Photo: Sportauto.de
Besides staying true to their legacies, the two cars we're looking at today had another hard task to achieve: win over undecided customers. The Beetle and the Cooper seem to have had the same struggles along the way and we're looking at how well they coped with them over time.
When the previous Beetle was launched everybody was stunned. Not because it was good but rather because it was controversial. The legendary Beetle before it was an icon. It had a rear-mounted engine and looks that charmed the world.
The new one had the engine under the bonnet and a completely new design that wasn't exactly beautiful. Moreover, the traction was now done by the front wheels instead of the rear axle, another disappointing fact about Volkswagen's new car.
The MINI was facing the same dilemma. The new version of the global phenomenon that was the Classic Mini had some big shoes to fill. Overall, the Cooper featured less important changes than the Beetle when it was released. It was still a small car with front wheel drive and an amazing feeling behind the wheel and so became popular in a rather short amount of time.
The two cars compared today offer similar performance. The Beetle has 200 HP whilst the Cooper S pushes out 184. The latter is slightly lighter and that might turn out to be decisive in this sporty hatchback showdown.
The only problem with the Beetle Sport is that you simply cannot deactivate the ESP completely. No matter what, this car is foolproof. It will keep you in check at all times, which is rather dull and takes away the whole purpose behind its creation. A Sport version of the Beetle is useless with the ESP on at all times, and the Volkswagen engineers should've known that.
Furthermore, even though the car comes with a DSG automatic transmission they didn't think it was worth it to install a set of paddle shifters to ease the pain of changing gears. This way, VW managed to ruin an otherwise perfectly good car.
The MINI is more agile on the track and brings you the same pleasure a Classic Mini would've in the 60s. It's a joy to drive, especially with the 6-speed manual gearbox that works perfectly with the 1.6-liter turbocharged 184 HP engine.
The Cooper suffers a bit when it comes to the interior. It's not as spacious as the Beetle's but it was never meant to be. The Beetle is considerably bigger on the outside and on the inside too and the Cooper actually does well with the interior design given the exterior size of the British car.
Overall, the Beetle won the contest by a mere .3 seconds, finishing a lap in 1.20,5 minutes whilst the MINI took 1.20,8 minutes. It's not a decisive win but when you take the fact that the Beetle's ESP was on the whole time and the DSG transmission wasn't that helpful, you realize the true potential of the VW.
However, the Cooper is a lot more fun to drive. It is more agile and has a lot of the DNA of the 60s car in it. It holds true to its legacy and doesn't disappoint, even though it has some drawbacks.
Via: SportAuto.de
The new one had the engine under the bonnet and a completely new design that wasn't exactly beautiful. Moreover, the traction was now done by the front wheels instead of the rear axle, another disappointing fact about Volkswagen's new car.
The MINI was facing the same dilemma. The new version of the global phenomenon that was the Classic Mini had some big shoes to fill. Overall, the Cooper featured less important changes than the Beetle when it was released. It was still a small car with front wheel drive and an amazing feeling behind the wheel and so became popular in a rather short amount of time.
The two cars compared today offer similar performance. The Beetle has 200 HP whilst the Cooper S pushes out 184. The latter is slightly lighter and that might turn out to be decisive in this sporty hatchback showdown.
The only problem with the Beetle Sport is that you simply cannot deactivate the ESP completely. No matter what, this car is foolproof. It will keep you in check at all times, which is rather dull and takes away the whole purpose behind its creation. A Sport version of the Beetle is useless with the ESP on at all times, and the Volkswagen engineers should've known that.
Furthermore, even though the car comes with a DSG automatic transmission they didn't think it was worth it to install a set of paddle shifters to ease the pain of changing gears. This way, VW managed to ruin an otherwise perfectly good car.
The MINI is more agile on the track and brings you the same pleasure a Classic Mini would've in the 60s. It's a joy to drive, especially with the 6-speed manual gearbox that works perfectly with the 1.6-liter turbocharged 184 HP engine.
The Cooper suffers a bit when it comes to the interior. It's not as spacious as the Beetle's but it was never meant to be. The Beetle is considerably bigger on the outside and on the inside too and the Cooper actually does well with the interior design given the exterior size of the British car.
Overall, the Beetle won the contest by a mere .3 seconds, finishing a lap in 1.20,5 minutes whilst the MINI took 1.20,8 minutes. It's not a decisive win but when you take the fact that the Beetle's ESP was on the whole time and the DSG transmission wasn't that helpful, you realize the true potential of the VW.
However, the Cooper is a lot more fun to drive. It is more agile and has a lot of the DNA of the 60s car in it. It holds true to its legacy and doesn't disappoint, even though it has some drawbacks.
Via: SportAuto.de
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