Find Reviews by Make:
What?: A race between a MINI Cooper S and a Porsche 911.
Where?: Facebook, and presumably an extremely twisty track.
Why?: Brand equity. Publicity. Mid-life crisis sales. Making sure nobody knows the Cayman exists.
29 Comments on “MINI Loses Its Tiny Mind, Challenges Porsche 911...”
Read all comments
This is unbelieveably dumb. NOBODY cross shops a mini versus a 911. NOBODY will be persuaded by the results. Mini would be MUCH better off competing against one of its actual competitors like the GTI
The point isn’t that Mini shops against 911, but that it’s a legit sports coupe.
Your comment made me think about those recent G8 ads that tried to say how the Pontiac G8 was better than a 5-series. Except the ads don’t consider that people buying BMWs want others to see how rich they are by lauding the fact they drive a BMW. Maybe if the G8 came with a “BMW badge pack” they’d be onto something.
Anyway SVX is right – they’re just trying to make some goofy stunt that shows how the Mini could be as quick as a car costing 4 to 5 times more. The idea isn’t to deceive people on TTAC into an outright sale, but to build brand awareness and equity among the mass of carbuyers.
Maybe if the G8 came with a “BMW badge pack” they’d be onto something.
Good point, holydonut. In fact, when the G8 first came out I was expecting to see a “customized” one on the streets with Roundels in the place of the red triangle…
Cool :) However, they should have JCW version rather than S, and the track should be veeeery twisty. Cheering for mini, though!
In what bizarro world is a Mini a Golf/GTI competitor? Mini is one of the smaller cars in the B-segment, while the Golf GTI is on the large end of the C-segment. Comparing them would be like comparing A6 vs. 3-series.
You’ll see them competing against each other at autocrosses. Cooper S and GTI are both in the SCCA G-Stock category.
Bizarro world is right here Mirko. In Brazil. Down here the Mini is considered a competitor to the Fiat 500, the Smart, and maybe, for good measure, you can toss in the VW New Beetle and PT Cruiser.
the powertrain comparo is kinda lopsided – how about the hot-rod Cooper S JCW (208bhp) versus the 3.6L regular Carrera? It would close the price gap. Either way, I’m putting $100 on a 911 being faster around a race track than a goofy retromobile, even if it’s a REALLY GOOD goofy retromobile.
Dear BMW:
You’ve got a pedigree. A cachet. And lots of owners with fingerless leather gloves and $800 driving shoes. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Your legendary handling and performance might make Car and Driver editors need a change of pants, but we’re not intimidated. Because we’re tired of BMW always winning every comparison test. And we want to fight you for them. That’s right. BMW against everything. For the whole world to see. So, come on, it’ll be fun.
See you there,
Audi, AMG, Infiniti, Jaguar, and Cadillac CTS
Maybe they intend to put only a quart of gas in the tank?
Or they’ll be driven by the children of automotive journalists?
I know which one I’d rather drive in bad weather, but otherwise I don’t really see them as competitors either. Now new Fiesta vs Mini (not Cooper S) might actually be entertaining.
MINI aren’t stupid, they know that on the right track a MINI Cooper S works could win.
The MINI is a short and nimble car, who’s reputation was first built beating the likes of Porsche and Jaguar back in the 60’s. Mini always won on the corner’s because it’s basically a Go-Kart.
On a street circuit like Monaco for example I bet they would win. Porsche should turn up but bring a BMW as well…..
There’s no such thing as a track short/twisty enough for a MINI to beat a 911.
In SCCA Solo, the 997 3.6 is classed in Super Stock, while the MINI is in G Stock. In a second-gear autocross, a 997 will smoke a MINI.
Hell, my Boxster, which used to run in SCCA A Stock, was usually a few seconds ahead of the MINIs at National Tour events.
Of course Mini is punching above their weight here, but that’s the point. They don’t need to win, they just have to do well enough to keep from being horribly embarrassed. And on the right track, they’re decent enough that they won’t be. They don’t want people to think of them as marginally better than Fiestas, they want to be almost as good as Porsche.
I can’t think of any other brand that combines engineering and marketing more effectively. Sold me.
How about a link to the actual Mini v Porsche site? The google can’t find it, and navigating Mini’s site is fun but less than straight forward.
