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Long-Term Test: 2002 Mini Cooper S

Road Test

Long-Term Test: 2002 Mini Cooper S

Introduction

Published Jul 26, 2002

    0 Ratings
    There's no denying that the Mini Cooper is the hottest car to roll into showrooms since the trendy Chrysler PT Cruiser created a buying frenzy two summers ago. We were lucky enough to snag an eye-popping Electric Blue Metallic 2002 Cooper S only a few months after it went into production. While our enthusiasm for the car itself is high, the buying experience was exasperating, to say the least.

    But let's start with the good news.

    The Cooper S is the supercharged version of the Mini Cooper; both manufactured in Oxford, England, under the watchful eye of BMW. The car's design is based on the legendary Mini Cooper, which first began sprinting around the streets of England in 1959. The stubby nose and bobtail look of the original Mini set it apart from conventional cars, and its wheels-at-the-corners setup gave it a go-cart's stability and glued-to-the-road handling. In short, the Mini was a blast to drive and British gearheads immediately began modifying it for races and road rallies.

    The Mini Cooper made a brief foray into the United States in the mid-'60s. However, it was unable to pass more stringent American safety standards, and it never really caught on.

    Cut to the millennium. BMW bought Rover and got the Mini name as part of the deal. Soon, it was announced that BMW would reinvent the Mini but make it larger while still preserving the stubby, multicolored design. Under the skin, BMW would apply its expertise and precision parts to create a rigid, safe car that offered performance and practicality at a price even a college student could afford.

    While the front-drive Mini Cooper offers a modest 115 horsepower from a 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine, the Cooper S uses an intercooled supercharger to boost output to 163 hp at 6,000 rpm and 155 pound-feet of twist at 4,000 rpm. The Cooper S comes only with a six-speed manual transmission and offers several features not available in the regular Mini, including brushed aluminum accents in the cockpit, a hood scoop and colors such as our Electric Blue Metallic. Both the Cooper and the Cooper S borrow their sophisticated multilink independent rear suspension from the current BMW 3 Series with a MacPherson strut arrangement in front. Additionally, the Cooper S gets reinforced antiroll bars and firmer springs. Electrically powered rack-and-pinion steering is standard in both Minis, giving the driver the incredibly responsive feel associated with BMWs.

    As early as 2001, we decided to see for ourselves what all the excitement was about, so we set out to get a Cooper S — we also rated it the Most Significant Vehicle for 2002. The only problem was that a Mini dealership network hadn't been established yet. Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed was put on the case. Normally, Phil approaches car buying as a mystery shopper, not revealing his Edmunds.com connection until after a deal is struck. In this way, we can report the price at which a typical buyer could buy a certain car. But in this instance, we decided to forego this approach and get a Mini any way we could.

    Phil began by calling BMW dealerships and asking if they would become Mini dealers once the cars were available. After a half dozen calls, he struck pay dirt at Long Beach BMW, some 20 miles south of Los Angeles. "It's not definite yet, but we've been told we'll probably get a Mini dealership," a salesperson told Phil. "We are starting a list of buyers. Would you like to be on it?" We jumped at the chance and even offered to make a $1,000 deposit. The salesperson didn't accept the money, however, and we kept in touch for the next six months.

    In March 2002, we were invited to come to the Mini dealership, choose a car and make our deposit. We met with a Mini salesman who showed us, on his computer, the cars scheduled for production at the factory. We selected an Electric Blue Metallic Cooper S with black leatherette interior and the Combo Number Two Sport package that gave us Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), sport seats, front fog lamps, a rear spoiler, 17-inch wheels (with 205/45R17 performance run-flat tires) and xenon headlights with headlamp power wash. The base price was $19,300; the metallic paint added $400; the sport package was $1,250. Once a $550 destination fee was added, our total was $21,500. Unlike other Mini dealers, Long Beach Mini had decided not to gouge buyers — er, mark up — the popular cars; we would pay sticker price.

    It should also be added that the Cooper comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile Full Maintenance Program, 4-year/50,000-mile limited warranty and a Mini Roadside Assistance program in effect for 4 years/50,000 miles.

    We tracked the progress of our Mini on the Web site through production and the various steps of transportation. It was originally scheduled for delivery June 12 but was held up for more than a week at the port in Oxnard, Calif. It arrived at the Mini dealership in Long Beach on June 20.

    We had arranged financing through Jefferson Leasing, in Crofton, Md., because their interest rates were better than those offered by BMW. A number of documents had to be faxed back and forth, and this process took almost another week and a half. During this process, we had to call the Mini dealership many times. The salespeople were so busy that they barely had time to speak with us. Our calls sometimes went unanswered. And when we urged one salesperson to speed up the process and release our car, he informed us that he could have sold our car "six times over to someone else." He also said he was tempted to sell our car to someone else, despite having cashed our $1,000 deposit check, because our decision to use outside financing had created extra steps for him.

    Thinking that we might lose our reserved Mini, Phil called three other Mini dealerships in the Los Angeles area. One wasn't selling the cars yet, and the other two had Cooper Ss sitting in their showrooms for sale. The catch was this: They both wanted thousands over sticker — one was asking for $6,000 over sticker and the other asked $4,000 over MSRP.

    We didn't want to lose our Mini, and we were frustrated with the delays (which were caused, incidentally, by additional paperwork required by the BMW dealership, not by the finance company we chose). We called Mini corporate spokespeople and the general manager of the Mini dealership for assistance in rectifying the situation. The car was released June 28 after sitting on the lot for a week and a half.

    We hope that consumers bitten by the Mini bug will learn from our buying experience. Look for a dealership that isn't marking up its cars. If there is a markup, remember that it is negotiable. Finally, remember that the Mini salespeople don't have to sell the Minis. They are really just scheduling test drives and taking orders. It is likely that you will not get the level of service you would expect when buying a less trendy car.

    Once we got behind the wheel of our Cooper S, we were able to put the difficult buying experience behind us and begin enjoying the car. To read about our first driving impressions, check out our first month's report.

    Total Odometer Reading: 64
    Best Fuel Economy: Gas tank not refilled yet
    Worst Fuel Economy: Gas tank not refilled yet
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): Gas tank not refilled yet
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: None

    Road Test

    July 2002

    Everyone on the Edmunds.com staff wanted to get into the Mini Cooper S as soon as it arrived in our long-term fleet. Due to the travel schedules of the other editors and the arrival of other test vehicles, Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed was the lucky driver to get the first turn behind the wheel.

    Phil was most curious to see if the S model's added horsepower translated to a quickened pulse (the Cooper offers 115 horsepower while the Cooper S uses an intercooled supercharger to boost output to 163 hp at 6,000 rpm and 155 pound-feet of twist at 4,000 rpm). However, Mini recommends breaking in the car by varying the speeds and keeping the rpm below 4,500 for the first 1,200 miles. Still, the added boost was quite noticeable, even without winding it up. The engine, while a bit sluggish off the line, takes off in the midrange and begins to sing as it approaches 4,500 rpm.

    Another point of interest was to see if the stiffer suspension and the 17-inch wheels in the Cooper S would give the driver and passengers a punishing ride. Phil noticed his voice wavering as the car bucked over expansion joints on the freeway. But the road feel was so outstanding and the chassis so wonderfully rigid that the sensation wasn't a negative.

    As Phil began using the Mini for around-town driving and family outings, he often found crowds gathered around the car and had to field questions from interested onlookers. The most frequently asked question was, "Is it really small inside?" Well, Phil took his family of four to see the fireworks on July 4 at the Long Beach Harbor. With parking limited, he slipped into a space passed up by SUVs and normal-sized cars. Later in the week, a 6-foot-7-seven-inch friend comfortably rode in the front passenger seat (the front seat was pushed back completely against the rear seat). So, while the car certainly looks pint-sized, it offers more usable interior space than you would expect.

    Unfortunately, the downsized proportions haven't yet led to higher gas mileage figures. While the regular Mini Cooper has posted real-world figures of 30 mpg, our Cooper S, in its first few tanks, is showing about 25 mpg. And keep in mind that the high-performance engine takes only premium gasoline — an added expense. Perhaps, after it is broken in, the numbers will improve.

    One Sunday afternoon, Phil drove his wife and younger son from their home in Long Beach to San Diego, a distance of 100 miles. On the way there, he closely watched the odometer, since there were nearly 1,200 miles on the engine, the point at which the engine would officially be broken in and could be driven above 4,500 rpm. With 1,197 miles on the odometer — only 3 miles from break in — he pulled into a parking lot at Seaport Village near downtown San Diego. Returning to the car several hours later, he and his family were ready to begin the trip home.

    "Backing up requires snapping the shifter through a detent and into reverse," Phil explained. "I did this and felt a pop. The shifter was suddenly loose in my hand. I couldn't change gears — I couldn't take it out of gear." Now it was time to stop testing the Mini and begin testing the efficiency of Mini Roadside Assistance.

    Using his cell phone, Phil dialed the 800 number for roadside assistance and was immediately connected with a representative. He described the problem, and the representative said, "Oh yes, we've had a few of those. There seems to be a problem on the very early models." A flatbed truck was dispatched to pick up the Cooper S, and the representative agreed to have it hauled all the way back to Long Beach BMW to save Phil another trip to San Diego to pick it up once it was repaired.

    "But how can my family and I get back home?" Phil asked the Mini rep. There was a long pause while Phil was put on hold. Eventually, the representative came back on the line and said that, normally, he would have to call 1-800-ASKMINI but, since this was a Sunday, that office would be closed. However, the representative said he could spend up to $750 on food, lodging and transportation to get home. "Save receipts and you will be reimbursed," he said.

    Meanwhile, the flatbed truck arrived after a 90-minute wait. The driver was very cheerful and remarked, "I've never seen one of these cars before. How do you like it?" Watching the Mini being winched up onto the flatbed truck Phil shrugged and said, "I like it a lot — when it's running."

    The day after the breakdown, we spotted a small item in the Wall Street Journal saying that the Mini Cooper had a faulty transmission cable on the automatic models in less than 10 percent of the new cars. It stated that the Cooper S models were unaffected. When we picked up our car from the dealership three days later, the repair bill said, "shift cable came off shifter lever." The bill indicated that the main shift cable was replaced to compensate for "excessive play." The repair was made under warranty and we were not charged.

    Our short time with our long-term Mini Cooper S has been filled with many highs and lows. If this is the end of the mechanical problems, it has all been worthwhile. If not, well...Stay tuned and we'll take you through another 11 months of life with a Mini Cooper S.

    Total Odometer Reading: 1,197
    Best Fuel Economy: 28.6 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 16.2 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: Shift linkage malfunction left driver stranded. Car was towed to dealership for repair under warranty.

    Road Test

    August 2002

    Hard starting and flimsy build quality aside, Senior Editor Christian Wardlaw became smitten with our Electric Blue Mini Cooper S this month. He even told several people that, given $25,000 to spend and a choice between a loaded Cooper S and a Mazda Miata, he might select the former. (Please understand that this is a huge endorsement for the Mini from our Miata-loving senior editor.)

