Base price: $16,975; S, $19,975
Vehicle type: front-engine, front-drive; 3-door 5-passenger coupe
Interior volume, F/R/cargo (cu ft) 47/30/5
Wheelbase 97.9 in
Length/width/height 143.9/67.0/55.9 in
Turning circle 34.2 ft
Curb weight 3250–3300 lb
EPA city/hwy mpg 24–28/36–37
Fuel-tank capacity/range 13.0 gal/312–364 mi
Passive restraints driver and passenger front, side, and head airbags
POWERTRAIN
1.6-liter SOHC 16-valve 4-in-line, 115 hp; supercharged and intercooled 1.6-liter SOHC 16-valve 4-in-line, 163 hp; 5- or 6-sp man, continuously variable auto
SUSPENSION
F ind, struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar
R ind, multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
BRAKES
F/R vented disc/disc
ABS standard
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MINI COOPER
Rarely has a new car carried so much baggage. We speak here not of the suitcases that likely won’t fit in the new Mini’s tiny cargo hold. No, this cute-as-a-button little car carries the baggage of history.
The original Mini, introduced in 1959, sold 5.3 million units during the course of 41 years. Impressive as that sales record is, it’s not the whole story. The Mini has a long cultural history. The miniskirt was named after this car. The designer of the first Mini was knighted by the queen of England. You get the picture.
But even in Britain—a country unusually proud of its past—symbols of a once-glorious empire must give way to modernity. The new Mini, which went on sale in spring of 2002 as a 2003 model evokes images of swinging London in the 1960s. But look beyond the characteristic Mini Cooper contrasting-color roof, you’ll see a modern BMW in all but name.
BMW owns Mini, and it is the Germans who designed this retro reincarnation. It shows. Gone is the light, runabout character of the original, replaced by the substantive, capable feel that we’ve come to identify with German craftsmanship.
The structure of the Mini is stiffer than that of any competitor. The rear suspension mimics the multilink arrangement of the current 3-series BMW. A cheaper rear suspension would have saved more space, but BMW presents this as a fun car—not an economy ride. And, for the most part, BMW succeeds. The sport-tuned suspension allows virtually no body roll, and front-end grip of this front-wheel-drive car is impressive. The penalty is a choppy ride over rough pavement. The steering is also excellent for a front-driver, with ample feel and no torque steer. But the quick ratio can make the little Mini feel a bit darty. Of course, there wouldn’t be any torque steer with the regular Mini Cooper because the 115-hp 1.6-liter produces so little torque. The engine is the Mini’s weakest link. The base motor is overmatched by the Mini’s porkiness, relative to its dimensions. A 163-hp supercharged version, standard in the Cooper S model—along with a six-speed manual—is the preferred engine. The base Mini Cooper is available with a five-speed manual or a continuously variable automatic transmission.
As a premium small car, the Mini is available with a long list of options including stability control and a navigation system. The base price is just below $17,000. Add another $3000 for the S. All those options add up quickly, so figure about $24,000 for a well-equipped S.
There are cheaper small cars that are almost as quick and just as much fun as the Cooper S—notably the Ford SVT Focus—but none that are quite as cute.
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