflash, Eibach lowering springs, Whiteline strut brace and Whiteline rear sway bar. No doubt all these things help make the MINI more focused than the GTI, but my comments would remain, even if the MINI was still stock.
I've had the MINI on two dynos, one run at 136kW and the other at 127kW. Obviously quite a difference, but same mods, just different dynos.
The GTI is stock. Again, I've had that on two different dynos and the first run was 149kW, second (on a more trusted dyno) was 140kW. Not bad for a car that's rated 147kW at the flywheel.
Oh, and for CC, I'm in Canberra ... I thought the Telstra Tower/Black Mountain pic might have given it away.
Regular wheels
16" X-lites
Oops, sorry monster, I didn't go into much detail on some of your questions.
Run flats, when going to my aftermarket 17" wheels I used conventional tyres. As noted, my OEM wheel/tyre combo was 16” but even still with the 17s on the ride quality improved noticeably. The conventional tyres gripped better, stopped better and rode better. Oddly though, after fitting the Eibach springs the ride quality was about the same, if anything, the 16s with runflats rode a tiny bit better.
I’ve only had a couple of brief-ish drives of the R56 MINI, one Cooper and one Cooper S, and it is clear the 2nd gen runflats on the R56 MINIs are vastly superior to the runflats my car was delivered with.
Comparing the two engines is difficult in some ways. Before the MINI I drove a chipped Mk4 GTI (1.8T) and even though the MINI was at least as quick, it felt much slower. The rush you get from a turbo car really sling shots you, and it took me a while to get used to the very linear nature of the supercharged MINI, which at first I didn’t like. Of course, when we got our Mk5, I complained that I didn’t like the turbo rush and much preferred the power delivery on the MINI, haha. It’s what you get used to I suppose.
In terms of which car is faster, due to the above comments, it is a bit hard to tell. Over a quarter mile drag I’d expect the cars to be very close, if anything, the mods on the MINI might give it slight edge, but we’d be talking under 0.5 second. At the right revs, and the right gear, the in gear acceleration of the GTI is very impressive, but then the MINI’s throttle response is comparatively instantaneous and with the CAI and other mods you get the feeling of the car pulling right through to redline, whereas the GTI runs out of puff. Over 120-140km/h, in a straight line, the GTI is clearly quicker though.
Around corners, again, difficult to judge, but the MINI certainly feels quicker. That may be due to its sharper steering and lower ride. The GTI is quite an easy drive compared to the MINI, its steering is lighter (although still well weighted), its clutch pedal lighter, and as a result it is deceptively quick. Both are very enjoyable over a tight twisty road and were I forced to choose one for such drives it would be the MINI, the GTI does virtually everything the MINI does just as capably but with twice the comfort. If you were to put a stopwatch against both cars over the same stretch of road, I’d expect there to be stuff all difference.
The MINI has more character, but the GTI just does the job with a minimum of fuss. Perhaps the best way to describe it is like this. Driving the MINI is an event, driving the GTI is a pleasure.
Deutsch
Tire Trailblazer
Welcome! I think I'm probably the second biggest MINI fan next to you; you can read my posts elsewhere on the Clubman and Cooper, I also like the GTI a great deal too (not as much as the MINI, but great car). The MINI is most definitely the B road blaster between the two, and you can never go wrong with that.
Thanks for answering my questions mate. Interesting to see you have done some good modifications to your car. How significant was these modifications to the way the car handles? Was the Cooper Works performance parts not good enough and over priced so you decided against them? Do you think you are going to fit a LSD in the future or is your Mini fine the way it is ? How often do you take your car on the track, are the standard brakes up to the job on a track day?
I only get to a couple of track days a year, and for the most part the OEM brakes are good enough. The JCW kit costs AU$10,000. All up my performance related mods have cost me comfortably under AU$3,000. I'd say my car would be on par performance wise with a JCW car, if anything it may be slightly better. Plus, I've fitted all the parts with the help of friends, so that has been a good learning experience for me.
I have deliberately chosen aftermarket parts that are well tried and tested by countless others before me, so even though it is all aftermarket stuff, there has been a wealth of knowledge for me to draw upon.
The rear sway bar has had the greatest affect on handling. It was the most recent mod completed and it should have been my first! Understeer on the MINI was always there, but still pretty good. The RSB has dialled most of that out. At the moment, most of the understeer in the car is due to my tyres being old and due for replacement!
No more plans for any further mods to the car. I'm saving for an S3.
I have deliberately chosen aftermarket parts that are well tried and tested by countless others before me, so even though it is all aftermarket stuff, there has been a wealth of knowledge for me to draw upon.
The rear sway bar has had the greatest affect on handling. It was the most recent mod completed and it should have been my first! Understeer on the MINI was always there, but still pretty good. The RSB has dialled most of that out. At the moment, most of the understeer in the car is due to my tyres being old and due for replacement!
No more plans for any further mods to the car. I'm saving for an S3.
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