    Wardlaw's month in the Cooper got off to an odd start. Last month, the shifter quit working before the car had accumulated 1,200 miles, leaving staffer Phil Reed stranded in San Diego, about 100 miles from home. A call to Mini's roadside assistance center revealed that because Reed was stuck out of town, he had up to $750 to spend on food, lodging and transportation. Our Mini was put on a flatbed truck and sent north to Long Beach Mini for three days of R&R (rest and repair). Reed and his son called a limo and rode back to Los Angeles in style, after having lunch, of course. Turns out the Cooper shift cable had come off the shift lever, so the dealer replaced the main cable under warranty.

    After the transmission fix was completed, Long Beach Mini promptly called and hours later delivered the vehicle to our man Wardlaw, who sped off toward Santa Monica and far-reaching corners of the West (more on this later). Then, a week later Mini issued a recall covering 3,531 Coopers afflicted with the shift cable problem. You can view the recall notice at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

    Just prior to his stint in the Cooper S, Wardlaw attended a local press drive of this supercharged model that took him down twisting two-lane roads in the Santa Monica Mountains, with which he is quite familiar and upon which he had previously driven the standard Cooper. The standard model had not impressed him, but the S model represented a huge leap over the base car in terms of responsiveness, handling and grip.

    S models receive a 40-percent boost in horsepower and torque, thanks to the supercharger bolted to the 1.6-liter inline four. This boosted (11.6 psi) and intercooled engine features concave pistons with cooling jets and stronger valves and connecting rods. According to Mini, the 163-horsepower Cooper S can run from standstill to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds. We haven't yet tested our car, but surely our expert driver will best Mini's claim.

    Other goodies that come with the Cooper S include a six-speed Getrag manual transmission with dual-cone synchronization and electrohydraulic steering, programmed in this application to provide a tighter feel. The suspension benefits from beefier springs and thicker anti-sway bars. Equal-length driveshafts do a nice job of quelling torque steer in the front-drive Cooper, while four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, EBD and cornering brake control (CBC) effectively scrub speed.

    Our test car is equipped with the Sport Package, which includes handsome 17-inch "S-Lite" wheels with Pirelli Eufori 205/45 run-flat tires. Our car also came with no-charge leatherette upholstery, which doesn't breathe particularly well. We'd suggest cloth or the optional leather.

    Initial impressions, as compared to the base Cooper, and generated during Wardlaw's media drive:
    "Electric steering still exhibits a bit of play on center and delayed reaction off center."

    "Suspension is nicely buttoned-down but there is still a hint of skittishness while the car settles itself after unloading the underpinnings on a dip."

    "Brake pedal in the S exhibits the same spongy feel as the standard model."

    "Grip is extraordinary! Very slight hint of front-drive push in turns, but overall it's exceptionally balanced for a front-heavy, front-wheel-drive car."

    "Ride quality is harsh at times, but not dramatically more so than the regular Cooper."
    Fast forward now to his month behind the wheel, commuting around Los Angeles and taking one wicked-long road trip from Los Angeles to Idaho and back.

    "I'm amazed," Wardlaw noted in the logbook near the end of his tenure behind the wheel, "that I've not yet received a traffic violation while driving this extraordinarily fun little car." After his 30 days in possession of the Mini's keys, Wardlaw was undeniably smitten with the Cooper S, but he noted, in his characteristic manner, that the vehicle is not without flaws.

    In addition to the transmission failure, our Mini now suffers a cold-start problem. One morning, Wardlaw had to crank the car four times to get the engine going. "In the morning," he noted, "it never starts on the first try. It always takes at least two twists of the ignition to get the car running." Also, during his road trip across the Great Basin, the right rear seatback release mechanism stopped working. Furthermore, parts of the interior are easy to disassemble without tools and the driver door reflector keeps popping out and depositing itself somewhere on the cabin floor. Additionally, the weatherstripping in the right doorframe is bunched, and the interior suffers from numerous buzzes and rattles. Finally, the frameless side glass shudders each time the door is opened or closed, imparting a sense of slipshod construction.

    Though it may be of poor build quality (our test car, anyway, and in Wardlaw's usually pointed opinion), the Mini Cooper S is so much fun to drive that many of the negatives are overlooked, and the overall impression of the vehicle is overwhelmingly positive.

    In just two months, our Cooper amassed nearly 6,000 miles on the odometer. When driven around town in L.A.'s notorious rush-hour traffic, the pint-size hatchback squirted from lane to lane, threading its way through mindless commuters sipping coffee, checking voicemail and even reading books. With the Cooper S's power and small size, heavy traffic is actually fun.

    When used as a road tripper, the Cooper S passes muster, even though our test car doesn't have cruise control. Wardlaw drove from our Santa Monica offices to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and back, taking interstates on the way north and two-lane roads on the way south. His major complaint was with the sport seats that come standard on the S; "After nine hours in the saddle, the bottom cushion is like concrete." Another criticism, though far less relevant to most folks, is that when you scrub bugs off the upright windshield at the gas station, rivulets of water stream everywhere, ruining that "clean car" look.

    Wardlaw also mentioned a gripe about the harsh overhead map lighting, which is located in such a manner that the illumination casts shadows in the front portion of the cabin, making it hard to read, for example, an atlas. Additional complaints were voiced about the fact that the dead pedal and the accelerator are on different planes when cruising down the interstate at a rapid clip and that the seat recliner adjusters are maddeningly nonintuitive. "The entire month I had the car, loading items in and out of the back seat, running it through car washes, I found it necessary to use the seat recliners to make adjustments," Wardlaw claims. "At no time did this come easily."

    On the positive side of the ledger, Wardlaw complimented the Cooper's composure at triple-digit speeds, and found it to be quite entertaining whipping along freeway on- and off-ramps. Our car's xenon headlights do an admirable job of illuminating the roadway, and in the rain, the wipers stick to the glass even at high speeds. Wardlaw also commended the large glovebox, the simple and effective automatic climate control and the speed-compensating volume control for the stereo. Finally, during a rainstorm in Montana, it was demonstrated that airflow around the Cooper's A-pillar keeps water and filth off of most of the side glass, preserving an unobstructed view through to the side mirrors. This is key information for those who must contend with salt-coated roadways in the winter.

    Given the Cooper S's short wheelbase and low-profile 17-inch tires, you might expect the ride to be harsh. Wardlaw reported that after several thousand miles, the Cooper only punished the driver on severely broken concrete surfaces. Also, the car tramlines on grooved pavement, such as that found extensively in Los Angeles, causing it to "dance" under the driver.

    Drivers might wish to learn a few dance moves of their own, especially if they are shy and drive the Cooper during the daytime. Wardlaw became an instant celebrity during his ride through Utah, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Every time he stopped for fuel, he held a question-and-answer seminar for curious onlookers. Here are some quotes he jotted down during his one-week road trip:
    "Dude! Your Cooper rules!" — Young man in a slammed Accord in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

    "What kind of car is that?" — Gas station attendant in Ogden, Utah.

    "Wow! Cool car, mister!" — Preteen kids in Utah, Montana and Idaho.
    Wardlaw also determined that driving a Cooper is an excellent way to meet women. In Salt Lake City, a woman driving a Chevy Astro blazed up alongside our Mini after swerving through traffic so occupants of the van could get a better look. A few miles up the road, three blonde coeds in a Subaru Outback with Idaho plates swiveled their heads simultaneously to check out the Cooper following them. In another Subaru Outback in Montana, a young woman riding in the back seat spun around with a huge grin on her face as Wardlaw passed her. A denizen of Santa Monica sped alongside and started a conversation from her Ford Explorer.

    The car affects men as well. In Nevada, an older man riding shotgun in a Ford SVT Focus shot Wardlaw an approving look. Two young men rocketing north on Interstate 15 in a Colorado-plated BMW 530i slowed and gave our man two thumbs up for the Cooper S. Construction workers stopped everything to watch the Mini cruise by in the numerous road-work zones Wardlaw traversed.

    Young, old, rich, poor, male or female, the Mini Cooper appeals to all. Most folks don't know what it is, and certainly aren't versed in its heritage. Yet they love the car on sight. They approach, they ask questions, they are excited. Often, they are surprised that BMW builds it. And though Wardlaw tells them about the build-quality problems we've suffered, they do not seem deterred. They want to know more. They want to drive one. And when they find out how inexpensive it is, they want to buy one.

    Current Odometer: 5,723
    Best Fuel Economy: 29 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 18.1 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy: 24.6 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: Hard-starting problem in the morning; broken right rear seat release.

    Road Test

    September 2002

    It's official, Mini mania is in full effect. It's today's "It" car. The second British Invasion is under way, folks. This month, Photo Editor Scott Jacobs got hold of the keys and felt like a rock star, minus the money, women and the "too cool for school" clothing.

    "To drive a Mini is to become an instant celebrity," Scott wrote in the logbook. "People freak out when they see this car." To prove his case, Scott gave a few examples:
    1. The Mini had just gotten washed. Scott gave the attendant a tip and hopped in. As he started the engine, he noticed a man who was waiting for his car drop his cell phone and stumble over to the Mini with the look of a four-year-old eyeing a basket of chocolate on Easter morning. Scott quickly got the Mini running and escaped.
    2. Scott was driving home from a late-night workout at the gym, and a bus pulled up next to him at the stoplight. The bus's door opened, the driver burst out with a few expletives and a "That's one cool car, man!" As Scott thanked the driver, he looked over at the bus and noticed that it had several passengers whose faces were plastered to the windows, eyes tracing every line of the Mini.
    Besides these examples, Scott found that everywhere he went people stared, pointed, honked in admiration, gave the thumbs up and, in almost every case, smiled. "The Mini has such a fun vibe, it's almost childlike," Scott said. "It's like a little kid running around smiling and giggling, and that rubs off on the people around it." Though the unexpected attention was flattering at times, it also made life a little more drawn out. "It made for long good-byes," Scott remarked. "Just about every family function or gathering of friends involved the standard battery of questions of how much they cost and how fast they are, as well as requests for a few rides around the block."

    All the Mini hype is substantiated, however. Scott found the Mini Cooper S to be as fun to drive as it is to look at. "This thing is an oversize go-kart, quite literally," stated Scott. "During my month in the Mini, I actually drove some go-karts for fun, and I had the same visceral experience driving away from the karting parking lot as I did driving around the paved donut."

    In fact, it doesn't take long for the Mini to win you over. Senior Editor Brent Romans took the Mini out for a spin during his lunch hour. "As an editor for Edmunds, I usually have access to a wide variety of vehicles," remarked Brent. "But for the past month, all I have been driving are SUVs and minivans. I found the Mini to be a welcome surprise. As opposed to a lumbering hulk, here was a Tinker Bell sprite that quickly put a grin on my face. Mini's advertising is pretty much spot on; this car is a blast to drive. I definitely look forward to being the car's primary caretaker next month."

    The true fun factor comes from its supercharged 1.6-liter inline four engine boasting a gut-wrenching 163 horsepower. This mighty mite of an engine is packed into every available square inch under the hood. "I've driven the regular Mini, and the S version definitely makes a huge difference," Scott remarked. "The blasé performance of the base model is erased from memory once you get the S screaming up to the redline."

    Matched to the mighty-mite engine is a six-speed Getrag manual transmission with a slick leather-wrapped shifter and a metal-capped oversize shift knob. The shift knob, reminiscent of an eight ball hot-rod shifter is easy to grab quickly and push around. "I found the shifter really added to the Mini's fun factor," Scott wrote in the logbook. "It has short throws and a real positive feeling through the gates. If you want to, you can get the Mini screaming along with a jab to the accelerator and some lightening-swift shifts."

