After reading http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42357 I was talking to one of the guys I work with,and he made the comment "Maybe they will make it more like the mini". I know that in autocross the mini is considered one of, if not, the Best H Stock class cars, so I decided to do a Side by Side comparison of the manufactuer specs of both the Mini and the xA
Spec XA Mini Difference
Displacement 1.5L 1.6L Mini (+.1L)
Bore X Stroke 75mm x 84.7mm 3.03in x 3.38in Mini
(2.95in x 3.33in)
Compression 10.5:1 10.6:1 Mini (+0.1:1)
Horsepower 108 115 Mini ( +7HP)
Torque 105 110 Mini (+5)

Dimensions
Height 60.2in 55.9in XA (+4.3in)
Wheelbase 93.3in 97.1in Mini (+3.8in)
Track (F/R) 57.3in / 56.3in 57.4in / 57.7in Mini (+0.1in / 1.4in)
MPG 32/37 28/36 XA (+4/1)
Weight 2340lbs 2524lbs Mini (+184)

So going by the numbers the xA is only slightly behind the Mini.

I think if the new xA were to increase track by 1-2 inches, drop 3 inches off height and perhaps jack the engine to a 1.8-2.0L then I would think that would make the xA the perfect H stock car.
Thoughts?

The xA does not have the suspension that the mini has.

Driving the Mini Cooper S is the most fun you can have in a stock FWD car, period. The experience cannot be expressed in numbers.

I would love to see someone take the time and effort to tune the xA suspension to the level of handling offered by the Mini. I believe that it's possible, but who will step up to the plate?

[quote="bryan"]Driving the Mini Cooper S is the most fun you can have in a stock FWD car, period. The experience cannot be expressed in numbers.

quote]

I owned a Mini for almost 2 years and I agree. I did not have the S but I had the Sports Suspension Plus package (same suspension as the S). Also the steering was much better than the xA. Very fun car to drive!

The downside is that the Mini had a lot of mechanical problems and the dealer netwaork is very thin. Frequent trips to the dealer that was over an hour away lead to me getting rid of the car. The Mini was also $7200 more than my xA.

[quote="Epitrochoid"}
The downside is that the Mini had a lot of mechanical problems and the dealer netwaork is very thin. Frequent trips to the dealer that was over an hour away lead to me getting rid of the car. The Mini was also $7200 more than my xA.[/quote]

Sort like the old TRs mechanically. Those used to break constanlty.

[quote="Epitrochoid"}
The downside is that the Mini had a lot of mechanical problems and the dealer netwaork is very thin. Frequent trips to the dealer that was over an hour away lead to me getting rid of the car. The Mini was also $7200 more than my xA.

Sort like the old TRs mechanically. Those used to break constanlty.[/quote]

LOL!! Not quite THAT bad!! :D

BTW, a friend of mine lemon lawed his and bought an xB. He goes by Macncheese.

Here's our lemons...

http://www.mini2.com/gallery/personal/Drakken/dyno-2.jpg

That 184 pound difference probably offsets the horsepower.

TRs? Triumphs? My dad had a TR7...I almost bought a mint TR6 for $500, but when I went to pick it up, someone already took it. :cries:

Stock, the Mini Cooper pushes about 108 hp to the wheels. Rumor has it that Mini/BMW underrated the Cooper so the Cooper S's horse power would look like a bigger difference.

My friend has a Mini Cooper and all he has is a K&N drop-in filter and exhaust work. He pushes @ 125 hp to the wheels...

The Mini is a little 3-door sports car with a tiny interior. The xA is a little 5 door econo car with a good sized interior.

I found the Toyota Celica GT-S to be way more fun a test drive than the Mini. Though the don't make it anymore, the Prelude SH was even better at turning. What a hell of a front driver. Never drove the RSX. I sat in it, and when I stopped gagging at the interior, I got out. We have an Integra and its nice, but not terribly sporty in RS trim.

Course, the Miata is by far the most fun test drive of them all. Even more fun than the annoyingly twitchy S2000.

Yeah, I bought some new art supplies a few days ago. It took up the whole back of my xA (rear seats down). I don't think I would've been able to transport the papers/boards in a Mini without compromising view...

I have a question for you guys, I was going to make it a thread but decided to put it in this thread. What about a USED(2000-2004) Mini Vs. a 2005 xA? i really want a mini but in order for the prices to be competitive, i'd have to get a used mini because i plan to buy an xA that costs 15,100 which comes with fogs. moonroof and an auto tranny and frankly i can't spend too much more than 15100. So what do you guys think about whats a better purchase???

ummm well if price is an option stick with the xa much cheaper to maintain in the long run. if money werent as much of a deal i'd be looking for a used mini S alot more fun but maintanence will be horrible.

I have a question for you guys, I was going to make it a thread but decided to put it in this thread. What about a USED(2000-2004) Mini Vs. a 2005 xA? i really want a mini but in order for the prices to be competitive, i'd have to get a used mini because i plan to buy an xA that costs 15,100 which comes with fogs. moonroof and an auto tranny and frankly i can't spend too much more than 15100. So what do you guys think about whats a better purchase???I'd get the xA...here's why. The Mini is a more expensive car. That means to get a mini in the same price range as a new xA, you'd have to buy a mini that's already at least 3 years old with probably around 35,000 miles on it. Even then, it'd probably still cost more than a new xA. The mini's are cool little cars, but like has already been mentioned here, they aren't very reliable and they are expensive to fix (especially if the warranty has expired). With the xA, you still get a fun little car that can park anywhere, gets great milage, is fun to drive, and Toyota quality and reliability. It has more real-life room inside, AND, it'll be a NEW car with zero miles and full warranty. Just my opinion.

I was thinking of buying a mini this year, last year my wife and I bought an xB for her and since we have one people hauling vehicle I thought so why get another, I have test drove them, they are fun, then I read of the list of problems they had, I know this is not the tC page but I am going to get one of those instead, more room, more features more power and less $$ than a mini, heck the xA with about 2k in aftermarket parts will have a lot more fetures, and will still have money in the bank. European cars are nice when new but fall apart fast.

European cars are nice when new but fall apart fast.Boy isn't that the truth! It's amazing to me how brands like Volkswagen and Mercedes are always praised by automotive critics and magazine reviews. Yet when you look at owner records or polls that are done, they seem to be plagued with problems. The predicted reliability of a new Mercedes is in the dumper. I don't know about you, but fancy leather interior, wood inlaied dashboards, and prestigious names on the cars don't count for crap if the car won't run! I still think for over-all quality and drive-it-forever reliability, you can't beat the Japanese stuff.

TRs? Triumphs? My dad had a TR7...I almost bought a mint TR6 for $500, but when I went to pick it up, someone already took it. :cries:

...

Yeah thats what I meant, when I was in college TR7s or older were popular. You saw them in parking lots with their hood up. :lol:

The only cars less reliable where Fiats (Fix It Again Tony). :twisted:

Back to the topic.

Minis are built well and are good cars, but are priced way too high.

The xAs are a better value. I almost bought an xA, but the extra room you get in an xB was too good to pass up.

The problem with a used Mini is that they keep their value, or have been keeping their value, really well. That means they're not a great value used.

The Mini is a little 3-door sports car with a tiny interior. The xA is a little 5 door econo car with a good sized interior.

I found the Toyota Celica GT-S to be way more fun a test drive than the Mini. Though the don't make it anymore, the Prelude SH was even better at turning. What a hell of a front driver. Never drove the RSX. I sat in it, and when I stopped gagging at the interior, I got out. We have an Integra and its nice, but not terribly sporty in RS trim.

Course, the Miata is by far the most fun test drive of them all. Even more fun than the annoyingly twitchy S2000.

The Mini's interior isn't that much smaller than the xA. There is a bit more room for the back seats in the xA. The Mini's interior is more comfortable for me and I'm 6'2" 250lbs. My head hits the roof on the xA if I'm not careful and my legs are a bit cramped.

I drove a Celica GT-S - way too small and boring. A tC would be better IMO.

I drove a Prelude SH for a weekend. Again, too small but a lot of fun to romp around in. Limited cargo space even compared to the Mini.

I test drove the RSX-S - very fun, great shifter nice power. Out side the car b o r i n g.

Miata - love em but can't fit. Same with the S2000. My Rx8 would be the better choice here for perfomance and pacticality (except in snow). However, these are totally different cars and don't belong in this disscussion. :)

we got a mini (non-s) trade in. and i romped it. was very unimpressed. didn't have anywhere to take it on curves. but, as far as straightline speed, the xA is probably faster. in large part due to the gearing i assume. dunno, thats what i got from driving the one we took in. and it seemed to be running fine...but, i'm not a mechanic.

http://www.superfastminis.com/

If you like the old Mini's but want them scarry fast, Honda engine in original Mini ala recent car magazine post.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=26&article_id=9029&page_number=1

0 to 60 in 5 flat![/url]

http://www.superfastminis.com/

If you like the old Mini's but want them scarry fast, Honda engine in original Mini ala recent car magazine post.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=26&article_id=9029&page_number=1

0 to 60 in 5 flat![/url]

I don't have the link but there was a new Mini with the M3 engine installed... it was silly fast but not street legal.

Scions better screw the mini

Scions better screw the mini

:loser: