I’ve had a few ‘fun’ little cars through the years, this is easily as good or better than all of the others (X1/9, the original Accord, Del Sol, etc.). It is fun to drive, and it is very stylish/cool with as much distinct personality as any other car on the road. It also has a very high quality/competence feel compared to the others.

I tried the Cooper for 2 days and the Clubman for a day. It was an easy decision because the 2nd row of Clubman can fit 2 220lb 6ft guys. Driving experience is awesome for a car this size and this cost. Not to mention the the amount of “mini waves” you get everyday. :)

Basically, the Fit has no style worthy of mention…it’s generic, as you would expect from Honda. For some, style is worth the price.

This review’s price range is crazy too. I’ve been to a Mini dealership, and they didn’t have one in stock over 30k. Sure, you can order stupidly expensive combinations, but you’d really have to have your heart set on that configuration and a pocketbook that matched. The Clubmans I saw averaged about 24k for base models and around 28k for the S…and almost all of them had extras already, cruise control, iPod dock, Bluetooth, wheels, etc.

If Clubmans end up with the same resale value and used market demand as their smaller siblings, you’ll probably have no complaints.

I’m pretty sure Aston Martin has that down pat.

Backup sensors? I can’t imagine they would be useful in such a small car but then again some people like having as many gadgets in their car as they can get. Call ‘em the iPod crowd who pays $200 for a music player when the same things are available for less than $50 without the bragging rights (think River or Sansa).

I hope they sell alot of the cars and that the American market is flooded with the little cars. More importantly I hope they sell alot of them and the other car makers start building stuff that is as interesting as the Mini-series.

WAY too many same-same cars out there. This company sells a 4-door, that car sells a four door. This one is nice and that one is nice. They are different – only slightly – and built not to offend anyone. Call it the beige effect.

I want to see the roads full of interesting vehicles that tickle the imagination and the driver. Cars that relate to the owner’s taste just so.

That’s one reason I’ve enjoyed the retro cars so much. They may not be what everyone wants but they offer something different, something with style. Apparently though they offend the beige crowd with their distinctiveness.

I WANT a Mini next time. Prob won’t buy new though b/c some of the Minis belong to another tax bracket than my budget.

Gardiner, how did you reach these conclusions? Are you an owner? Have you spent a good deal of time behind the wheel of a MINI? I see no basis for your assessment.

I used to wonder what it would take to achieve 4/5 or 5/5 TTAC stars; they were really rare. Now I wonder if the wheels falling off would rate a 1/5 or 2/5?

Yeah, but if you loved the look, and kept the option list down, why wouldn’t you get one? Life is too short.

Rational buyers can stay away in droves. It won’t matter; Mini will still sell.

Excellent point and argument.

Rain-sensing wipers? I have that, it’s called eyes. When it’s raining, my eyes sense it and I turn on the wipers.

OMG I’m still laughing.

I love the MINI. I love the iconic, who-the-hell-cares style of the MINI. I wish it better fit me (6′3″), and that the back of my daughter’s head wasn’t 6″ from the plane of the rear bumper (just waiting for the cell-phone yacking Suburban driving mom to not notice I’m stopped in front of her).

Otherwise I’d have one.

That would be, yes, the aforementioned Honda Fit. It’s lighter and, with non-grocery-getter tires and suspension, just as sporty a car. Heck, with grocery-getter tires it’s still a lot of fun. You have to respect a car that can out-slalom a Corvette (per C&D) on with a fifth of the horsepower and on stock tires.

And yes, I’ve driven both, and I don’t think you’re giving the Fit credit. Where the Honda falls down is in it’s driving position: it’s pretty minivan-high,** but compared to the Cooper Classic (I don’t know if the US gets this model; it’s the base in Canada) the Fit is equivalently trimmed, has a much better shifterm a hundred kilos less mass, goes faster and runs on equally pedestrian rubber.