    With the wheels-at-the-corner design, the Mini can handle what you dish out. With a taut suspension, the Mini truly felt like it could handle the twisties. "I really found that I could whip around corners at speed with no problem," commented Scott. "BMW made a serious performance machine out of a stout little car."

    The interior design of the Mini, in some respects, outdoes the exterior design. Its oversize speedometer placed dead center top of the center stack is the main focus, with all lines radiating from it. The interior has a hothouse feeling to it, as it has a very high cabin ceiling. The raised cabin height gives excellent visibility all around, but the tiny sun shades are woefully inadequate to screen the sun from the driver's or passengers' eyes. The window, stability control and foglamp controls are old-school-style toggle switches that have protective loops at their sides. Scott found that the stereo is the weak link in terms of design for the interior. To him, it truly shows the BMW lineage with its small buttons, hard-to-decipher acronyms and orange LED lighting. "To me, I'd prefer to distance myself from the BMW design house with the Mini," Scott said. "The Mini is different, but it's not unique because of those shared BMW design elements."

    Scott found the interior extremely space-efficient. With four adults in the vehicle, it was close but surprisingly comfortable. "I was amazed that such a small car could fit four adults effectively," Scott wrote. "The rear seats look like scaled-down versions of Recarro racing seats. My passengers had adequate head- and legroom." However, all of Scott's passengers commented that with long-distance driving, the small quarters would be a problem since there isn't any additional room to stretch out and be comfortable.

    The space efficiency continued with the concave doors and the integral map pockets. The limited amount of space left over didn't afford any for the front cupholders, as one couldn't fit anything bigger than a 12-ounce can underneath the toggle switches. There was, however, plenty of room in the one rear cupholder to hold those gregarious American super-sized sodas.

    Though the Mini is a delight on four wheels, there are a few caveats. Scott found the build quality to be a little suspect. In fact, the hard plastic covers on the back of the front seats are becoming separated from the seats themselves. While driving long distances, Scott reported a cacophony of rattles and squeaks coming from the rear seats. The dash components aren't properly aligned, and there are some parts that aren't quite level. It's nothing that would cause immediate worry (the Mini isn't likely to fall apart while driving home), but it's enough of a concern that 60,000 miles down the road, you might be on a first-name basis with your local service advisor.

    Our Mini still suffers from a cold-start problem that the service advisors assure us is a software issue, they say they will inform us when they have the computer to fix it. Stay tuned to hear the results.

    The last caveat is the subcompact size. Scott shuddered at the thought of the Mini becoming an instant convertible if it got into an accident with the many metallic behemoths roaming American highways. Thankfully, the Mini is equipped with front side-mounted airbags along with front and rear head airbags.

    To cap this month's Mini mania, it made its second visit to the service department of Long Beach Mini. This time it was for a crack in the windshield suffered in a hail storm during a trip through Idaho, and a broken release for the passenger-side section of the folding rear seat. Scott called ahead to make sure they had the available parts for such a new vehicle. Mary, the very polite service consultant, assured him that they had all the parts and that work could be completed quickly.

    Road Test Coordinator Kelly Stennick took the Mini in on her way to work early the next morning for its appointment. As Kelly got out of the car, Service Consultant Tom Miller was there to greet her. He quickly pulled up the service record and went over the items in question. He informed Kelly that he would consult the service manager about the crack in the windshield and see if it would be covered under warranty. In less than 10 minutes, Kelly had dropped off the car, gone over the service points with Tom and signed the necessary paperwork. But before she could leave, Tom came running out and informed her that his manager had OK'd the windshield to be replaced under warranty as it might have been a stress fracture. Overall, Kelly was impressed by Tom's quick and extremely professional handling of the service write-up.

    At about noon that day, Tom called Kelly and left a message stating that all the work had been completed under warranty but that they wanted the glass to set. The car would be good to go around 4 p.m. Tom actually called again to make sure she had gotten the message about having the glass set; Kelly was again impressed by Long Beach BMW's professionalism regarding this matter. Top marks for you, Mr. Miller!

    The Mini has definitely left an indelible mark on the car consciousness of America. Is the mania surrounding Mini going to last? We certainly think so, as U.S. allotment will be kept at the current levels of only 20,000 units a year. Is it worth the hassle of finding and paying for one of these 20,000 Minis? Consider this: Scott enjoyed it enough to rack up over 2,800 miles in a month. To Scott, and many admirers along the happy trails of the Mini's merry way, it's worth some serious consideration.

    Current Odometer: 8,562
    Best Fuel Economy: 30.3 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 17.2 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy: 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: Hard-starting problem when cold.

    Road Test

    October 2002

    This month, we handed our pint-size dynamo to Senior Road Test Editor Brent Romans. A fan of small, sporty hatchbacks, Brent was looking forward to testing out the Mini and determining if it truly deserved the lavish praise and marketing hype it had so far received.

    But before he could get started, we sent him off to Europe to cover the Paris Auto Show. "The whole time I was in Europe, I was either walking or riding on a train or subway," Brent said. "By the time I got back to sunny Southern California, I was really itching to get behind the wheel." (A free trip to Paris and then a Mini Cooper to drive in California. It's a hard life, isn't it, Brent?)

    So the day after he got back from his trip, Brent took the Cooper S out for a two-hour shakedown run on his favorite canyon roads in the Santa Monica Mountains. He quickly had the car winging around corners at a rapid clip.

    "No question, this is certainly one of the best handling front-wheel-drive cars currently sold," Brent wrote in the vehicle's logbook. "There is hardly any body roll and the steering responds very quickly to inputs. This is why so many people describe the Mini as having go-kartlike handling." Brent further added that our Cooper S has prodigious grip. So much so, he says, that he suspects even experienced drivers would have to work at finding the car's maximum limits.

    To determine if Brent was on the mark or just overly giddy about driving our latest toy, we took the Cooper S to our testing facility where we performed our usual battery of instrumented tests for acceleration, braking and handling ability. Karl Brauer, our editor in chief, reports:

    "Acceleration was a major disappointment. My first two launches were botched because the stability control system kicked in. I turned it off after that, but it seemed that the clutch had become too hot to perform a solid launch. Our best time was 7.6 seconds for zero to 60 and 15.6 seconds at 91.5 mph in the quarter-mile. The regular Mini Cooper we tested previously was doing zero to 60 in 8.7 seconds and the quarter in high 16s. Mini's official number for the Cooper S is 6.9 seconds from zero to 60. We'll have to try ours again.

    "The Cooper S showed excellent stopping power. Sixty to 0 mph took 119 feet, but there was a slight pull to the right on every attempt. The pedal held firm about halfway down its travel and ABS kickback was typical of a modern car. Brake fade was not an issue.

    "In the slalom, the Cooper S was very stable with no body roll, but the run-flat tires compromise both ultimate grip and progressive breakaway due to their stiff sidewalls. A softer compound tire would probably up the average speed, but there's no denying this car's ability to change directions quickly. The steering is super quick, so it takes some practice to use minimal wheel input."

    For the rest of the month, Brent used the Cooper S for his daily routines. After driving on some of Los Angeles' not-so-smooth roads, he thinks that potential Mini owners should also take a thorough test drive to confirm that they will be OK with the car's taut ride. "To me, this seems just as stiff as a Porsche 911," Brent said. "I really had to watch out for potholes. Because of the short sidewalls on the 17-inch run-flat tires, there is little protection against sharp impacts. Bending a wheel is a distinct possibility."

    Brent also noted a tendency for the Cooper to follow the grooves on Los Angeles' cement highways. This made the car seem very fidgety or, as Brent cracked, "This thing squirms around more than a two-year-old being forced into taking a bath."

    On the plus side, the shrunken size of the Mini allowed for easier street parking. "While outward visibility is not particularly great, the short length of the car allowed me to squeeze into spots I would have otherwise not been able to fit into."

    Though we have already put more than 9,000 miles onto the car, he was surprised to see that the service reminder function was still indicating that we had to travel 2,200 more miles before our first oil change. While Brent doesn't doubt the indictor, he does suggest that owners check their cars' engine oil levels; our car was down about three-quarters of a quart, apparently because of normal consumption.

    Overall, Brent thoroughly enjoyed his time with our Cooper S and was sorry to give it up. For his lifestyle — single (though engaged), in his early '30s and renting an apartment — this is a near-ideal car. In fact, after relinquishing the ignition key to next month's driver, Brent logged onto Mini's Web site to build his own theoretical car. Here's what he'd get: A silver Cooper S ("The supercharged engine is worth it.") with a black top, mirrors and bonnet stripes. He wouldn't get the 17-inch wheels, as he thinks the 16s are just fine and give better protection against potholes. But he would get the high-intensity discharge headlights, cruise control and the navigation system ("The big speedo is stylish, but it lacks functionality. Plus, I get lost a lot.").

    With an MSRP of $22,905, Brent says this is something even an automotive writer can afford.

    Current Odometer: 9,613
    Best Fuel Economy: 26.8 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 20.1 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: Cold start problem, rattling rear parcel area.

    Road Test

    November 2002

    This month, our button-cute Mini Cooper was in the hands of Road Test Editor Liz Kim, who was initially smitten with the smile-mobile when she drove a test car back in June. Although she was daunted by the sheer amount of attention she received from normally car-jaded Southern California, she learned to plaster a grin on her mug and bear it.

    Five months later, she learned that while Mini is no longer "The Next Big Thing," it's still earning plenty of attention, wanted or otherwise. For instance, she was slightly annoyed that the guy handing her food at a local drive-thru held her tacos hostage while asking her lengthy questions about various facets of the car. She was also held up for half an hour by her sister's nosy neighbor when she dropped by for a visit, and was asked, by a towheaded butterball of a tyke, if "that was Mickey's car" during a recent foray to Disneyland. The Mini seems to have quite a divergent fan base.

    In any case, she learned that driving the Mini for more than a few days at a time revealed many of its weaknesses, as well as strengths. For one thing, she noted that "Although power is more plentiful in the upper ranges, and the supercharger gave me a rush every time I opened the throttle, the dearth of power down low is definitely notable, especially when launching from a standstill. You've got to give it the right amount of fuel before releasing the clutch or you'll be limping ahead slowly." She also thought that the ride was overly harsh on rough roads and was annoyed by its tendency to track in the grooves on the highway.

    A couple of months ago, we noticed a cold-start problem in which the recalcitrant engine didn't take until about the third crank of the key. There was also a worsening rattle in the hatch area which one of her friends described as "a relentless popcorn kettle." We decided to make a trip down to Long Beach BMW, where we bought our Mini. It wasn't so easy, however; our editor called three times in order to speak with a live person. The first time, she left a message with a nice lady handling the scheduling, and didn't receive a return call. A couple of days later she called again, and left a message with "the dudes of Mini servicing," as in "Hi, we're the dudes of Mini servicing. Leave us a message." That she did, and never got a return call. Fortunately she got a real live person at the other end of the line on the third try, and set up an appointment for the following week.

    Once she got there, she was treated courteously and promptly, and was informed that both of these problems have been widely reported. The service advisor stated that the hatch was an easy fix of lubing the lock assembly. The cold-start problem hasn't been addressed by Mini yet, but a temporary solution was to modify the computer which controls the electrical systems. The car was ready to be picked up later that day.

    Our rear hatch area is now silent, and the engine starts on the first crank. Thus prepared, Liz finally got to take the Mini down a serpentine mountain road to test out its strong point. "Wow-wee, is this thing a blast!" she proclaimed as she whipped the car around a hairpin turn. The tires gripped like a wad of gum in a little girl's braid, and the firm suspension, along with the stiff chassis, ensured virtually no body roll or wallow. Space Mountain has nothing on this ride.

    She was impressed with the amount of cargo that the rear hatch held, having transported her mother and her clay artwork to a craft fair, as well as having bought a brand-new desktop computer system and peripherals. Although she still isn't crazy about the convoluted seat controls, she was able to find a high degree of comfort in the seats, with the proper amount of side bolstering and thigh support. And, notably, the Mini received four stars in frontal and side crash tests conducted by NHTSA.

    With close to 10,000 on the odometer, our Mini is about 500 miles from its first scheduled maintenance service, and will have to visit the Long Beach facility soon. Unlike most cars of this class, the Mini comes with complimentary scheduled service for 3 years/36,000 miles, so we expect a big fat zero in the "Maintenance Costs" column. And, hey, maybe we'll even be able to meet "the dudes" this time.

    Current Odometer: 11,363
    Best Fuel Economy: 28.3 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 23.1 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: None

    Road Test

    December 2002

    In spite of her outward attempts to keep a low profile — she's the quiet one at work, one who dresses for comfort rather than style, one who doesn't start conversations easily in crowds — Road Test Editor Erin Riches dropped her guard when our long-term Cooper S came into her life. "Despite the car's silly-cute styling and the attention it continues to generate, I loved the way it drove, loved the way it handled, and did everything I could to make sure that I was the only one who got to drive it this month," she confessed. Erin's maneuverings proved successful, as the Mini amassed nearly 2,400 miles, taking trips to San Diego, San Jose and Las Vegas. During these adventures, our editor fielded questions from people of all kinds — ranging from those settled on the lucrative side of the capitalist system to a homeless man.

    As payment for her time in the Cooper S, Erin had to take care of the car's first computer-indicated oil service interval, which occurred at about 11,900 miles. As with any BMW, dealers will perform oil changes (and the accompanying battery of inspections) free of charge during the basic warranty period, in this case, for the first three years or 36,000 miles. You'll remember that we took our long-termer into Long Beach Mini (the dealership where we purchased it) for the handful of repair issues we've had in the first six months. But Erin lives north of Los Angeles and hoped to find a dealer closer to her home — the best she could do was Mini of Universal City, which is near the Hollywood area (about 25 miles away from home and almost 20 from the office) and affiliated with Century West BMW. She detailed the service experience in the logbook:
    "I made an appointment a week in advance for 10 a.m. on a Monday. I asked how long it would be if I waited for the car to have its oil change and was told it would only take an hour. That sounded fine.

    "The day of the appointment I turned into the service drive — a nice, covered parking garage-type structure. It wasn't prominently identified as a Mini service center from the outside; you just have to know that Century West BMW is where it is. The service staff was a little busy with various X5s, and it was about 10 minutes before someone could help me. Basically, of the BMW staff, three of the advisors write service for Mini. My advisor, Laurence, was friendly, but when I told him I would be waiting, he told me it could be 1 or 1:30 before the car was done — three hours from now. When I mentioned what I had been told when I scheduled the appointment, he explained that they were down to one Mini-certified technician — one of their techs had moved out of state and another was still going to school to service Minis. True, it would take only an hour once the sole tech started work, but apparently, there was at least one other Mini ahead of our long-termer. Realizing I had no other choice but to wait (with plans for a road trip the next day), I had him direct me to the waiting area inside the dealership. The waiting area wasn't particularly comfortable, but at least customers get coffee bar privileges.

    "At about 1 p.m., Laurence appeared and told me that the oil change was complete, but that the kits they'd been sent to do these routine jobs didn't include, of all things, oil filters. So the tech had to put our Cooper's old oil filter back on. Laurence said he was embarrassed that this had happened and advised me that I should come back next week and receive another oil change (still on the house) and get the new filter at that time. I declined the complimentary car wash in the interest of time. As I drove out, I noticed that the technician hadn't reset the oil service monitor — not a big deal since I had to come back anyway but potentially troublesome had there been an unforeseen major problem in the interim (as we might have appeared to be negligent owners).

    "I got the second oil change (with a new filter) done about two weeks later, after making an appointment a few days in advance. I made sure to mention to Laurence that I wanted the oil service monitor reset this time. Again, I chose to wait while the work was performed, and it took about an hour and a half. When Laurence brought out the Mini, he informed me that he had to order a couple of parts for me — some trim piece or another for the rear wiper, and a replacement overflow tank for the radiator due to minor seepage from the current one. Might as well, he reasoned, since the car was under warranty. At that point, I really didn't want to think about spending anymore time in the waiting room; and with the bustle of the holidays, I'll probably put it off until early January.

    "As I was loading my stuff into the car, Laurence noted that the technician had (again) not reset the oil service monitor. Obviously exasperated, he drove the car back into the service bay and returned about five minutes later. Apparently, it had taken a few tries before the computer would allow them to reset it."
    What made the overall service experience rather frustrating, Erin later reflected, is that: "1) You can't take a Mini to just any BMW dealership. It has to be one of the select BMW dealerships authorized to sell and service Mini Coopers. But these cars have a lot of BMW parts — surely, they aren't so complicated that a mechanic who works on M3s can't also work on a Cooper S. If it's about giving Mini owners an exclusive place to take their cars, that feeling of coolness is sure to be diminished when people have to drive 25 miles to get to a dealer, even in the largest Mini market in the U.S. — Southern California. Imagine what those in less populous areas will face when they need warranty repairs. Moreover, there was nothing 'authentically Mini' about my service experience. I pulled into a BMW-branded dealership and had to wait behind X5s. 2) When service departments aren't adequately supplied with oil filters after a vehicle has been in production for over six months, that's an irritation to the customer who has driven 25 miles or more just to get an oil change. Of course, I guess Mini could argue that the Cooper is the only car is this price range that offers a bonus, like service on the house, and, as such, owners won't mind a few inconveniences."

    Indeed, the rest of the month suggested as much, as the hours in the waiting room were forgotten whenever Erin was behind the wheel. "During my daily commutes," she wrote in the logbook, "I've enjoyed the car's stable demeanor around cloverleaf entrance ramps, as well as its ability to make quick transitions (lane changes, turning maneuvers). Later in the month, when the Cooper S was packed with four people, it still felt nimble and fun around the high-speed curves of California's Highway 17."

    Erin's trip to the San Jose area with her boyfriend, Michael, tested the Mini's ability to accommodate a larger-size pair of adults (5 feet 10 inches and 5 feet 11 inches with several hundred pounds between them) and their belongings over many days of travel. From Erin's log:
    "Since we were driving (rather than flying) and had the car to ourselves, Michael and I didn't travel especially light. We folded the rear seats and loaded in two medium-size suitcases (with wheels), one smallish duffle, one smallish backpack, two small boxes of video game supplies (an Xbox and a Game Cube, along with various games and controllers), a bag of groceries, a couple pairs of running shoes and fleece pullovers. Of course it all fit, but what really pleased me was that it all fit without obstructing the rearward view in the slightest. Really, if you think of the Cooper as a two-person vehicle, you'll never want for cargo space.

    "Still, as we settled into the Cooper for our drive, it was obvious that this is not a great car for larger, taller adults. Michael is right around six feet in height but has a relatively large frame — head- and shoulder room were barely adequate. I was OK in the driver seat — as the weeks have passed, I've come to accept the shape of the seat. Cushioning and support are nothing exceptional, but my back wasn't sore after 300 miles of driving. What did get sore was my right leg, because our car doesn't have the optional cruise control. Also, since I had to keep my leg in one position, the hard plastic center stack pillar rubbed uncomfortably against it. On the way up, a detour onto back roads skirted these problems, but on the return trip, we drove at night on Interstate 5 to avoid holiday traffic, and after a couple of hours of constant cruising, I definitely looked forward to a fuel stop. Other things I noted included the undersize sun visors, which are unable to shield the driver from the afternoon sun when traveling north, and the necessity of using the day-night rearview mirror in this car at night — the headlights of approaching vehicles flood the cabin with light.

    "Power above 3,000 rpm is excellent, but below that, the Cooper S feels like other economy cars — a little sluggish. Engine revs dropped below this threshold while I maintained a safe distance behind vehicles climbing Interstate 5's Grapevine stretch, and I had to work in a quick downshift to fifth to avoid losing momentum. Also, turning onto the steep uphill grade of a private mountain road from Highway 17's 65-mph pace proved tricky. On my first attempt, I tried it in second gear and didn't have enough thrust to make it up the hill. Thereafter, I planned ahead so that the car would be ready to go into first gear to make the climb.

    "Of course when we arrived up north, people wanted to take a ride in the Cooper. Despite the provision of an easy-entry seat on both sides, this still isn't a comfortable car for more than two people (unless the backseat passengers were in infant car seats, I'd imagine). There just isn't enough legroom. On the plus side, I soon got used to driving in a sort of uncomfortable folded-up position — for short drives, anyway — to minimize the chance of crushed femurs and friendships in the backseat. Prospective Mini owners should take note: if you have a lot of friends and relatives, you're apt to spend considerable time doing this for the first year.

    "Backseat occupants were also annoyed by the car's often harsh ride quality (caused by the run-flat, low-profile 17s and sport suspension tuning). This could also be annoying when it was just the two of us. You can also expect lots of road noise during highway travel, much of which can be drowned out by the sound system."
    About a week later, our editor traveled alone to Henderson, Nev. (a suburb of Las Vegas not far from Lake Mead), to attend a press event. After hurrying to get to the event, Erin decided to take a detour from I-15 onto the Angeles Crest Highway (Highway 2), which meanders through the San Gabriel Mountains within the Angeles National Forest, on her way back to L.A.

    "It certainly was worth it," she wrote. "Having checked road conditions in advance, I didn't worry too much about surprise encounters with snow and ice — there were just a few slippery patches at altitudes above 7,000 feet. The light dusting of snow on the surrounding pine-covered mountains was unexpectedly beautiful (after living in a mild coastal climate for almost four years). More importantly, as others have written, the Cooper S was perfectly suited to the twisting blacktop. Grip around turns was superb, and the suspension allowed very little body roll. And the car's responses to steering input were quick. Also, the pedal placement in this car was just right for me — it was very easy to slide my right foot over to the throttle, while still maintaining brake pressure, to match revs on downshifts."

    Besides the service hassle, our road test editor had only two complaints at the end of the month, and neither is apt to deter potential buyers (well, unless you're like Erin and tend to freak out about the small stuff). First, as Chris Wardlaw mentioned in the August 2002 update, the seat back recline levers are incredibly fussy. Erin logged these comments: "I often had to fool with the ones on the driver seat (one on each side) — after one of my boyfriend's high school buddies climbed into the backseat, and then, on the drive to and from Henderson (I found it necessary to adjust the seat back rake now and again to remain limber). On these occasions, I struggled to get the seat back to lock into the position I wanted. And since the levers double as the release for the easy-entry (to the backseat) feature, the whole seat would slide forward on its track as I was fooling with the seat back. It was all very annoying, and many colorful word combinations could be heard at gas stations and in parking lots, as the seats and I struggled against each other. I also broke my left thumbnail twice. I say all this not because I think power seat adjustments are needed, but because these are the most confounding manually adjustable seats I've ever used. I'd even take our departed '99 Passat's rotary adjusters over these."

    Later in the month, after consulting with Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer, Erin figured out what she was doing wrong. "Karl reminded me that you pull on either lever to adjust the seatback rake, while pushing on the levers actuates the easy-entry feature. Here's the tricky part: If you get into the driver seat and want to move the seatback to a more upright position (move it forward, that is), you have to resist the urge to press down on the outside lever and must instead alter your pressure on the lever while continuing to pull up on it. Obviously, a little more patience would have helped, but I'm not surprised I had trouble, given that this design required me to unlearn the adjustment protocol used for every other manually-adjustable seat I've encountered." Apparently, our road test editor isn't the only one confused by the car's seat design, as Mini has begun notifying owners of an "update" for the latches that will make them easier to use. Dealers will perform the retrofit free of charge, so we may add to this to the to-do list for our next trip to Mini of Universal City.

    Erin's other complaint had to do with the difficulty of getting in and out of our Cooper S. "The spacing of the door hinge detents requires you to swing either door way too far away from the car before it catches and stays. While I'm all for doors that open wide to make it easier to load people and cargo, this isn't always possible in tight parking lots. So you're left with doors that will never lock into place and are continually swinging back and bopping the driver and passengers — unless occupants devote a free hand to holding them in place."

    Like others before her, Erin was rather forgiving toward the use of lower grade plastics inside the cabin, and the rattles and squeaks that have already surfaced in our test car's young life. However, she was dismayed when the clutch pedal's rubber grip came off while she was driving. While the pedal still worked, this wasn't something she expected to happen in a relatively new vehicle. Inspecting the rubber pad, she saw that it had a small lip along its edges to keep it fastened to the pedal. After several attempts, she was able to get the grip seated securely on the pedal and this didn't happen anymore.

    While she has her doubts about its overall practicality (dealer service hassles, cabin design annoyances), Erin's sometimes dreary world was enlivened by the Mini's strengths: It's incredibly fun to drive. It doesn't cost much. Oh, and by the way, it's pretty safe, too — along with four-star ratings (out of a possible five) from NHTSA for front and side impacts, the Cooper earned a "Good" rating and "Best Pick" status from the IIHS in 40-mph frontal offset crash testing. Would our editor spend her own money on one? Maybe. But for the car that lives in her driveway and eats her paycheck, there's much to be said about the dependability of Japanese automotive lineage.

    Current Odometer: 13,755
    Best Fuel Economy: 27.8 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 24.1 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: None

    Road Test

    January 2003

    As the owner of an '02 Mini Cooper, our editor in chief was curious about how the Electric Blue Cooper S in our long-term fleet would compare. Karl got his own Cooper just two weeks before the Cooper S joined our fleet. While that was over six months ago, Karl still finds his Chili Red Mini to be one of his favorite vehicles to drive (not a bad endorsement from someone who drives just about every type of car there is for a living). And let's not forget that the Mini Cooper just won the 2003 North American Car of the Year award during the North American International Auto Show. Of course, Karl's response to this was something like, "Those copycats! We called it the Most Significant Vehicle of the Year back in October 2001! What took them so long?"

    With all this support for the Mini Cooper swirling through the Edmunds.com editorial department, Karl was prepared to love the Cooper S even more than his personal ride.

    Or maybe not.

    "The first thing I noticed about the Cooper S was its harsh ride quality. The car is undeniably stable in the corners, but so is my base Cooper with the optional 16-inch wheels. Stepping up to the 17-inch wheels and tires improves steering response, but at a hefty price to ride quality. It's not like a base Cooper is a tippy, sloppy handler with the standard 15-inch wheels, and by the time you step up to the 16s in the Cooper's sport package you've got sports-carlike stability and exceptional road-hugging confidence. In my opinion, the 17s cross the point of diminishing return. You get maybe 10-percent more cornering confidence, but at the cost of 35 percent in ride quality. If I bought a Cooper S, I'd stick with the standard 16-inch wheels."

    Ride quality wasn't the only thing Karl noticed while driving the Cooper S for the month. "This thing can get pretty darty when the run-flat tires start following lines in the road. It's doubly apparent because the Mini's steering ratio is so quick. You can get into a tricky situation where the car starts tracking down a groove in the road that you have to steer out of, but if you use too much steering input you'll have to quickly counter-steer to stay in your own lane. Like the ride quality issue, this is something I've never noticed in my Cooper."

    OK, so everyday ride quality, especially on a grooved freeway with expansion joints, wasn't Karl's favorite aspect of the Mini Cooper S. Did he have any other issues?

    "Actually, yes. I'm not thrilled with the powertrain. We tested the car at our facility last October and couldn't get better than a 7.6-second 0-to-60 time. A manual-shift Cooper we tested last spring at the same facility pulled an 8.7-second 0-to-60 time. That means you're paying $3,000 for a one-second improvement. Checking my internal 'acceleration-per-dollar' calculator, that's a stretch. Dropping from a low six-second range to a low five-second range might make a better argument, but how many people are going to call a mid-7-second car fast and call an 8.7-second car slow? Both of those times could basically be described as adequate."

    Forgetting the test numbers for a moment and just focusing on how the Mini accelerates in the real world, Karl's opinion was mixed. "It moves out when the rpm are up, but getting it rolling quickly from a stop can be challenging. Too much throttle and it jerks away with noticeable driveline lash, too little and it can easily stall. It reminds me of our long-term PT Cruiser because it had absolutely no torque below 3,000 rpm. I found myself grimacing more than once when I tried to accelerate quickly from a stoplight. Basically, the Cooper S was great on the freeway — except for the ride quality thing. But stop-and-go driving in West L.A. was more trouble than it was worth. I found myself pining for my CVT-equipped Cooper. That car is not as fast as the S, but I can always get a consistent response from the throttle — and no driveline lash. Plus, since the base Cooper isn't supposed to be fast, its lack of rapid acceleration doesn't bother me. But the Cooper S is supposed to be the performance version, so I expect a little more."

    Aside from the ride quality and low-end torque issues, the Cooper S is very similar to Karl's Cooper, so his impressions are pretty much the same. "Great styling, great driving position, generally solid ergonomics, with the exception of the centrally mounted speedometer with its gas/temperature gauges that aren't clearly marked. Am I running out of gas when the fuel needle is in the upper right or lower left? And is the engine overheating when it's in the upper left or lower right? The answers to these questions are not immediately apparent, which is kind of the point of vehicle instrumentation — easy to read at a moment's glance."

    Still, Karl admits the Mini is one of the most entertaining vehicles on the road, even beyond the celebrity status it provides whenever you drive one. "There's a lot of British charm, paired with German engineering, in this car. It doesn't get much better than that. OK, maybe Italian passion and German engineering would be better, but I don't see a Ferrari-BMW collaboration happening in the near future. Bummer."

    Current Odometer: 14,535
    Best Fuel Economy: 26.1 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 20.3 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: None

    Road Test

    February 2003

    Our Mini Cooper S had an eventful month during which it was almost turned into a movie star. We say almost because the segment taped for The Oprah Winfrey Show was cut at the last moment.

    Road Test Coordinator Kelly Stennick was invited to appear on Oprah's "Best Of…" show to recommend cars for women to drive. Kelly, along with her two-year-old daughter, Emma, was videotaped driving the Cooper S around the streets of Santa Monica, Calif. The shoot went smoothly, despite being instructed to drive through a frenzied street hockey game in a local parking lot. However, at the last moment, a call came from the producers that Oprah herself would appear on the show driving another Mini.

    One lesson we learned during this process was that the Mini has very strong curb appeal. Oprah used the word "cute" many times to describe the Mini. Well, it is cute — but that doesn't necessarily make it a "chick" car. Among the Edmunds staff, it is equally popular with both sexes.

    This month's driver, Philip Reed, consumer advice editor, felt our blue and white Cooper S offers a rare, difficult-to-describe quality. As he wrote in his logbook: "When you've parked it somewhere, and return to it after a few hours, you see it from a distance and are overcome with affection for it. It's like a faithful friend, someone you'd like to put your arm around and say, 'Hey, thanks for being there for me.'"

    Phil decided that driving the Cooper S is like a shot of espresso — you feel jittery but more alive than before. Over a month of commuting, he grew weary of the stiff suspension and rowing through six gears. But when the road ahead cleared, he loved the way it handled. It surprised him how quickly the Mini changed his driving habits. One night he lumbered home in a Lexus LX 470 and felt old and pampered. The next day, driving the Mini, his senses came alive and he eagerly worked his way through the gears, relishing the urgent exhaust note and the glued-to-the-road handling.

    The visceral appeal the Mini presents is also evident in such sports cars as the Nissan 350Z. But the Mini offers several advantages. First, it has a backseat that is actually habitable (assuming basketball players aren't sitting in the front). Phil has had his family of four in the Mini without complaints. Secondly, the Mini proffers better visibility than most sports cars. The windshield is tall and an arm's length from the driver's face giving a roomy feel to the interior. True, the acceleration isn't what the Z offers, but what the Cooper S lacks in quickness it makes up for in handling. No doubt about it, this car is right there — precise, instantaneous and vital.

    Despite the appeal of the Mini, Phil had some nagging concerns about the car's reliability. Readers of our long-term introduction might recall that Phil was driving the Cooper S when the shift linkage broke and he was left stranded in San Diego (Mini Roadside Assistance picked up the car and paid to get him home in style). Now, with over 15,000 miles on it, the clutch is making a scraping noise when it is engaged in either first or reverse. Clearly, when load is applied some sort of friction is encountered. The Mini was taken to the dealer to have this inspected, but no verdict has been delivered. Stay tuned and we'll let you know how it was resolved in next month's update.

    While we're on the subject, we have to say that the service advisors at Long Beach Mini have been terrific. When we dropped the Cooper off to have the clutch inspected and routine maintenance performed, a service advisor appeared to help us within seconds. This is a far cry from other dealerships where we have stood around waiting...and waiting.... The little things go a long way to building consumer confidence.

    Now for the list of complaints that Phil amassed over a month's driving time: There is no armrest on the driver door, and while commuting he really missed this needed support. Additionally, a small car like this should have better storage compartments. Phil wrote: "With the dearth of storage bins, you wind up using the cupholders for everything — and they don't seem to work for anything short of a Coke can. My cell phone and sunglasses kept spilling onto the floor or falling behind the center stack. I tried using the door panel compartment but it is narrow and hard to access."

    The seats are a hassle to fold forward to allow someone to climb into the back. With three adjustment levers, people are always pulling the wrong one, then resorting to jiggling the others in the hope that something positive will happen. The doors themselves don't close with a confidence-building thunk (it's more like ka-thunk-a) and the horn buttons are small and hard to hit in a panic situation. Finally, the volume button on the radio is the size of a pencil eraser. "Trying to adjust the radio volume in the dark while going 70 mph and getting jiggled all over the place because of the hard tires is an adventure in frustration," he wrote.

    As the month was coming to an end, Phil had a chance to drive a regular Mini Cooper with the CVT. The softer ride didn't compromise the handling much at all and the CVT was a welcome feature in traffic while providing good low-end acceleration. If Phil was going to buy a Mini, he would probably opt for this setup over the more performance-oriented Cooper S.

