MINI Cooper s GP 2006 edition? Or facelift 2013 GP edition?

Zeebedy

Zeebedy

Zeebedy

Soldato
Joined
28 Jan 2011
Posts
8,612
Hey guys,

Looking to get a MINI Cooper S again!

Just wanted to know any major + or - with the GP's?

I prefer the older r53 version for the Supercharger and the interior..but the newer one obviously is better for road tax, petrol and for me, believe it or not, insurance :eek:

So any input greatly received!
 
Hi

I've been lucky enough to drive both the GP1 and GP2 (I owned a GP2 a few years back https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/m135i-to-go.18628715/ ). The GP2 was, by far the most enjoyable car I had owned to date.









Both Mk1 and Mk2 are great cars. I'd say the Mk1 edges it. Purely because of its supercharged engine. The throttle response felt much sharper. And that Whine :). It definitely beats the Mk2 - In terms of character. However, the mK2 just looks so much better. With regards to running costs. I found the GP2 fairly reasonable. I only used the car during weekends and days off. So the costs of running the thing was never going to be an issue.

If given the option to by one of them. I think I'd go for the Mk1. Only because I'd like to live with one for a while.... Then I'd bag the Mk2 again lol. So if you're really into driving - And I mean really into driving. Then you'll love driving either one of these cars through twisty technical roads (this is where the cars really shine)!





Sorry for all the pics... This car still gets me excited lol!

These two vids show off the GP2's capabilities -


 
Last edited:
Hilarious the fact it was wet conditions and the only AWD car was the slowest and how does Audi make such a small car so heavy? LOL! :D

Got plans to take the M3 sub 1300kg which should make it seriously quick. :)
 
The first has more character, mainly due to the engine. It's a fantastic car, I'm glad I got to own one. A little tiring over longer journeys but not the end of the world.
 
hurfdurf said:
Lets not get too carried away, its a great fwd hot hatch that's genuinely sporty, but its not a proper drivers car just by virtue of it being fwd.
Click to expand...

What makes a 'proper drivers car' then? These are two of the most driver focused hot hatches in decades. They've been enhanced specifically to be drivers cars...
 
Both good examples of Mini's.

The GP1 features a GP specifc body kit, interior, wheels, intercooler, suspension etc
The GP2 is a JCW with some stickers

Due to the above the GP1 feels a more special car and it was made in a lot lower numbers.

It depends if you are going to modify the car as well and what you want from it. Its very easy and cheap to get a GP2 to 280+bhp with remap, intercooler and exhaust.

A GP1 is cheap to get to 230-240bhp. After that it gets very expensive to get anywhere near 280bhp with the need for performance heads etc.

The GP2 as you say is cheaper to run as the GP1 is relatively thirsty and high on tax.

For me I am addicted to the supercharger whine, I have owned all three generations of the new mini and I currently own a 1st gen supercharged R53 Cooper S and the 2014 3rd gen 2.0 turbo F56 Cooper S, which I have mapped to 300bhp :)

The 2nd gen for me with its Pug engine is a worry, however the GP2 from memory does have the N18 engine which is stronger than the N14. Both pug engines however the N14 was revised to the N18 to try and solve some of the reliability issues. I always worried with my 2nd gen Clubman JCW(N14) was going to go bang at any point, I dont have that same fear with the other two I now own. This shouldn't worry you so much as the N18 is stronger, but its why I didn't consider a 2nd gen when building a track car.
 
tweedbean said:
Both good examples of Mini's.

The GP1 features a GP specifc body kit, interior, wheels, intercooler, suspension etc
The GP2 is a JCW with some stickers
Click to expand...

Errrr the GP2 comes with a little more than just some stickers. Track tyers, adjustable suspension, bespoke exterior.... IMO both feel special. GP more so because of the engine. You'd be happy with either!


As the GP2's engine reliability. I'd say its pretty strong as I havent heard of any horror stories.... The same goes for the GP1.
 
hurfdurf said:
Lets not get too carried away, its a great fwd hot hatch that's genuinely sporty, but its not a proper drivers car just by virtue of it being fwd.
Click to expand...

Please... What a load of nonsense.

FWD cars can be just as fun to drive as their RWD counterparts.
 
hurfdurf said:
Lets not get too carried away, its a great fwd hot hatch that's genuinely sporty, but its not a proper drivers car just by virtue of it being fwd.
Click to expand...

It's a drivers car due to the fact it's focussed on the driving experience, with things like comfort and refinement sacrificed in order to make the car better to drive? It's got part of the interior replaced with strut braces, it's been lightened, it's got different more focussed suspension, more power from the engine, Recaro seats etc etc. And as a result it is apparently an absolute hoot to drive.

Are you saying that a car cannot be a "drivers car" just because it is FWD? If so, I'd suggest you don't really know what you're talking about.

Janesy B said:
Not this argument again.
Click to expand...

It's not really an argument. It's just hurfdurf coming in with an ill informed opinion.
 
BTW that isnt a strut brace (in either car). Its just something to stop luggage flying into the front seats lol.
 
GP2 also has it's own GP spoiler that you can't get on a works and a rear diffuser, so it does have some model specific body trim.

I miss my GP1 loads the worst issue I had with mine was the inlet manifold sensor playing up/being dirty. This ended up causing supercharger errors on the ECU which when investigated meant no one could find a fault as the S/C was fine. I got lucky in the end and someone else on a forum had the same problem as me and I showed Mini the post and they were able to fix it right away. That took about 1/2months to resolve though.

The first one might be a better purchase as it was stricter limited run with the cars all being numbered. I don't believe this happened with the GP2 so it's possible MINI might have sold more than they actually say are out there.
 
Mini made 2000 of each car. The GP2 wasn't didnt come numbered - Mini can provide you with the number though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom