lcneed

Mini Cooper reliability IS awful. The reason that I am driving a CT now is because the Mini was so awful that I asked my mechanic friends which car to buy next... and everyone said a Lexus. If you want a Mini, lease one. It pretty much trouble free until the warranty went out.

smarks1632

I came from a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee to my CT F Sport and I had all the concerns you mention. I also narrowed my search down to the Mini Countryman and the CT. The Mini is a bit more fun to drive, but is also quirky, doesn't have great gas mileage and the reliability, as previously mentioned, scared me...I've heard multiple stories of Minis being in the shop for weeks for minor stuff. The Mini was also much noisier on the road,

I just returned from a 2400 mile round trip and the CT is a dream to drive long distance...averaged 40.3 MPG from Denver to San Francisco and back, doing a lot of miles at 80 MPH and of course numerous mountain ranges to climb. There were two of us and there was plenty of room.

One of my criterias was room enough in the hatch area to fit my 86 pound german shepherd...not caged...and he fits there just fine. Stereo is not great but adequate.

If you do consider a Mazda, keep in mind the vast difference between the two companies service facilities and customer treatment.

In the end, I'm happy and do not miss the Jeep or its 13 MPG city gas mileage. Hope this helps...I'd be happy to answer other questions if you have them.

smarks1632

OOPs, I didn't address the speed or power question. When you first drive the CT it take some getting used to in utilizing its power train. While in San Francisco (sea level) it's was actually pretty zippy...especially in sport mode. Life at 5280 feet takes a toll on horsepower on all cars, so I wouldn't say it's zippy here in Denver. But from a stop light it's actually quite quick to about 35 mph in sport mode with little effect on mileage. And on the highway I have never encountered a situation when the power wasn't adequate. Also, the seats are quite confy!!