    Phil decided to conclude his report by making one final observation. Driving the Mini opens up an exciting new world of possibilities when it comes to parking. When prowling a crowded neighborhood, looking for a place to alight, you need to remind yourself that you can fit in spaces that only motorcycles drivers would consider. This, and many other reasons, make the Mini an attractive — no, cute — little package.

    Current Odometer: 15,768
    Best Fuel Economy: 24.5 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 20.8 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None (oil change covered under service plan)
    Problems: Scraping noise coming from clutch in first and reverse gears.

    Road Test

    March 2003

    Now that the initial fervor surrounding the Mini has worn off a bit, our bright blue long-termer is finally settling into the less glamorous life of a typical commuter car. Sure, it still gets its share of pointed fingers and giggly smiles, but it's becoming part of the crowd more and more every day.

    This sat just fine with Senior Road Test Editor Ed Hellwig as he piloted the Mini during the month of March. He was much more interested in the Mini's overall practicality and performance than its unique appearance, so the fact that it wasn't such a parking lot sensation suited him splendidly.

    As the tallest member of the staff (6 feet 2 inches), Ed was a little apprehensive about the Mini's diminutive dimensions, but a few quick spins settled those fears. "Getting in takes a bit of a stoop, but once you're situated there's plenty of room to stretch out. I never felt cramped in the driver seat once it was properly adjusted," he wrote in the logbook after his first few excursions in the car. Like most, he also remarked on how spacious the interior seemed despite what you might think from looking at it. "It's more capable of holding four people than most subcompacts I've driven. Not that those passengers would be overwhelmingly comfortable, but for short trips, the Mini could do a little four-person duty no problem," he added.

    But let's face it, most people aren't buying the Mini as a family hauler. This is a car for those who want basic transportation with a little personality thrown in to boot. Despite Ed's penchant to overlook such subjective traits, he couldn't help but notice that the Mini is more than just a Point-A-to-Point-B econobox. He couldn't quite pin down whether it was the zippy handling or the low-slung stance that entertained him on his daily errands. "This thing does make you drive a little bit differently," Ed mused. "Being so small you feel almost like you're flying below everybody's radar. You merge into traffic wherever you want and nobody seems to care. Crowded roads seem more spacious and boulevards feel like superhighways. It's easy to get used to."

    To see just how far the Mini's fun factor could extend, Ed rolled out early one morning for a run through one of Southern California's twistiest canyon roads. "It pretty much ate it up," was the blunt description of its performance. "The steering is so quick and the footprint so small that you can place the car just about anywhere you want without much guesswork. The pedals are a little close together to allow for left foot braking (at least for my big clodhoppers) and the engine needs to be kept running pretty high, but other than that it's a blast."

    Unfortunately, the hardware that allows the Mini to deliver such thrills in the mountains turns the car into a real handful everywhere else. Like a few other drivers before him, Ed noticed our Mini's weakness for grooves in the highway that leads to constant darting one way or the other. It requires regular attention and correction that can grow tiring on a long trip. Then there's the suspension that has drawn the ire of nearly every staff member who has had occasion to experience it for more than a few blocks. "It beats you up pretty good on bumpy streets," Ed remarked. "So if you can do without the super-sticky handling, it's worth going with the stock tires and wheels, or even the stock Mini."

    Storage inside the Mini is a little tight, but if you're going it alone there's plenty of room for a weekend's worth of junk. A weekend jaunt to visit the parents had Ed packing in the Mini's cargo area with a full load of laundry along with the ever present golf clubs and a few miscellaneous packages. Folding down the rear seats allowed for plenty of space for the stacked laundry basket and packages while a little angling got the clubs in without too much trouble. "Simple excursions don't require much thought since there's a decent amount of space in back, but with two people and real luggage the Mini would be a tight fit," Ed figured after making the trip.

    One nagging problem that continues to persist is the strange scraping noise that occurs when the car pulls away from a stop in low gear. We took the car to our local dealer but despite the fact that the noise is all too apparent every time we drive it, the dealer technician was unable to duplicate the noise. It doesn't seem to be affecting the performance of the clutch so we put up with it for the rest of the month. But the next chance we have to return it to the dealer, we'll be sure and have it looked at again to try and fix the problem.

    All in all it was a pretty quiet month for our Mini, clutch noise aside. It proved itself both practical and performance-oriented while managing to pull down just over 23 miles per gallon. Ed concluded that while he liked the car more than he thought he would, if it were his money he would probably save up a little more and get himself a WRX instead. "More room, more power and I wouldn't have to duck so far to get into it," was his conclusion. Oh well, they'll always be a wise guy in the bunch.

    Current Odometer: 17,453
    Best Fuel Economy: 25.6 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 18.4 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: Scraping noise going into gear.

    Road Test

    April 2003

    For the majority of this month, the Mini's chubby steering wheel was lovingly held by Copy Editor Caroline Pardilla. She apparently was bitten by the Mini bug, and the injected venom had her lavishing the car with all manner of praise: "I'm not going to try to disguise my adoration for the Mini in a detached journalistic voice. It's simply a blast to drive and I'd own one if I could afford it. Of course, our S model has a six-speed manual transmission and the supercharged engine, but its unique size and shape make it seem extra zippy."

    She went on to justify her unbridled enthusiasm: "I learned how to drive stick on this car so my opinion might be biased, but I love the short throws and precision of the gearshift. I can only imagine that a base Mini with the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) cannot possibly be as much fun as our supercharged Coop. The incredible passing power with a six-speed makes it a great ally on a two-lane road. And its light steering and tight handling make canyon carving a cinch."

    Evidently, Caroline was not alone. "It seems like the whole world has a love affair with this car, too. At a stoplight, I had one woman get out of her VW New Beetle, tap on my window and ask me if I loved my car. No one seemed to get mad at me as I zipped in and out of traffic, making use of the Mini's petite dimensions. It's too darn cute. Yes, looks are subjective, yadda, yadda, but the Mini still catches your eye whenever you see one on the street. What I especially love is the Mini camaraderie. It's a subculture of happy people driving around in cute, happy cars. We wave at each other and smile knowingly."

    This month's assigned pilot, Road Test Editor John DiPietro, spent minimal time in the Mini, but felt compelled to put in his two cents anyway. "This is my type of car, small and quick with great handling. I could go on about how much fun the Mini is on a curvy road, but that has been written about ad nauseam. What I will say is that although I have no complaints about the driving experience (I don't mind the stiff ride as much as some other staffers), I'm disappointed in other areas. The driver window is loose and rattles when the door is opened, the power windows are slow and a couple of interior pieces have come loose, such as the clutch pedal's rubber pad and some plastic trim. If this were a Chevy Cavalier, we'd be railing at it, but the Mini is so much fun that we seem to be cutting it some slack here."

    Other news for our Mini involved a visit to the dealer for the replacement (covered under warranty) of both a cracked coolant reservoir and the seat recline levers (with revised versions that are a little less confounding to use). We also had the cursed clutch noise investigated once again. Although it hasn't affected the Mini's drivability, we were told it would be taken care of during our next service visit, which the car will go in for shortly to have a front license plate bracket installed.

    And so another month passes with the Mini charming itself into the heart of another Edmunds' staffer, in spite of its idiosyncrasies. And what would a car of British lineage be without those?

    Current Odometer: 18,496
    Best Fuel Economy: 23.7 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 18.4 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: Scraping noise going into gear.

    Road Test

    May 2003

    Turns out not everyone is susceptible to the Mini's charms as in last month's update. Managing Editor Gina Callari, in fact, dislikes our long-termer. Its harsh ride quality, the impending doom suggested by its cute proportions…nope, she's not falling for its flirty round headlamps and grinning grille. When she first saw the car back in August 2002 at the height of Mini mania, Gina was looking forward to getting in its driver seat because it was "so adorable and totally different."

    But after taking the Coop home a number of times, she realized she didn't like it. She has to drive about 10 miles to work everyday through stop-and-go traffic, and doing so in the Cooper S made this even more of a chore. "It's too hard on my body to drive," Gina said. "It feels like it would be better as a race car than a daily driver." Another editor commented, "They might as well have done away with the shocks and bolted the wheels to the frame."

    The S model has a different setup than the standard Mini. The combination of very stiff suspension calibrations and run-flat tires with rigid low-profile side walls provides better handling and minimizes body lean, making it the ideal car for canyon carving. "In the day-to-day grind, the suspension tends to get to you, but on the rare occasion when you can take the car out on the twisties, it's a lot of fun," Gina offered. But, the S's sportier setup can make for a jarring experience, especially to someone like Gina who drives a Lexus ES 300 everyday.

    Our managing editor also felt that the Mini's size made it unsafe. "At first, I was surprised by how much room it had inside for its size. My boyfriend is 6-foot-5 and he fit in perfectly, but when my sister sat behind him, she was squooshed. She had to sit with her legs to the side and she felt very unsafe being a passenger in the backseat, especially with her head so close to the rear of the car."

    And despite her Mini PDA in April's update, another of this month's drivers would have to agree with some of those complaints. Yes, it would be difficult for Copy Editor Caroline Pardilla to imagine making the long trek to Sacramento from L.A. to visit her parents in such a car. Its insufficient space for hauling both luggage and backseat passengers and its propensity for tramlining on freeway grooves, in addition to its seemingly unsafe proportions, make it an unlikely choice for a road trip vehicle.

    But with massive side impact door beams, six airbags and advanced crumple zones in the front and rear to divert force around the passenger compartment, the Mini received high scores in crash testing: "Good" for 40-mph frontal offset crash testing from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and four out of five stars from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for front and side impacts. However, regardless of its top-notch safety scores, Gina couldn't get over feeling vulnerable due to the car's size. "I would be scared if it was raining outside. It may handle really well, but I like cars that I actually feel safe in. I'm an SUV-type person."

    True, in SUV-infested Los Angeles, one can't help but feel intimidated and bullied by the larger vehicles sharing the road, especially when you're sitting so far below an H2 pilot's sight lines. But, fortunately, with its eye-catching looks, Electric Blue Metallic coloring and white roof, our Mini likely stands out enough to save us from being run over.

    The Mini may not win 'em all, but if all a person is looking for is a good time — a play vehicle in addition to their daily driver — this zippy cutie will fit the bill.

    Be sure to tune in next month when our long-termer's looks get it far in Hollywood as it joins over 250 other Minis at a "red CARpet" movie premiere.

    Current Odometer: 19,050
    Best Fuel Economy: 20.4 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 20.3 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: None

    Road Test

    June 2003

    Time grows short for our huckleberry friend, an Electric Blue Metallic Mini Cooper S, as its year in our long-term fleet draws to a close. Fortunately, June's driver, Copy Editor Caroline Pardilla, was allowed two months to say her good-byes to her favorite car. In that time, she bonded with it and even seriously considered purchasing it from Edmunds. However, since its sticker is a little bit over her budget, she had to make her last days with it count, taking the Coop on an 800-mile round trip excursion and to a Hollywood "red CARpet" movie premiere.

    Last month, our Mini Cooper S was derided for being "an unlikely choice for a road trip vehicle." With its cramped quarters, lack of cruise control and minimal storage space, that didn't seem like such an unreasonable thing to report. But the fact that Caroline made that statement without first testing the theory for herself seemed unfair. So she decided to give the Coop a chance and drive it from Los Angeles to her parents' home in Sacramento.

