Driving Impressions

The Mini Cooper delivers a sporty driving experience. Spring for the Cooper S if you are a serious driving enthusiast, but be prepared for an attendant rougher ride. Otherwise, you may find the standard Mini Cooper more comfortable. It's smooth and very stable, like a BMW. Around town, the Mini is well-mannered, smooth to shift and easy to park. The S is firm and bounces enough that drinking hot java on the way to work may result in a stained shirt or blouse. The top-down convertible affords so much pleasurable input you won't even notice what the road surface is like. The Mini corners like a go-kart and it's hard to exceed its cornering limits. The harder and deeper you go into corners, the more it says more. It goes where it's pointed without protest. Even when rain was sheeting down and the pavement shimmered in rivulets, the Mini felt bonded to the surface. The original Mini Cooper was as much fun as a carnival ride to drive, but much of the fun came from constant flirting with catastrophe (one wheel always lifted off the surface in hard turns). The fun in this modern Mini, with a body that feels as rigid as a block of maple, is in exploring its astonishing capabilities. It's a much easier car to drive than the old one (even when the old one has the steering wheel mounted on the left). As one might expect from a car associated with BMW, the Mini Cooper's steering is precise and immediate, though not as light as you might expect in a small car. Sharp and accurate, it's easy to place this little car exactly where you want it. The suspension (McPherson struts in front and multi-link rear) is designed to keep the car snug to the road. This means passengers feel broken surfaces, expansion joints or weathered pavement. The Mini's ride is not velvety, but it is secure. Somehow even on the roughest road, one that sets passengers popping like corn in a hot skillet, the Mini holds its direction like a gyroscope. Drivers like that. And make no mistake: The Mini is a driver's car. The brakes (vented front discs, solid rear discs) are equally impressive, proportionally balanced as they are. Hit them hard at speed and the car feels sucked to the earth and stops quickly. Mini comes standard with four-channel anti-lock brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and Corner Brake Control (CBC). EBD distributes front-to-rear brake forces for improved stability and shorter stopping distances. CBC evens braking forces side to side, important when braking in the middle of a corner (a driving faux pas). Optional Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) applies the brakes at individual wheels and reduces engine torque when it senses you're skidding or not traveling on your intended path. The standard 115-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder overhead-cam engine never feels deficient. It delivers plenty of power for most of us, but does not put your head against the backrest at launch. It has plenty of juice for charging around on-ramps and can rocket onto the freeway. It gets an EPA-estimated 28/37 mpg City/Highway. Shifting feels good and smooth. For 2005, the Cooper gets an all-new Getrag five-speed manual transmission with revised gearing for better acceleration. The same size engine in the Mini Cooper S produces 168 horsepower and 155 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. Top speed is electronically limited to 135 mph. The S doesn't feel like a rocket off the line, but really comes into its own once it's rolling. The supercharger doesn't deliver the explosive thrust associated with turbocharged engines, but it accelerates hard, with thrilling performance when you nail it in the 30-60 mph range. The supercharged engine uses the same block, but features more cooling measures (an engine oil cooler and piston-cooling jets), lower-compression pistons (to reduce detonation), a special crank, special valves, and, of course, the roots-type blower. All this adds up to 40-percent

Final Word

The Mini Cooper is a well-executed piece by every measure. It's the total package that makes it an excellent value: appealing appearance inside and out, excellent performance, notable engineering, numerous safety devices and the simple delight of being in and around it. It gets excellent gas mileage and it will make your garage seem enormous. The convertible makes no compromises for its ability to open its passengers fully to a beautiful day. And close them up again during a stoplight pause. Ain't buttons a gas? About 10,000 Mini Coopers were sold in the United States from 1960-67. The 2002 Mini passed that mark within six months of going on sale it was on sale, and 36,010 were sold during calendar year 2003. It's easy to understand why. We'd be delighted to own one. And with the new convertible now in the line-up look out for the one-of-each family. New Car Test Drive correspondent Denise McCluggage reported from Minneapolis with Mitch McCullough reporting from Los Angeles and New York and Sam Moses reporting from Ireland.