2003 BMW Mini Cooper S review from UK and Ireland

1. Cracked windscreen.

2. Loss of Power on accelarating at around 1500rpm in first gear.

3. MPG!

4. Hard ride.

I bought this car 2nd hand after getting rid of a Vauxhall VX220. I had a Mini Cooper before the VX and only got rid of that because I wanted a soft-top.

I have owned the Mini for 1 month now and found it to be just as reliable as my previous Mini.

I had to replace the Wiper blades and put a new Wheel nut on, but these were due to the previous keeper, not the car and were very well priced by BMW.

I have also had to have the Windscreen replaced as it was cracked when I bought the car. Fair play to BMW, they replaced it straight away on Warranty as they said it was a stress crack, fully cleaned the car and had the work finished on time.

There are only a few things I am unhappy with.

One is the way the car accelerates in 1st gear. Unless you are driving at 10/10ths, there is an annoying dip in power at 1500rpm which makes the driver look like they have no clutch control. This is not repeated in any other gear as the revs don't drop that low when driving normally. I am going to take this up with BMW and see what advise they can offer.

Second is the fuel consumption. I do not race my car, but I don't drive like Miss Daisy either, however I find that 26-27 MPG laughable for a small 1600cc car. I manage only 240 miles on a tank and find myself looking at petrol station pumps far to regularly.

Third is the hard ride. I have the 17" 8 spoke alloys fitted with run-flat tires and find the ride is very hard over most surfaces causing tram-lining on some surfaces.

Overall I am very happy with the car. I expect good resale values when I get rid of the car, which is one of the reasons I chose it. It puts a smile on my face when I use it and would recommend one to a friend.