I have one for a month. What's really great about the R50 Mini is that you just can't be in a bad mood in it. It always cheers you up somehow.

As an R50 owner coming from a 320D E46, I absolutely adore my MINI. Yes, reliability is something to consider if you’re looking. But as long as you know about the common issues, things to keep an eye on and servicing gearboxes if you have a Pre-54 plate 5SPD Midlands gearbox. But it sticks to any road, at stupid speeds. The independent rear suspension means you really can bomb about without throwing the back end out (thanks to BMW for that one!) and the interior is so quirky and funky, it does not feel getting on 20 years old. The panoramic sunroof is a wonderful feature through summer as well, the engine is keen to rev and fairly frugal (about 35mpg if you’re careful). There’s tonnes of mods out there to get them stripped out, 160ish BHP from the N/A 1.6, it’s a lovely little thing that weighs less than your trousers.

I bought my R50 brand new in 2005. I still have it with 182,000 miles on it. Admittedly the car has had lots of problems since it’s early days. Luckily all of the problems were initially covered by the warranty but I can’t even begin to guess how many thousands of dollars of repairs have gone in since. But I still love it.

My mini was a trash car by my best friend and his co bartender friend they use the car to go around fortheir gigs, this car was just sitting out of the driveway when I discovered it , it’s so cute I told them and they just passed it on to me and I sometimes use it for travel for as long as more than 100 miles still w 200k miles still running good , plus the manual version of this is just simply amazing you can feel the car w you while driving it, it’s hard to describe but it’s the feeling w the car, w just basic maintenance it’s a good fun car makes me laugh by myself while driving the car sometimes

My girlfriends 2010 R56 Diesel manual (yea, yawn) just clocked 500,000 Km (310,000 mi) and still on the original clutch, pump, injectors, turbo. Blows my mind. A CEL came on at 400,000km and BMW Au had to email Germany to find out what the code meant. Ended up being some service thing. When they asked BMW why this code isn't listed they said no one ever expected anyone to actually go that far. 🤣 We're thinking it might just be the highest mileage R56 on the planet now.

Love my R50 1.6, 2006 goes round corners with run flats on like they dont excist,very rarely do you have to break as the suspension is designed to equalise the pressure in the tyres when cornering itsjust so much fun to drive ,they have there niggles and maintenance costs but worth it,go go go go-Kart lol

I didn't care too much for the Mini until I drove one. Then I just simply had to buy one. They depreciate something shocking so I picked up a great full spec R56S for a bargain. Other cars have come and gone from my fleet over the years, including some V8 muscle cars and a Porsche, and the Mini waves at them with it's silly grin on its face as they depart. This thing puts a smile on my face everytime I take it out, it's like taking a naughty happy puppy for a walk. Even here in Oz driving thousands of Km across the country it's a far better long distance car than you would think. Goes quick enough to embarrass many things far more expensive too. I like my cars but love my Mini like a goofy pet dog. Preference for the Cooper S over the JCW tho, just add a decent exhaust and you're done (Yes, avoid the N14 engine).

After 12 years I have just bought one of the first 2001 R50 Mini to restore and god it makes you smile! Also if you ever want a Rover streetwise Olympic to review feel free!

Thank you kindly for the reaction to the R50. I will soon be owning a 2006 base model with the 5 speed Getrag in Pepper White and a black roof with black bonnet stripes. I agree that these will indeed be future classics because of the facts that you pointed out, as well as being featured in the movie "The Italian Job". I can't wait to drive mine around town and to feel part of the Mini community. Cheers. Also, at 15:57 I love the Mini passing your Mini.👍🏻

Great review, I had an original mini years ago and I always thought the early R50's captured the spirit of the old mini. The new MINI's are now as big as an average car with a long snout.

I am a proud owner of a tj wrangler which i love as a great fan of 4whell drive Americana style. A month ago without actually thinking much I bought an R50 and i fall in love in it. What a great little car. I can't stop driving it around. Definitely a future classic.

Had Minis since 2001 and they are great cars. The Mini One was a 1.6 engine detuned from the Cooper. The Mini First was a 1.4 engine

Just bought a Mini Cooper R50 only 39,000 miles so looking forward to driving it 🎉

Nice review!

In April I bought my first car and it's a Mini Cooper Cabrio (R52) with the S pack. I'm so happy with my purchase!!

I have a mini one an tbh it’s great it’s in great condition I have put a hornet exhaust on it with a ram air induction kit along performance plugs and leads and it’s fantastic it looks like new and sounds great 👍 would really recommend one

Hi, I had an original 1071 Cooper S. And now after a hell of a long time I have just bought a R56 Cooper and the memories came flooding back. 🇬🇧

Great video! I just bought an R50 from 2006 for the weekends. Classic or not, It does bring joy! haha

Prior to watching this video, I happened upon your Porsche 992 Carrera review and was so impressed with your style of reviewing, I’ve become a subscriber. Thanks for wonderful “everyday driver” reviews.

Picking our Mini Cooper (2003) up on 2nd August. Our ‘fun’ second car 😀 Thanks for a very interesting review. You have a great style 👍🏻

Really great video. Btw, has someone tried Maxpeeding Rods shock absorbers on R50? I was thinking to put them on mine but have no feedback.

Thanks for the interesting video. As a lockdown project (early 2021), I tracked down the oldest R50 I could find locally, a 51 reg October 2001 Cooper, which is among the first of full-scale production (virtually no chance of finding a Y reg, apparently only about 600 of these pre-production models were made). It was in okay condition for its age (genuine 78,000 miles), but cosmetically in need of some tlc. I've never been afraid to get my hands dirty, and in no time at all, it became my daily drive, absolutely love it to bits! One of my next jobs will be a respray, to bring it back to its former glory. Only a year and a half later, it seems there are far fewer of these early models available, and the asking prices are significantly higher than I paid for mine! In my opinion, yes, in the next few years it will be regarded as a classic. Apart from being great fun to drive, it is one of the most iconic eye-catching car designs. In the words of designer Frank Stephenson "design matters"!

