Consumer Reports: MINI Cooper one of 10 most reliable cars

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polyphonic said:
Reliability 89/100.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...tisfaction/10-most-reliable-cars-a6569295379/

That's right, Prius and Miata!
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I'm shocked that only the Subaru Crosstrek made that list, out of all of the other Subaru vehicles. But, given the Crosstrek failed the new IIHS side collision test miserably, I wonder how its sales will be affected. (MINI Cooper wasn't tested.) Next year, Crosstrek and Impreza will no longer have 5 star ratings.

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/small-car-performance-is-a-mixed-bag-in-new-side-crash-test
 
Jessica Munro said:
Pay wall - curious what it lost points for and who were the other 9?
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Corolla Hybrid
Lexus GX
MINI Cooper
Prius
MX-5 Miata
Lincoln Corsair
Corolla
Crosstrek
3 Series
Prius Prime

Last years model scored a 1/5 for Paint/Trim “Paint (fading, chalking, cracking, or peeling), loose interior and exterior trim or moldings, rust.”

On my cars the trim is a little wonky. It might be the design, but not everything fits right. I’m also noticing a fair bit of squeaking and rattling with my newer car, especially around the frameless windows. There’s also the cosmoline thing.

Other recent models scored poorly for electronics and “engine minor,” which not something that pertains to us of course.
 
I’m irritated (what else is new) that “Corolla Hybrid” and “Corolla” are treated distinctly, when the hybrid sub-model accounts for a tiny percentage of the model’s sales. Yet MINI is just “Cooper.”
 
SameGuy said:
I’m irritated (what else is new) that “Corolla Hybrid” and “Corolla” are treated distinctly, when the hybrid sub-model accounts for a tiny percentage of the model’s sales. Yet MINI is just “Cooper.”
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Their ratings are really just based on data from what the readership buys so many brands/models don’t have enough data to be included. Would make sense that CR readers buy a ton of Corollas (especially the hybrid) and fewer MINIs. There is no mention whatsoever of the electric variant in the writeup either.

They could do a lot better to clarify their methodology on the website.
 
I don’t believe CR has tested any model year of the Cooper SE, and their Hybrid/EV list doesn’t even include it in the “on test/not tested” section.
 
Absolutely, and in their ratings it takes hits for road noise, the tiny backseat and the tiny cargo area, price-to-size ratio, and “controls have a learning curve,” all of which apply across the range.
 
To be honest the F5xseries Mini are pretty solid. The early ones are a bit wonky but all the issues are known (make sure to change that ground strap) outside of normal service I’ve only really had to deal with failed cranky pulley, a few ignition coils etc, the B38 and B46/8 are great engines.

The R series….. let me get the book on stupidity. Biggest problem is they are expensive to repair but cheap to buy. Hardly anyone does the timing chain until it’s too late and the HPFP on the S is still around 2000$ cdn
 
SameGuy said:
I don’t believe CR has tested any model year of the Cooper SE, and their Hybrid/EV list doesn’t even include it in the “on test/not tested” section.
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It’s a pretty “niche” car though and it’s something you really don’t cross shop.
I’ll say this, the GR86 I ordered my sales rep said he has 7 on order Vs like 700 Rav4 prime. I’ll get the GR86 before people get their RAV4s
 
MrSnrub said:
It’s a pretty “niche” car though and it’s something you really don’t cross shop.
I’ll say this, the GR86 I ordered my sales rep said he has 7 on order Vs like 700 Rav4 prime. I’ll get the GR86 before people get their RAV4s
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You will get your GR86 before the RAV4 Prime AND Hybrids (12-18+ month wait). I will also never understand why Toyota/Lexus heats only half the steering wheel.
 
MrSnrub said:
It’s a pretty “niche” car though and it’s something you really don’t cross shop.
I’ll say this, the GR86 I ordered my sales rep said he has 7 on order Vs like 700 Rav4 prime. I’ll get the GR86 before people get their RAV4s
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Is the GR86 quicker than the Rav4 Prime?
 
I strayed over to the Kia Niro forum and read an analysis of a video from a mechanic in Ukraine illustrating problems with the motors and motor bearings in the Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona electric vehicles. Evidently, the Ioniq 5 and EV6 have improved motors that don't share these problems.

I'm so glad the most common problem with the MINI Cooper SE is the trivial problem of the shutters in the front grille being loose when they left the factory. I was bummed when the 2009 MINI-E test program led to the i3 instead of a mass-market MINI Electric. Now I'm glad for the years of improvements that BMW made to the i3 because we get the benefit of those improvements. I never worry about my SE's motor bearings.

