Mini Cooper

I was talking with my brother over the phone today and we got to talking about the new Mini. Renowned as small zippy cars, the Mini corporation was bought by BMW. And, later this year, they’re releasing “the new Mini” (officially, the “Mini Cooper”), a complete remake of the old classic. I recalled, speaking to Adrian, that I had heard good things about the car, but I decided to find some specifics.

And, I found specifics from this Car and Driver road test of the Mini Cooper S.

Here’s some advice: Don’t buy a Mini Cooper unless you own an enclosed, lockable garage. Otherwise, you'll get to talk to your neighbors until 11 o’clock at night. They’ll come a-knocking, begging rides, trailing kids with disposable diapers and disposable cameras. And during those rides, other travelers will shout questions at you. From their moving cars.

[…]

There are two Mini flavors. The standard Cooper, with a base price of only $16,850, is powered by a 16-valve 1.6-liter four-banger producing 115 horsepower. The Cooper S fetches an extra $3000 but is supercharged and intercooled, producing 163 horses funneled through a Getrag six-speed. It’s simple to tell the two apart. The S is the one with the Royal Mail slot in its snout.

[…]

What the Mini does best is devour corners, thanks in part to its 3-series-style multilink rear suspension and spring rates that must be close to a Ferrari F40’s. On even the wildest kinks and whirligigs, there is simply no perceptible roll, dive, or squat. The car hangs on beyond what its grip of 0.85 g suggests. By the time you get the tires howling, your passenger will be dialing 9-1-1. Eventually, the Mini understeers, but on dry, public roads, you'll have a deuce of a time inducing it.

[…]

Our test car was loaded with $4150 of options, none of which increased its fun factor. The car you want is the $19,850 “base” S. Everything of consequence is standard: anti-lock brakes, traction control, 16-inch wheels that grip as well as the 17s, even a six-speaker stereo with a CD player.

[…]

All things considered, the new Mini appears to be the car to buy for around $19-20k.

Interestingly, one of the testers says at the end of the article “For the price of a Mini Cooper S, you could buy an Acura RSX Type-S or a Subaru Impreza WRX”, but actually those are $23,650 and $24,520, respectively. On the other hand, if you were considering something in the range of $23-24k, then both of those would be excellent choices.