Instead, I splurged on a few options on the interior, where I spend more of my time… And I am having a blast every time I get in.

GBG

” The Cooper S is out for me given its obscene price in Canada (base is $30,600)”

If you think that’s bad – try 50,000 CAD for a Cooper S, that I recently speced up in Ireland!

Hahaha, this made me laugh out loud.

Can an old fat guy even fit into the thing?

Yes, indeed! I am over age 60, 6′ 1″ and 270 pounds. I keep the seat one or two notches short of maximum. Lots of headroom (I don’t have a sunroof).

Greatest car I have ever driven!

Imagine a Dodge Nitro with the MINI’s interior. The ultimate Play-skool car.

I really do like that car, I just wish they had the Mazda 3’s engines available back when it was still around. As it is, you get not only weak power, but weak fuel economy as well. Also, a better shifter would have gone great with the kickass chassis. Not only can it handle and steer, it’s also a very comfortable car; I almost took a nap while sitting in the seat waiting for the sales rep to get the keys for it.

The cars (or vehicles to be more specific) that win you over are the most remarkable to me. Presently, Im driving the weakest-powered, least- optioned car Ive owned in the past five years but its won me over as a total package. Factor in the price and its even more endearing.

Another example of this type of car that more than delivers is the manual trans. late model Mazda Protege5.

These qualities may not translate quite so well in other media. But here at TTAC, I like to think that they are well received.

Fashionistas looking for a city-friendly, nimble, high-mpg runabout? Why would you even bother with Smart here? You CAN put two of them in a parallel spot. That doesn’t mean the law will LET you ;)

Nice ride. We need more low-powered, well-balanced 4-bangers on this side of the pond (er, both ponds). Consumer choice!

Good review.

Those who seek economy bought Honda Fit already. MC won’t stand any chance in the sub-20k segment and thus they stayed out of it.

Besides, the money a person saves on the initial purchase price means that he or she can spend money increasing engine horsepower by a variety of means, thanks to the burgeoning aftermarket for the Mini, if the owner really feels the need for speed; and can get out on the roads between the cities – think Montana, upper New York State or Nevada.

So true. I owned an ‘05 Cooper S for about 1.5 years, before returning it to MINI under the Lemon Law. I was not at all thrilled with going back to the dealer every two weeks for a “Service Engine Soon” light that came on for no explainable reason, despite changing out so many parts and reprogramming the ECU so many times. It also decided to start bogging down on power in first and second when leaving from a stop when the car was still cold. Clutch fully released, foot on gas, and… nothing, for about a second.

Add the 40 min. drive to the dealer (on a good day), the fast-running clock, the burned out bulbs, the idiot detailer kid at the dealer who dented the hood by hitting it with a BMW while it was there for service, causing it to be there for another week for hood replacement, the 12 trips to dealer in 6 months, and I had enough of the sorry sub-par vehicle and clueless dealer techs.

Oh yeah, it was the most fun car I’ve ever driven, and I wanted to love this car so much, taking almost 2 years to save for a big down payment. Other MINI owners in the local MINI club always complained about things here and there, but with a shrug, as if they would grin and bear it. But I have too much self-respect to do the same. The car had to go, and along with it, my love-struck feelings about it.

Thanks, just wanted to get that off my chest.

Clooney can do “angst-ridden” loser all day (see, e.g, “ER”), but “happy go lucky” loser is just not in his wheelhouse.

Great review. I really enjoyed test driving the base when it first came out, really fun drive, but my wife could never get over the size. I would still consider getting one for myself if they still didn’t have a premuim attached to the price.

How is the reliability on the base model from any owners on here? I haven’t read very good things about how they hold up.

That’s because the source of FUN in a MINI is 5% engine, 95% everything else, with chassis playfulness taking a big chunk of that. What a blast of a car! What an incredible grin-inducer!

Well-written review, too. I echo the earlier comment that the review matched the personality of the car.