But the Mini costs much more! Much more. Three grand would pretty much address the Honda’s tire deficiency.

Again, the Mini is not a bad car at all, but it’s not a good value. Were Honda to make available a Fit Type-R, it would be a tough sell in any way but styling. The mid-market Cooper S is salable, but the Classic, Standard and Works models are only well-priced compared to the Volvo C30.

I like the Clubman, I really do. If I had discretionary money available, I’d probably buy one. But I don’t, so Fit it was.

** Disclosure: I do like the small-nose look of the Fit, Yaris or even Aveo. I like kei cars in general. I even like the B-Class. What can I say? I have bad taste in aesthetics.

For my driving they were similar enough to be the same. I’ve done enough high speed twisty road work on a variety of motorcycles to appreciate the business at hand, but also to appreciate (again, for me) that I needed to slow down before I either lost my license or my life.

So yes, they were comparable based on my criteria. That you find them different is not surprising to me at all, as your criteria are different and your own — as they should be. I don’t doubt at all that a good driver can do more with the MINI, and go quicker down the same stretch of road. At brisk versus rocket speed, however, things were closer.

So we wind up talking about different aspects of the same thing. It sounds like we each choose the right car.

For the record, I still really like the MINI (just not the Clubman), though I’ll probably aim for a 60s Mini instead some day.

And if the initial sticker price is your biggest sticking point, you are clearly not an informed car buyer. Sticker is only one part of total car ownership. MINIs have the best resale value of any car on the road today. What is your 3-series going to be worth in five years?

Quentin: **I haven’t driven a Clubman, so I cannot say one way or the other about its handling”
Take a MCS to an autocross, then run the Clubman. You will be a lot more aware of where your backend is in the Clubman. With the MCS, the backend never enters into my consciousness.

The honda fit, for all its goodness, looks like a economy car. The korean and american entries ditto. These are not where the MINI wants to be. The MINI is a cool little statment car that happens to get great milage.

Wait – arent ALL cars statement cars? Certainly the non-contractor ford f150 buyer is making a statement, as are most people in cars. SO what of it? Is it expensive? yes, if optioned up. My friend bought a new ragtop off the lot for 23 large. Could he have gotten another car? Why would you buy Johnson and Murhpy when Kmart sells perfectly good shoes for a third the price?

I think they should just add another 10 inches of wheelbase length and make the Clubman a full 4-door station wagon.

I pass by a Clubman every day in the parking lot (maybe the owner doesn’t like its ride either, so it never leaves its stall). I like the exterior design, I hate the interior. Way too overdone. Leaving aside right/left brain issues I will never buy a car whose speedo is located NOT where God intended it.

All’s forgiven. I’ve been working 12 hr days all week, so I understand the ‘out of sync’ feeling!

I haven’t had any problems with wheel hop, but then I usually don’t go around town smoking the tires either (I do have an LSD). I occasionally get a chirp leaving a stoplight.

Stiff suspension. No argument there. The stock dampers are stiff, and the anti-roll bars preloaded. If one has the desire, Koni FSD’s do wonders for the ride, as do the aforementioned non-runflat tires.

The car rewards smooth driving through curvy roads, and can hold more corner speed than just about any other car I’ve driven (which is quite a few).

Lots of aftermarket support improves the ownership experience for those so inclined. For those that aren’t, well, they’ll probably never know what they’re missing.

Porsche options are beyond gonzo. Good job, though. I tried for a half hour and barely broke $100K. I suppose I should get a life…

That observation just killed it for me, even speaking hypothetically. Too bad, it could have been a fun car with useable space for those who don’t need back seats. (The back seats in our Subaru Legacy wagon are usually down to make room for camping gear, my wife’s bicycle and our telescope.)

If we complain about this car being sold in America.

Do you think the Ford 150 is a hot seller in England?

My bad. I had meant ergonomics, not dynamics. Brain, fingers, not in sync.