“GET INFO & WATCH IT AT FACEBOOK.COM/MINIUSA”
Edward, that was extremely witty. :-)
agreed, I definitely laughed my ass off at “Mini Loses Its Tiny Mind”
Many years ago, IIRC, C&D did a comparo that included a Porsche 911 and a Subaru WRX. The Subie finished second, but not by much. OTOH, the Mini is not nearly a good as a Subaru.
Agreed. No doubt which car will win. The victory will be in the margin. If MINI shows up and performs, they will have succeeded. Just the fact that there is such a contest, is already a tremendous marketing coup for the MINI.
You probably won’t garner that many new drivers, but the people driving will be even happier about their purchase.
You never know.
It could be a slalom… or an autocross… with gates exactly 6 feet wide.
Oh… okay… make that around 6’2″… so the 911 can actually fit…
I am actually more interested in this comparison than the CTS-V challenge a few months back. Difference here is the Mini is known for it’s zippy, fun to drive and balanced nature.Being lighter and smaller should prove advantageous to the heavier, larger 911 and if anything prove to people that for less money, better fuel economy and maybe even a more enjoyable drive you too can have a vehicle that is in the realm of a 75 thousand dollar Porsche.
“Doing more with less” is how I percieve Minis’ mission. Something that they’ve been doing since day one.
On the other hand the CTS’V challenge gets little to zero mention anymore since even though it showcased a badass car against the german stalwarts of the world, everyone knows it’s a hopped up version of a normally soft, pedestrian, luxury touring sedan and spotting one with a carriage roof, 16″ wire wheels and curb feelers just kills the image the V-series is trying to portray for the Cadillac brand. The regular CTS? It’s a Buick with rear wheel drive.
Also, sharing a showroom floor with a 6000 lb FWD DTS land barge and bunch of “Blinged out” schoolbuses for gangstas doesn’t exactly mesh with the V’s image either.
Looking forward to the Mini challenge.
Not to mention that some guy in an M3 beat everybody except GM’s best factory driver. Even beat Lutz.
Another PR venture gone wrong.
Bob
I’d buy one if the MINI was more reliable… I like small, tiny cars.
Even my Accent is a little too big for me.
Our MINI S has been very reliable over the 5 years and 47k miles we’ve had it. It does get babied, though. All trips are pretty much highway. It rarely gets taken on roadtrips (as the 4Runner and GTI are much more plush and spacious). My wife also drives it gently and it is garage kept, so the mushrooming strut towers, failed motor mounts, and door seam rust issues haven’t popped up. I also half the recommended oil change intervals to 7500mi instead of 15000. In the right circumstances (good roads, no insane miles, gentle driver), I wouldn’t have a problem buying it again. As a daily driver w/ rough roads and lots of stop and go, I could see it being a nightmare. The rough roads particularly make it hard to live with. The suspension is very tight.
When the Terrier barks at the Pit Bull it doesn’t think will I win? Is this other dog the right dog for me to get in the face of? or should I consider perhaps a nice small water dog?
It simply knows it wants to throw down. NOW!
That’s what we have here. A simple desire to race.
Help make it a reality: http://www.facebook.com/MINIUSA?ref=ts
Thank you:
MINIvsPorsche
I have paid my 100 grand for the 911 and also paid about a third of that for a MINI convertible. I have watched the video of a MINI following a 911 on track day with two instructors driving. It will be a lot closer than most Porsche nuts will want to see or admit!
@MarcKyle64: AutoX’d a MINI Cooper regionally for 3 seasons (2003->2005) nearly every weekend. Drivetrain was pretty-much bulletproof, though the old iron-block 1.6L didn’t like to rev much.
I also don’t buy a MINI beating a 911. Maybe if you put Mark Chiles in the MINI and me in the Porsche.
I think you guys are all looking at the challenge one way, mostly. Many of you are doing an immediate comparison about the mechanical capabilities of each vehicle and immediately picking the winner. Most people who can’t afford a Porsche, but could aspire to buy a Mini (I could, for example), only know Porsche through its reputation as a no-nonsense sports car maker (excluding the truck for a moment). Setting up a classic “David vs. Goliath” scenario would help raise Mini’s profile in the consumer marketplace by showing some of the Mini’s capabilities that wouldn’t be immediately obvious to your average consumer.
Ford recently compared its Fiesta against a Lamborghini in a commercial recently in a potentially similar, interesting way.
If anything, the “how???” hook will draw the public in. Stay tuned.