    Fortunately, she went with just her brother so between the two of them, luggage for the weekend and bags of dirty laundry didn't take up too much space.

    After reading past long-term updates when the Mini made trips to Idaho, San Jose, Calif., and Nevada, Caroline dreaded her long-distance drive. The image of sitting in cramped quarters for six hours without cruise control gave her second thoughts. But then just imagining the excited reactions she would get from her folks and friends proved motivation enough to endure the short-term discomfort.

    The pair left Los Angeles on a Friday, just when it seemed the entire city was departing for the weekend. After enduring stop-and-go traffic up the 405 freeway for several hours, the Mini finally emerged north of the Grapevine and landed in the 90-plus-degree Great Central Valley. Up went the windows and on came the air conditioner, but "full blast" seemed like but a whisper. The cabin didn't cool down right away, and driver and passenger had to wait several minutes before they felt relief from the dry heat of Fresno County.

    After not being able to figure out what the arrows on the climate controls stood for, the passenger served as the Mini technician, reading the owner's manual to decipher them. It was determined that switching the knobs to focus the vents solely on the face provided the most satisfying way to cool down the travelers.

    Nearing Sacramento, Caroline's right hamstring seized up. One might assume that she is simply spoiled from being used to piloting cars with cruise control, but as the case may be, she blames the ultrafirmness of the Mini's sport seats. She tried to adjust the seat to perhaps alleviate some of the stress on her upper leg but to no avail.

    Her brother's discomfort laid in the fact that he didn't know how to recline his seat. Having mistaken the easy entry lever on the seat's side closest to the door for the backrest tilt, and being unaware of the correct lever on just the inside of his seat, he assumed that it didn't have this option. Not questioning that a front-passenger seat in this day and age should be able to recline, he spent the entire trip sitting fully upright.

    Finally arriving at their destination, the achy pair extracted themselves from the car, thankful for their journey's end. It was only two days before they would have to endure the return trip home. In the meantime, as predicted, friends and family were intrigued by the Mini. And, despite Caroline's insistence that the car was too small to comfortably accommodate their portly frames (approximately 5-foot-4 and 175 pounds each), her parents insisted on being taken for a ride. With the air conditioner on and the extra weight, acceleration from a stop was predictably sluggish. Suddenly, the Mini wasn't as zippy and the brakes not as effective. It seems having to haul one's parents around zaps the fun out of the spunky hatchback.

    To forget her not-so-fun road trip, when back in L.A., Caroline attended a Mini drive-in movie premiere after getting wind of the event through the Mini chatboards on-line. The premiere was for the remake of The Italian Job, and our Cooper S was our ticket to the spectacle.

    Mini mania might receive an extension because of the film. In it, Coopers are the vehicle of choice for the quick getaway through tight spaces. So it only made sense that the Hollywood premiere would consist of a makeshift drive-in theater on a movie studio lot with about 250 Minis in attendance. Thusly, Mini camaraderie was in full effect before the show as the drive-in served as a meet-and-greet for Coop enthusiasts. Smiley people took pictures next to Mini limos, Mini woodies and the original Minis while sharing stories of the sort of customized love they lavished on their vehicles.

    Afterward, Caroline said of the experience, "Watching the movie while sitting in the cramped cabin on the firm sport seats of the Cooper S for over an hour and a half wasn't all that fun. But watching the movie surrounded by other Minis and honking along every time the Mini appeared on the screen was."

    Despite the shortcomings she discovered this month, is the Mini still her favorite? "Without a doubt." But she made sure to add, "It's not just about the car, but the Mini lifestyle, the friendly Mini drivers and the pleasant effect it seems to have on all those who encounter it."

    As this is our last regular update on the Cooper S before the Wrap-Up, we're ready to hear from other Mini owners. Are you the proud owner of a Cooper or Cooper S? E-mail editor@edmunds.com and tell us all about your experiences with your funky hatchback. Please include your name and city and state of residence.

    Current Odometer: 20,890
    Best Fuel Economy: 27.9 mpg
    Worst Fuel Economy: 17.5 mpg
    Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 23.2 mpg
    Body Repair Costs: None
    Maintenance Costs: None
    Problems: None

    Road Test

    Wrap-Up: July 2003

    Why We Bought It
    How It Drove
    What It Was Like Inside
    Summing Up
    Changes to the Mini Since 2002
    Ups and Downs
    Recalls and Problem History
    Dealer Service Reviews
    What Consumers Say

    Why We Bought It

    After winning our votes as the Most Significant Vehicle of 2002, the decision to add a Mini Cooper to our long-term test fleet was a no-brainer. Its cute retro styling and BMW pedigree assured plenty of looks and thrilling performance. And with a base price starting under $20,000, it represented one of the best bang-for-the-buck vehicles on the market.

    For the uninitiated, the Mini was first introduced to the world in 1959 as an inexpensive, space-efficient European econobox. It cost less than $1,500 and offered quirky styling and a fun-to-drive character that made it a cult hit. Collaboration between the British Motor Corporation and race car builder John Cooper created the performance-oriented Mini Cooper. Later, an even faster Mini Cooper S model appeared.

    Subsequent business deals recently brought the Mini brand under the BMW umbrella. The German automaker infused the modern Mini with the kind of engineering expertise that made its sedans and coupes famous. When it came time to release the all-new version of this icon, the original names stuck.

    The base model Mini Cooper sports a 1.6-liter, 115-horsepower, four-cylinder engine; 15-inch wheels; and a surprising number of standard features. For those who crave more than just cute styling and standard side airbags, the Cooper S model offers the performance of a supercharged engine (good for 163 hp), stiffer suspension and larger wheels and tires.

    Given the Mini's low base price, we decided to go for the upgrade and get the S model. On top of the supercharged engine we added the #2 Sport Package that further enhanced our ride with 17-inch wheels, Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), sport seats, front foglights, a rear spoiler and xenon headlights. Even with all that included, our Cooper S was still just $21,500 — not bad for a car that delivers so much in so many ways.

    How It Drove

    The original Mini's cult following was due as much to its quick handling as it was to its quirky looks. Although the modern version is larger in every dimension than the original, BMW sought to retain the same level of responsiveness behind the wheel. After thousands of miles at the helm, nearly every editor agreed that the Mini lives up to its billing and heritage.

    With every run through a twisty canyon road, the Mini displayed the kind of flat cornering and ample road feel that make it such a terrific back road companion. "No question, this is certainly one of the best handling front-wheel-drive cars currently sold," one editor wrote. "There is hardly any body roll and the steering responds very quickly to inputs. This is why so many people describe the Mini as go-kartlike."

    The fact that we enjoyed the Mini's cornering skills wasn't much of a surprise, but there were mixed reactions to the ride quality of our sport package-equipped Cooper S, especially on rutted city streets and concrete highways. Numerous logbook entries noted its tendency to follow grooves on the highway, and more than one editor complained of the harsh ride over bumps and potholes. Some reasoned that the stiff ride was acceptable given its performance nature, but others grew tired of its bucking and darting.

    One of the more common opinions expressed concerned the optional sport package and its 17-inch wheels and tires. With their shorter and stiffer sidewalls, the high-performance tires don't have as much give as their less radical counterparts, resulting in a more jarring ride. "To me, this seems just as stiff as a Porsche 911," one editor said, "I really had to watch out for potholes. Because of the short sidewalls on the 17-inch run-flat tires, there is little protection against sharp impacts." Most editors agreed that even without the larger rubber, the Cooper would still have more than enough grip to hold its own in the corners.

    In general, editors found that the Mini's supercharged four-cylinder engine provided adequate power, but there were several complaints about its lack of low-end grunt. Even with the added boost of the supercharger, pulling away from a stop required careful modulation of the clutch to ensure smooth takeoffs. Said one editor, "It moves out when the engine speed is up, but getting it rolling quickly from a stop can be challenging. Too much throttle and it jerks away with noticeable driveline lash, too little and it can easily stall."

    Along with the supercharged engine, the Cooper S also gets a six-speed manual transmission that, like the engine, was hit or miss depending on who was driving. Some liked its feel through the gates and large shift knob, but others disliked what they felt were overly long throws and vague engagement points. One logbook entry noted, "Whenever I go to third I'm always a little hesitant 'cause it never really feels like it's in gear."

    Transmission debates aside, the Mini's small size and quick handling made it an excellent around-town errand runner. After a few weeks behind the wheel, one editor wrote, "Being so small you feel almost like you're flying below everybody's radar. You merge into traffic wherever you want and nobody seems to care. Crowded roads seem more spacious and boulevards feel like superhighways. It's easy to get used to." Another noted that he was able to fit into parking spots that other cars didn't even bother with, "a nice bonus in a crowded city."

    What It Was Like Inside

    One of the original Mini's design objectives was to offer as much interior space as possible within its pint-size exterior dimensions. To that end, it used a transversely mounted (sideways) engine, boxy design and wheels pushed as far to each corner as possible. By sticking with a similar formula, the latest version manages to offer a surprising amount of space inside while maintaining a compact exterior.

    Most editors found the cabin quite accommodating regardless of their size. Our tallest editor remarked, "Getting in takes a bit of a stoop, but once you're situated, there's plenty of room to stretch out. I never felt cramped in the driver seat once it was properly adjusted." Even with four passengers the Mini wasn't completely overwhelmed. "I was amazed that such a small car could fit four adults effectively," another editor wrote. "Even the backseat passengers had decent head- and legroom."

    Not every editor was so impressed, however. On one multihour excursion, the tight dimensions conspired to make one editor and her passenger a little less than completely comfortable. "As we settled into the Cooper for our drive, it was obvious that this is not a great car for larger, taller adults, as head- and shoulder room were barely adequate." Seat comfort was another point of contention as one editor commented that the driver seat felt like "concrete" after several hundred miles.

    Several editors bemoaned the confusing front-seat release latch that makes folding the seats more of a chore than should be necessary, but once its strange mechanism is mastered, it works well. More than one parent was able to squeeze a child's car seat in without too much of a problem, but none said they would want to use it on a daily basis for such duty. The cargo area was deemed equally useful as it opens up nicely with the rear seats folded down but fails to offer much space in its normal configuration. Said one editor, "Simple excursions don't require much thought since there's a decent amount of cargo space available in back, but with two people and real luggage the Mini would be a tight fit."

    When it came to the Mini's offbeat interior design, most agreed that it was a nice change of pace from standard economy cars but there are a few elements that we could have done without. The climate control system was a three-dial setup, but its abstract markings often left us wondering exactly what we were dialing up. Additional complaints were logged against the tiny radio controls, slow power windows and smallish sun visors. Several updates noted excessive rattling throughout the cabin, while one editor noted that various trim pieces were poorly fitted.

    Summing Up

    The fact that the Mini managed to maintain its appeal despite a stiff ride, tight interior and several nagging problems shows just how much its fun-to-drive demeanor is able to overwhelm its shortcomings. Almost every editor who spent time behind the wheel logged some sort of complaint, yet when it came to issuing a final verdict, they overwhelmingly professed admiration for the miniature hatchback. Had it been their own vehicle the story might have been a little different, however, so keep this in mind if you're considering one for yourself.

