Used 2012 MINI Cooper Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Rocket on wheels
joejh, 02/15/2012
2012 MINI Cooper S 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
52 of 54 people found this review helpful
I'm always shocked at how exciting this ride is everytime my foot touches the accelerator. It's the grown-up's go-kart, on steroids. Mario can eat my dust! How did they put such a large herd of horses under that tiny hood? This car literally growls and thunders when I hit the starter. And what's even more shocking is the fuel economy. Still get low 30's even with my happy feet dancing on that gas pedal. And the bucket seats are perfection - I heard BMW has a PhD designing their seats. It has to be perfect in order to keep you in it!
Great city car !
Ashwin, 10/03/2018
2012 MINI Cooper 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6M)
18 of 19 people found this review helpful
I bought a 2012 MINI Cooper (Base Hardtop with 1.6L engine and 6 speed automatic transmission) for my wife as a birthday present and we absolutely love it ! We've owned it for about 6 months and put 5000 miles on it (had 47k when we purchased it). So far, it's been decently reliable and economical car to own. We've been averaging around 33 mpg under mixed conditions and around 38 -40 mpg on highways (the computer calculated mileage it displays is usually 2-4 mpg higher, but I'm happy it's getting the advertised mileage from the EPA/MINI). Oil changes are very cheap since it only requires 4.4 quarts and it costs less than $50 for synthetic oil+filter if you're a DIY person. The car has very good visibility and decent cargo storage when you fold the rear seats down because let's face it, you're almost never going to have anyone sitting in the back. The stereo is excellent and all the electronics have been working perfectly. The brakes on the car are incredible which is probably because of how light the car is! The only reliability related issue we've had is a rough metallic clunky noise (sounds like a bucket of bucket of bolts) which turned out to be because of running very low on engine oil. It was particularly evident on coldstarts in the morning and would almost stall when you come to a stop even after the engine warmed up. My initial thought was that it was the infamous timing chain tensioner and I ended up replacing it during the oil change, but the part I removed was perfectly fine so it must have just been low oil causing the issue. Thankfully, the OEM tensioner only cost me $25 and was simple to replace, and I don't have to worry about it for at least another 50k miles. I do not have any oil burning issues, so it might just be that the previous owner did not fill sufficient oil. From a driving perspective, the throttle/engine/transmission combination is sometimes hesitant and sluggish to respond when you take off from a stop, but sport mode usually fixes that. The seats are excellent quality and won't hurt your back on a long road trip. Overall, it's a really fun car particularly in the city (road and wind noise is a little loud at highway speeds) and I'd highly recommend this car to anyone!
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2012 R58
bcz, 02/21/2014
updated 03/21/2022
2012 MINI Cooper S 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
32 of 36 people found this review helpful
A more accurate description is a 12' S Coupe w/ automatic and LOADED. Bought this car in December 2011 and have driven 42k miles so far. I am a commuter from a rural area into a college town and was looking for an economy car, but not one that was underpowered or cheap. This is likely to be the brand I stick with for awhile, they are SO fun to drive and cannot be beat in city traffic (only two wheels have it better). It feels safe because you know that the car has very respectable handling and power to get you around, and deal with occasional poor drivers on the open roads. Rather expensive based on size alone, it has taken the miles and years of ownership to gain a greater appreciation. *Spring of 2022 (and fast approaching the ten year milestone), current odometer is holding at 88k as it is stored winters and only driven on sunny days. It has been modified with aftermarket parts in order to enhance its already 'as-built' nimbleness, including: lowered sport suspension, minor engine mods, and large exhaust. The funnest little car to have around, it got me through college, and I plan on keeping it around.
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New Mini Owner 2012
marymouse, 06/17/2012
2012 MINI Cooper 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6M)
29 of 34 people found this review helpful
I just purchased a 2012 mini hardtop bayswater package. love the vehicles looks in and out, quite roomy for a little car, the back seat is a joke. think of this as a 2 seater, we keep the seat folded and just use the back for transporting goods for the store or the dogs.
2012 Base Mini, Manual Trans, Lemon
Kevin, 03/09/2016
2012 MINI Cooper 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 6M)
32 of 38 people found this review helpful
I traded in my trouble plagued 2002 Mini, for what I thought was a major upgrade. I purchased my 2012 Base Model Mini with manual transmission last Aug. with 31,000 miles. While driving down to my favorite eatery, shifting from 1st to 2nd shifter know came off in my hand. I managed to replace it and continued on. A couple of days later a aprox. 32,000 miles I began to notice a clatter from the engine at first start up in the morning, during the next few weeks it became progressively worse. I took it to the local Mini dealer and was informed the clatter was the clutch failing. Being a mechanic for 40 plus years I called BS, told them to keep the car for a cold start test the next day. Low and behold it was determined the timing chain was at fault, these engines apparently have chain tensioners prone to failure. The timing chain was replaced along with tensioners and gears. The dealer Seattle Mini stuck by their story that my clutch was failing and would be 2400.00 to replace, but offered me an extended warranty that would cover the clutch for 1895.00. What a way to cover the cost of the warranty work. About 2 weeks after having the work down, the engine began to misfire badly, had it towed to the dealer, they replaced the coil packs for the ignition, and spark plugs and wires. So here we are today, 41,102 miles, the engine is beginning to clatter again from the exact same location. Under warranty to 50,000 miles. Soon as it gets worse to justify the warranty work and before 50,000 miles back in again for another timing chain, followed by a quick trade in for another car, not MINI. Oh and did I mention that Seattle Mini tried the whole your clutch is failing routine on me a 2nd time with offer of the extended warranty when I took it in for the Misfire problem I mentioned earlier. By the way the clutch still works perfect, however the manual transmission has always been clunky when shifting, the transition from 1st to 2nd requires a firm pull, it also has no reverse lock out, on 2 separate occasions I have been at a light and forgot to downshift into first, while quickly doing so as to not block traffic, it went into reverse. Luckily caught it before I hit someone behind me. Been driving manual for years.
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