Just bought one of these, hope it will be a classic one day

Thanks for a great video-it came at the right time for me. I am the second owner of a 2006 R53 Park Lane JCW Mini, I have owned it since around 2010 and it has only done 64 thousand kilometres. I have been tossing up the idea of selling it but I do love driving it and your video had at least convinced me to keep it for now. My only concern is that I am finding it hard to find parts - for example both the vanity mirrors have come off from the sun visors and it’s hard getting replacement. I recently had the super charger serviced purely as preventative maintenance and the cost was expensive- as was getting a new clutch for the six speed manual but when ever I get behind the wheel it puts a smile on my face

Great video! Made me feel better about my gearbox bill 😂

In the r50 generation, the one and cooper were both 1.6 having the same engine with the only difference between them being the mapping which restricted the one to 90bhp. However they also had a 1.4 version which was a diesel model. The r56 generation had the 1.4 petrol engine.

Great video.... watched in Arizona USA 🇺🇸 I have to say MINIs have become quite popular here I just bought a 2012 R58s my 1st MINI and love it.... I would love to see a video on that from you and get your take on them become the next classic knowing they were only made for 5 years also.....

i recently bought an R50 Cooper for my other 'arf - Great little car with an incongruous 1.6 Duratect Chrysler/BMW utility world engine, more reliable than the later Peugeot derived unit, but gruff and not terribly free revving - the performance figures quoted are at best optimistic, i cant imagine it getting to 125 MPH or 0-60 in 9 secs - I reckon 115 MPH and 11 secs are more like it, not very economical either but all in all a blast to drive, great handling and i think the ride is pretty decent, great seats and a kind of steam punk feel to the interior - The R50 for sure is the purest of the new Mini breed and in terms of engine bugs a better bet than the R56 in many ways

This video is interesting. The R50 is already a classic imho with a big following of owners clubs specifically for the R50. Those I know through Mini Owners groups are devoted to their cars and spend a lot of money on keeping them looking & sounding great and performing like the little pocket rockets they are. I love that air freshener, I want one for my F56. I was a subscriber to Mini Magazine at the time of speculation what a replacement Mini could look like. I remember at the time, the classic Mini's still being made were of poor quality with leaking windows and generally unhappy enthusiasts who were loyal to Mini and wanting to buy one of the last ones so as to keep it. Personally I follow Petrol Ped for all-things Mini. Lol at the ad for the part-works magazine. Those who subscribe (the only way to guarantee every issue) eventually get to the end of it and having finished building it add up how much it's actually cost are usually horrified.

The JCW kits were actually completed by the Cooper family business to begin, so original R50/R53 JCW aren’t the same as an R50/R53 with the aero kit, commonly mistakenly as an JCW body kit. They need the certificate of work. BMW then bought the brand some time before the 2nd generation and moved the kits in-house.

@ 2:29, you say the the mini one came in 1.4L, however they also made a 90hp 1.6L Mini One.

Just bought an 05 the other day with 44k miles on it. Already have an 04

I have a 2001 Cooper. It's great fun although needs alot of tlc

Sadly BMW no longer stock the beer can exhaust… I know because I just had my Sep 2001 R50 in for a stack of work and had to supply my own.

Hey! It's Jack from BMW Mini Midlands Club!

Swithland? Bought my daughter a 2003 R50 and it's great fun to drive.

I've had 2 minis which I have repaired a r53 mini one with cooper seats and spoiler from factory I repaired and sold I now have a r50 mini cooper with 140k needs some work which needs a clutch and a gearbox but it will be repaired and saved

I just purchased a 2015 mini countryman S all wheel drive. The car is pristine there is no smell of any dampness or mold or mildew inside the car or the trunk not the rug or the seats but inside the window seal it smells moldy and mildewy. I did clean it and there was a lot of black stuff that came out of it. Have you ever heard of this?

I have a 2004 that looks exactly like the one you are driving. How are the CVTs in these? Mine has 150k miles.

The alloys are from R56 not R53

Slight correction, the MINI one never came with a 1.4 engine, they were all 1.6 engines

I am watching from Kalam Valley..

Hello! I wonder hot tall are you? Do you fell comfortable in such a small car? Im 190cm and interested if i can fit it well. What do you think about it?

Hoot to drive, poo-poo mpg but most certainly worth it. Go for the best one you can afford unless you want hidden costs!!!

There’s a guy selling one for 1200 at 120k miles. I am 15, is it worth buying for my 17th?

My one has 14,000 miles on it lol

The models were wrong sadly It's more like this The One D 1.4L diesel 75/88 HP The One 1.6L Petrol 90HP W10b16a engine The Cooper 1.6L Petrol 116HP W10b16a engine.... yes its the same The Cooper S 1.6L Petrol supercharged 163/170HP W11b16a engine The JCW 1.6L Petrol Supercharged 211HP W11b16a engine The JCW GP1 1.6L Petrol Supercharged 218HP W11b16a engine The R50 is basically just the One and the cooper while the R52 is the convertible as Cooper or Cooper S and The R53 is the Cooper S and JCW model. The Engine of this car is Sadly everything but reliable the W10 in the Mini One Holds up great but the engine in the Cooper dies way too early. The Cooper S models all have to be maintained pretty carefully otherwise they go even quicker into the bin.

9.2 7.2 .more 2 seconds

Brilliant review! Thanks and best regards from Ukraine