2003 MINI Cooper Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I loved this car from day one. I accept that it is a very small car, so it never frustrated me. In fact, I was surprised at how much actually fits inside, and you will be, too. Keeping expectations in line is key. It is not an SUV. It's a great daily commuter, grocery-getter, fun-around-town sort of car. If you like twisty mountain pass drives in the summer, you will love it for that. F.U.N. Jul 17, 2013

well obviously mine is completely different to the standard offering, but back when i first got it i went from a 1.6 Saxo to a 1.6 cooper s and its phenominally fast! standard power to weight ratio is the same as an M3, very under estimated cars and if you want more then 170bhp and 1.1kg weight, then go for the 210bhp John Cooper Works Version :)Nov 09, 2010

My favorite car that I have owned! Performance: With the supercharger, I had no problems getting anywhere quick. The entire time I had it, I had a whole lot of fun zipping in and out. Handling was a dream, like a go cart with great suspension, and the drivetrain ran smoothly, like a well oiled engine. Build: This was extremely solid. I can not name a car that was better. I was scared at first, knowing it was so small. But after examining everything, I became very confident in my vehicle. Appearance: It turned heads everywhere! The pin stripes were a wonderful addition to the blue, and the white top fit well. Cost: Everything the right price except for the loan payments. Fun: Never had anything better!!Sep 15, 2009

Easily the funnest car for the money. Performance is superb. Quick acceleration, and a wonder to behold in the turns. There are not many complaints on build quality, but some of the trim is a bit second rate. Application of felt tape or something along that line, will take care of most of those problems. Great styling will ensure this will be a cool little car for sometime, and though some may call it a bit ginger beer, I've gotten more than a few ladies complimenting me and my ride. Parts are expensive, so hopefully you've got some warranty left if something breaks, or hope that you've got a good one and that you'll not need to take it in to the shop.Jun 23, 2009

The handling is one of the best things about the car. It is not fast off the line but the car really excels in windy canyons. The car is very fun to drive and I will go out of my way to find windy roads to drive on. Even if the car is driven hard, it still gets above thirty mpg. I would definitely recommend this car to a friend unless they have a large family or a pack rat as space is at a premium in a MINI. There is a rattle coming from the closed sun roof and I have replaced the airbag sensor three times (covered under a product recall) but over all the build of the car is solid. It was designed by Germans after all. Apr 15, 2009

This is by far the most fun car I have ever driven. I have driven some SUPER performance cars but nothing feels quite the same as a MINI. Dont confuse the Cooper S with the base model Cooper, as the car is completely different. I set out to buy a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, or a WRX STI and as soon as I saw this MINI, I had to to test drive it. My intentions were to test drive it for fun, and continue on to buy an EVO or STI but within the first 2 to 3 minutes I was sold. I went back and bought the car on the spot. I have had some minor electrical problems with the door lock, and window motor on the passenger side but I believe it is a direct result of passengers slamming the light doors. I wish it had an arm rest...but I can certainly live without one. The handling on this car is fantastic, it turns like a go-kart, there is VERY minimal body roll, and you would have a very tough time TRYING to lose control of this car. I drive it in the upstate NY winters where the snow on the road is often higher than the front bumper, black ice is present, slush, hard pack, etc. I bought a winter wheel set for the car which is shown in one of the pictures(black), and this car is fantastic in the winter. When the weather is terrible and everyone on the road is driving slow, i'm actually passing cars. I think every car enthusiast thats driven in the winter has purposely slid around in parking lots or wherever the mood strikes, and I slide it around on purpose all the time and I constantly maintain control. The sound system is amazing and the bass is phenomenal. The sound of the stock exhaust is really nice and sporty, and the sound of the supercharger is even sportier. The power of the car is very nice. It does have a small engine, and these cars arent as light as they look so it does take a second to a second and a half to get it into the power and then when the supercharger kicks in... its indescribably fun in this little car. The interior is comfortable, beautiful, and highly slylish, but there are many points where the plastic rattles. There is MUCH more room than you would ever imagine by looking at the outside, and by folding down the rear seats, you create a huge trunk. I dont even need to mention gas mileage. Overall...this is a great car for the money, and if FUN is important to you while you drive...then buy a MINI S.Jan 17, 2009