Because there's a power-mad a-hole running Russia, it must be tough to charge an electric car in Ukraine these days.
 
insightman said:
Is the GR86 quicker than the Rav4 Prime?
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insightman said:
I strayed over to the Kia Niro forum and read an analysis of a video from a mechanic in Ukraine illustrating problems with the motors and motor bearings in the Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona electric vehicles. Evidently, the Ioniq 5 and EV6 have improved motors that don't share these problems.

I'm so glad the most common problem with the MINI Cooper SE is the trivial problem of the shutters in the front grille being loose when they left the factory. I was bummed when the 2009 MINI-E test program led to the i3 instead of a mass-market MINI Electric. Now I'm glad for the years of improvements that BMW made to the i3 because we get the benefit of those improvements. I never worry about my SE's motor bearings.

Because there's a power-mad a-hole running Russia, it must be tough to charge an electric car in Ukraine these days.
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I’ve been working on BMWs and euro cars for ages. One of the reasons I love the SE was is the basic drivetrain has been in production forever and it’s pretty much an i3 setup. It’s been proven and has had time to age well. BMW doesn’t always get it right the first time but towards the end of a products life it’s had the kinks ironed out except N63…Hyundai and Kia don’t seem to share this and they’ll just never upgrade anything (see engine issues)
 
MrSnrub said:
I’ve been working on BMWs and euro cars for ages. One of the reasons I love the SE was is the basic drivetrain has been in production forever and it’s pretty much an i3 setup. It’s been proven and has had time to age well. BMW doesn’t always get it right the first time but towards the end of a products life it’s had the kinks ironed out except N63…Hyundai and Kia don’t seem to share this and they’ll just never upgrade anything (see engine issues)
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Speaking of Hyundai/Kia, does anyone know the part number for the coolant for the HV battery loop? For the Kona EV, it uses 14L at ~$212CAD per 2L coolant bottle. Add shop labor and that adds up quickly (if out of warranty).
 
MrSnrub said:
To be honest the F5xseries Mini are pretty solid. The early ones are a bit wonky but all the issues are known (make sure to change that ground strap) outside of normal service I’ve only really had to deal with failed cranky pulley, a few ignition coils etc, the B38 and B46/8 are great engines.

The R series….. let me get the book on stupidity. Biggest problem is they are expensive to repair but cheap to buy. Hardly anyone does the timing chain until it’s too late and the HPFP on the S is still around 2000$ cdn
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I agree the F series cars are a new leaf for the Mini brand. I originally wanted the 3-door Clubman, but started doing some research on how unreliable those older turbo cars were. The F56/F54 was a ground up design from BMW and seems to suffer from few breakdown-type reliability problems. Yes still the electronic issues. The interiors hold up as well as any vehicle on the road. So I had a 2019 Clubman that I traded in for the SE and have not had much in the way of problems with either. We'll see how they do when 10+ years old.
 
RunOnE said:
I agree the F series cars are a new leaf for the Mini brand. I originally wanted the 3-door Clubman, but started doing some research on how unreliable those older turbo cars were. The F56/F54 was a ground up design from BMW and seems to suffer from few breakdown-type reliability problems. Yes still the electronic issues. The interiors hold up as well as any vehicle on the road. So I had a 2019 Clubman that I traded in for the SE and have not had much in the way of problems with either. We'll see how they do when 10+ years old.
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The 2014s nearly 10 years old and nothing too wacky yet. Like I said make sure the group straps are replaced. Lots of the wonky electric issues are caused by them. Then shops that don’t know any better start tossing parts at it but the problem is a 8$ wire
 
MrSnrub said:
The 2014s nearly 10 years old and nothing too wacky yet. Like I said make sure the group straps are replaced. Lots of the wonky electric issues are caused by them. Then shops that don’t know any better start tossing parts at it but the problem is a 8$ wire
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As an Anglophone, is that the same as a ground strap for the 12V battery?
 
RunOnE said:
I originally wanted the 3-door Clubman, but started doing some research on how unreliable those older turbo cars were.
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I've had a number of R55 Clubmans, and they're great cars. They are prone to oil leaks and there's the well-known timing chain problem, but very little problems beyond that. My current 2014 Clubman (that hit a deer a couple weeks ago) has almost 150,000 miles on it and is still going strong. Hoping to keep it going until I can replace it with an Aceman.

That said, the Fxx platforms are much better overall.
 
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