The Cute Factor

The Mini Cooper S, in its tiny green glory, was slightly above my waist level. The model I was in had a 168 horsepower, 1.6L supercharged inline four with 162 lb-ft of torque. All this in a car that weighed slightly under 2700 pounds, unladen. I won’t completely bore you with stats of the Mini, because this car is all about fun.

For starters, the Mini looks like it should fit anyone like tinfoil wrapping. Once inside, you’ll quickly realize that there’s enough space for you and your legs, unless you’re over six foot eight-ish, and have knees. Thankfully, I’m slightly under that height, so I was well accommodated. The little 1.6L powerhouse growls into life readily when you turn the stylish Mini key, and the toggle-switch outfitted interior gleams in retro style, creating the same cozy mini familiarity on the inside that you’d expect from that undeniably “cute” exterior. The back seats? They’re pretty small, but children should be able to survive in them for short stints without needing therapy.

The driving experience. Ah, the good stuff. The Mini has very little weight, and that fact makes for great performance. The straight-line acceleration isn’t phenomenal, but it’s quite quick (at roughly 6.7 seconds to 60) considering the relatively small engine. The nice thing about the S model is that it’s supercharged, and has plenty of power throughout the rev range. One of the more amazing discoveries during my drive was that the Mini has an incredibly good exhaust note. I found myself blipping the throttle at stop-signs, and even disengaging the transmission for a quick rev while in motion. It’s a nice sound in between a guttural growl and a power purr, and it completely fits the Mini’s persona. A big V8 note would sound out of place, but the aggressive exhaust works well on the small inline four.

So, what else does the lack of weight help with? Those parts of the road that aren’t straight. Try to do what I did in the Mini with a Hummer, and you’ll take the Hummer on its intended path, namely, off-road. The Mini has a fantastic bulldog sort of low stance which, coupled with stiff but liveable ride quality, completely glues the car to the road. Any but the most capable cars will be scared of corners that the Mini chuckles at. In the base Cooper, this cornering ability isn’t really matched by engine performance, but the supercharged Cooper S has plenty of performance all around.

The Cooper S comes with either a six speed manual or a six speed automatic, depending on your preference. Sixth gear doesn’t have too much power, but that’s because the Mini’s sixth gear is meant to serve the purpose of better highway fuel economy. The EPA claims 22/29 miles per gallon for city/highway driving, but I think it would be fairly easy to get into the mid thirties under conservative driving. Needless to say, I can’t verify that, as I wasn’t quite driving conservatively.

The Mini Cooper S becomes even more interesting when you compare it with something like the 2010 Camaro SS that I drove in January. The Camaro looks menacing, sounds positively mean, and will cut your driving reputation in two if you aren’t careful. The Mini Cooper S looks compact, cute, and inviting, sounds like a purring kitten on steroids, and will eagerly drive however you ask it to. The differences are astounding, which makes sense, because these cars couldn’t be much further apart on paper, either. The one thing the two of them certainly have in common? They’re both a blast to drive. The upshot of the Cooper S is that it won’t punch you when you’re tired from work, and just looking to get home. You also might not miss those 2 full seconds of difference in their respective 0-60 times when you’re at the gas pump, or trying to fit into the world’s smallest parking space in a crowded one-way Boston alley.

So, as a nominee for a fun, fast, and relatively fuel efficient car for one person or couple, the Mini Cooper S is very difficult to beat. The Mini Cooper is a surprisingly composed and versatile fun-mobile with plenty to offer, as long as you don’t look at the price to pound ratio.


Youtube review link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmctvfLjlwg