2002 Mini S vs 2004 Mini S

Very little from looking at the outward appearance of the car. I recall they've fiddled around with things like whether rear fog lights are standard, 12V outlet plugs in the rear hatch area, etc. And most people think the suspension settings have been softened.

OTOH, they have resolved a lot of glitches, rattles, and little problems. Most people who have traded their early cars for a later one have reported MUCH improved fit/finish and very few problems, compared to the littany of issues with the first ones off the prod line.

If you're comparing the two cars, I'd get the 2004 unless the 2002 has a deep discount and you don't mind dealing with the glitches. And if you're buying new, I'd wait until the 2005s which start with July production. There ARE some substantial changes with the 2005.

- Mark

Could you elaborate on the 2205 changes? Other than offering the Convertible....

Given the amount of noise generated by having the sun roof open while going down the highway, I can only imagine ear plugs are standard equipment with the convertable.

Too many to mention, but..

revised head and tail lights, optional extra interia trim choice, larger re-view mirror, optional extra wheel choice, new remote with extra features (open boot,etc) CD prep as standard, the CD player (optional choice) will now play MP3's, ISO child seat fixture as standard, etc,etc

Save the best til last : revised gear ratio's and improved ECU giving top speed of 138mph and 0-62 of

No sorry, the worst till last : extra £580 added to base price.

for more info check out

Texy

The best 2005 new features summary is here. The really big things are the new gearbox in the Mini and the extra-hp and re-gearing of the MCS (in addition to the convertible).

- Mark