Writing anything would be an understatement for this car, you just have to drive the damn thing. 100% pure F-U-N! It has history, it has some sort of uniqueness and carisma in the whole package. The car definetely turns heads and the handling alone is unbeatable. The Mini also has a very good tuning potential and its superchared motor really gives an even boost to the cars performance. A must have for every car lover!Aug 03, 2008

The 2003 Mini Cooper S is a well balanced car has great handling and response its light and nimble. as for the interior, for a car of its size the room is suprisingly large there is plenty of leg roo and head room. The power out put is impressive due to the 1.6L supercharged engine witch puts out 163 hp and 155foot pounds of torque. lets talk about the security points, lets just say this is one of the hardest cars to get into with out a key. lets just say if you drive a mini you will want one and if you own one you will never wanna see it go. May 25, 2008

It's five years old and everyone thinks it's still new - that's the power of the MINI. When I got it, it was fast, tight, and an awesome drive. Today, after upgrading the ECU and the air intake, it's even more quick and just as nimble. There's a good reason everyone want s to drive my little beast. You must at least take one for a drive. Sure, loose object rattle in the door storage; the engine is a bit loud; the fuel economy is only as good as an average sedan; the seat controls are manual; there is no cruise control or heated seats - forget all that and try a corner at 100 kph. When it's not covered in dust and road rash, it's classic British Racing Green with a Black roof- one of only two colours styles a MINI should be (the other being Red with a White roof and trim.) The interior is black pleather with lots of scuffs and fingerprints on all the plastic and glass. And I wouldn't trade it for a new one.Apr 23, 2008

For the price, the mini cooper S is a steal. The stock suspension feels wonderful, and the brakes are really excellent (I would know >.<). It's a compact car, but you can fit 3 very, very large people in it with a little effort. Because it's made for auto cross, the 2nd gear is suuuppper long. You can go from 20mph to 70mph before you have to change gears if you're willing to push it to 6 or 7000rpms. The acceleration is great, but you get super charger lag until about 3500rpms. The interior is kind of like a space ship.. the speedometer is HUGE, and the tachometer is where the speedo normally is, but honestly I find that more useful. The tacky silver-colored plastic trim is a nuisance, and the steering wheel is kind of chunky, but you can control the radio with switches on the back of the wheel, and that's pretty awesome. My biggest complaint is the cupholders. For some reason, the designers thought it would be cute to have two little black hoops on either side of the switches above the cupholders, so any drink larger than, say, 6 inches can't fit in the damn things. The newer models have improved the interior substantially, but I can't say the 2003 design really works for me. Although it's pretty funny to see people who have never been in the car before search around for the tiny round door handles. :P Also, it's front wheel drive, so the turning radius is absolutely abysmal for such a small car, but I guess on the bright side it handles fairly well in the rain. I have the model with Run Flat tires, so a little sensor/alarm goes off when it senses a tire is going flat, and then you have (reportedly) 100 miles to go if you go 50mph or lower on the flat before you need to fix it, but I've gone around 250 miles doing highway speeds, so they're actually more useful than described. All in all, it's a great car, and I'm going to run her into the ground before I get another. :)Mar 28, 2008

If you want a car for fun and also for driving day to day, then this is just the ticket. If you get the S model of the mini cooper you will never want to part from it. I have had mine for 18 months and I can't fault it. It handles like a go cart in the corners and is so much fun. Inside you have got full, heated leather seats that are just perfect for cold winter mornings. Climate control, rain sensor wind screen wipers and cruise contol are an added bonus. My ar also have an electirc sunroom, which is brilliant for summer time! Mine is very high spec, but if your going for a mini that's what you should aim for in order to get the best experience.Jan 27, 2008

The new mini was always going to be an issue, as the old one had always been the 'classic mini' and the new mini could really not do this status justice. However, when you put the production into the hands of BMW, you know that they will not mess the project up. And so in 2001 the first mini rolled off the production line. This car looks good from an overall point, and the interior is very 'retro and old school' but this is what people love. The engine is only a small 1.6 litre, but dont let the sound of a small engine decieve the speed of this car. I have tuned my mini and so it can do 0-60 in sub 8 seconds, it has a great roar sound about it, which comes from its sister cars (BMW's) and the handling is extremely responsive, very much like a large go kart. The downside to this car is that it tends to break (clutch, gearbox, power steering) and the list goes on. BMW didn't build this car as well as they could do, but try owning an old mini and not breaking down! 10/10 for looks, speed, sound 2/10 for reliabilityJan 18, 2008