    After nearly 20,000 miles behind the wheel, we definitely learned a few things that any prospective purchaser would be wise to consider. For one, unless you absolutely have to have the most performance possible (now represented by the John Cooper Works package), forgo the sport package and stick with the smaller 16-inch wheels and tires. They offer more than enough grip to satisfy even the most aggressive driver, and the added comfort around town will make day-to-day driving that much more enjoyable. Another point to consider is whether you really care to row your own gears. Given the Mini's lack of low-end power, inching along in traffic can be tiresome with the six-speed manual — the only transmission available on the Cooper S. If you're willing to step down to the base model, you can get a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which essentially functions like an automatic.

    Our other words of caution are ones that you might expect. If you plan to travel with more than one other passenger on board on a consistent basis, this might not be the car for you. Likewise, if you find yourself in need of a little extra cargo room every once in a while, the Mini's small cargo bay probably won't do the trick. We were also reminded all too many times that the lack of a widespread dealer network makes getting service a more time-consuming task than usual. If you're serious about buying a Cooper, check to see how far your nearest dealer is first.

    As we said before, nearly every editor relished his or her time in the Mini. Its fun-to-drive demeanor and zippy performance make it a great urban runabout, and the unique styling stands out from the typical economy car crowd. That said, the incessant problems that plagued our particular car made the overall ownership experience considerably less satisfying than we expected. Although every issue was fixed under warranty and most involved only minor repairs, the constant trips to far-flung dealerships is hardly what we would call a hassle-free ownership experience.

    When it came time to part with our Mini, we found that although the widespread fervor had pretty much died down since our initial purchase, there were still plenty of willing customers with cash in hand. After listing the car on Autotrader.com, we received an inquiry that day. The prospective purchaser turned out to be an auto broker who specialized in Minis. He offered slightly less than our asking price, but we told him that we were standing firm since we knew there was a pretty good market for the cars. After telling us that ours was one of the better kept Minis he had seen, he agreed to our asking price of $20,800 — just $700 less than our initial purchase price.

    True Market Value at service end: $20,834
    What it sold for: $20,800
    Depreciation: $700 or 3 percent of original price paid
    Final Odometer reading: 23,000
    Best Fuel Economy: 30.2
    Worst Fuel Economy: 16.2
    Average Fuel Economy: 23.2
    Total Body repair Costs: None
    Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 15 months): None
    Additional Maintenance Costs: $344.46 (2 new tires)
    Warranty Repairs: 5
    Non-Warranty Repairs: 0
    Scheduled Dealer Visits: 2
    Unscheduled Dealer Visits: 4
    Days out of service: 3
    Breakdowns Stranding Driver: 1

    Changes to the Mini Since 2002

    2003 — Both the Cooper and Cooper S received additional remote entry key fobs and prewiring for a dealer-installed security system. Anthracite interior trim was added to options lists of both models, while the Cooper S added the high-gloss silver interior trim as an option (previously only available on standard Coopers). A cargo bay power point was also added, along with satellite radio capability.

    2004 — A leather sport steering wheel was added to the options list along with beige leather sport seats. A digital speedometer was a new option as was an instantaneous fuel consumption meter.

    Ups and Downs

    Ups: Incredible handling, reasonable price, unique design inside and out, surprisingly roomy inside considering its exterior size, availability of high-end options, free maintenance for three years, strong resale value.

    Downs: Choppy ride when equipped with sport package, not much low-end power, poor build quality, skimpy dealer network, meager cargo capacity.

    Bottom Line: A fun-to-drive hatchback with loads of personality, but its poor build quality record and some questionable design elements left us wondering if it's really worth the aggravation.

    Recalls and Problem History

    Recalls

    1 — On vehicles equipped with the manual transmission, the shift cable can become detached from the linkage resulting in the inability to change gears. Dealers will inspect the cable and, if necessary, install a retaining clip over the end of the shift cable to prevent it from detaching. Owner notification started Aug. 15, 2002.

    Problem History
    1. With only 1,200 miles on the odometer, the transmission shift cable became detached while shifting into reverse. Our editor was stranded but was reimbursed for all costs associated with getting transportation back home. We later learned of a recall notice, but at the time, the recall covered the base Cooper only. The dealer fixed our car under warranty regardless.
    2. In August of 2002, we first started to notice that it took at least three or four cranks before the engine would start when cold. We were informed by the dealer that a software fix would solve the problem. On a subsequent service visit, the update was performed and the problem was fixed.
    3. In August of 2002, we noticed a broken seat release. It was repaired under warranty.
    4. In July of 2003, we noticed a small leak in the coolant reservoir. It was replaced at the next service visit under warranty.
    5. In July of 2003, the interior door reflector became loose. It was replaced at the next service visit under warranty.
    6. In February of 2003, we first started to notice an odd shudder when releasing the clutch in first gear. It didn't affect the performance of the car, but it became annoying in stop-and-go traffic. On our first trip to the dealer, the technicians reported that they were unable to duplicate the problem and therefore couldn't make any repairs. This seemed odd to us considering the fact that just about every passenger who rode in our Mini would inevitably ask, "What's that noise?" every time we accelerated from a stop. A return trip to the dealer yielded a far different diagnosis as we were informed that, after duplicating the problem, they came to the conclusion that a new transmission would be required to fix it. After several days out of service, the Mini returned with a new tranny, but the shudder was still there. We returned to the dealer several weeks later with the same complaint. They replaced the clutch and the problem went away, but a new problem became evident. The shifter was popping out of gear and the gates didn't seem as easy to find as before. Another trip to the dealer resulted in an adjustment that seemed to reduce the instances of the shifter popping out of gear, but the overall feel was never quite the same.
    Dealer Service Reviews

    Long Beach Mini in Signal Hill, Calif.

    September 2002
    "To cap this month's Mini mania, it made its second visit to the service department of Long Beach Mini. This time it was for a crack in the windshield suffered in a hail storm during a trip through Idaho, and a broken release for the passenger-side section of the folding rear seat. Photo Editor Scott Jacobs called ahead to make sure they had the available parts for such a new vehicle. Mary, the very polite service consultant, assured him that they had all the parts and that work could be completed quickly.

    "Road Test Coordinator Kelly Stennick took the Mini in on her way to work early the next morning for its appointment. As Kelly got out of the car, Service Consultant Tom Miller was there to greet her. He quickly pulled up the service record and went over the items in question. He informed Kelly that he would consult the service manager about the crack in the windshield and see if it would be covered under warranty. In less than 10 minutes, Kelly had dropped off the car, gone over the service points with Tom and signed the necessary paperwork. Before she left, Tom came running out and informed her that his manager had OK'd the windshield to be replaced under warranty as it might have been a stress fracture. Overall, Kelly was impressed by Tom's quick and extremely professional handling of the service write-up process.

    "At about noon that day, Tom called Kelly and left a message stating that all the work had been completed under warranty but that they wanted the glass to set. The car would be good to go around 4 p.m. Tom actually called again to make sure she had gotten the message about having the glass set; Kelly was again impressed by Long Beach BMW's professionalism regarding this matter. Top marks for you, Mr. Miller!"

    Mini of Universal City in Universal City, Calif.

    December 2002
    "Road Test Editor Erin Riches reported: 'I made an appointment a week in advance for 10 a.m. on a Monday. I asked how long it would be if I waited for the car to have its oil change and was told it would only take an hour. That sounded fine.

    "'The day of the appointment I turned into the service drive. It wasn't prominently identified as a Mini service center from the outside; you just have to know that Century West BMW is where it is. The service staff was a little busy with various X5s, and it was about 10 minutes before someone could help me. My advisor, Laurence, was friendly, but when I told him I would be waiting, he told me it could be 1 or 1:30 before the car was done — three hours from now. When I mentioned what I had been told when I scheduled the appointment, he explained that they were down to one Mini-certified technician — one of their techs had moved out of state and another was still going to school to service Minis. True, it would take only an hour once the sole tech started work, but apparently, there was at least one other Mini ahead of our long-termer. Realizing I had no other choice but to wait (with plans for a road trip the next day), I had him direct me to the waiting area inside the dealership.

    "'At about 1 p.m., Laurence appeared and told me that the oil change was complete, but that the kits they'd been sent to do these routine jobs didn't include, of all things, oil filters. So the tech had put our Cooper's old oil filter back on. Laurence said he was embarrassed that this had happened and advised me that I should come back next week and receive another oil change (still on the house) and get the new filter at that time. I declined the complimentary car wash in the interest of time. As I drove out, I noticed that the technician hadn't reset the oil service monitor — not a big deal since I had to come back anyway but potentially troublesome had there been an unforeseen major problem in the interim (as we might have appeared to be negligent owners).

    "'I got the second oil change (with a new filter) done about two weeks later, after making an appointment a few days in advance. I made sure to mention to Laurence that I wanted the oil service monitor reset this time. Again, I chose to wait while the work was performed, and it took about an hour and a half. When Laurence brought out the Mini, he informed me that he had to order a couple of parts for me — some trim piece for the rear wiper and a replacement overflow tank for the radiator due to minor seepage from the current one. Might as well, he reasoned, since the car was under warranty.

    "'As I was loading my stuff into the car, Laurence noted that the technician had (again) not reset the oil service monitor. Obviously exasperated, he drove the car back into the service bay and returned about five minutes later. Apparently, it had taken a few tries before the computer would allow them to reset it.'"

    What Consumers Say

    "I've had my Cooper S for six months now and I love it just as much today as I did the day I drove it off the lot. I ordered my 'S' in December after a lot of careful consideration of the options list and I'm very pleased with the way the car turned out. I skipped most of the expensive options so my car stickered at only $21,505. Momentum Mini in Houston didn't pad the price and my buying experience was first rate.

    "In the past six months I've put almost 7,500 miles on the car and have had very few problems. In warm weather the engine often stumbles as the clutch comes out in first gear (common problem reported by many local owners) and the interior lights don't come on when I open the door. My only other complaint is the tiny sun visors that don't get the job done when rotated to the side.

    "The Mini is the most entertaining car I've ever owned. The power from the supercharged engine is good and the handling is awesome. When people ask how the Mini handles, I usually tell them it's like driving an air conditioned four-seat go-kart. Not only is it fun to drive, it's a pretty practical little car, too. Four normal adults can ride in reasonable comfort and for two, it's a great weekend getaway car. Finally it's a car that can generate smiles and 'thumbs up' from just about everyone. Kids wave, adults smile and everyone seems to appreciate the good nature the Mini exudes.

    "What could be better? Low price, great quality, terrific performance and lots of fun all in one little car. I love my Mini!!!" — Paul Winge, McKinney, Texas

    "First — let me give you a little background about myself. I consider myself a car enthusiast — I enjoy different autos, know what I like, then research the heck out of them. I don't make a lot of money, so I was looking for something unique, inexpensive, and FUN. (Notice I did not say practical — I was practical once and bought a station wagon. Yech.)

    "I took two years to find that 'perfect' car. I wasn't in a hurry — I didn't need a car, and I wanted to make sure I chose the right one. I read various publications and visited several car dealerships. Nothing jumped out at me yelling 'BUY ME!!!' A relative mentioned that she had seen the new Mini Cooper at a local mall on display. I knew they had been reintroduced, but all I could think was 'Mr. Bean.' The Kansas City Auto Show was only a couple of days away, and I attended.

    "There it was — the car I had been searching for. The Mini oozes personality. It makes you smile just looking at it. I could not believe how roomy it was once inside — plenty of room for my legs — which are too long to fit comfortably in my husband's Jaguar! I thought for sure this car would be expensive as it was engineered by BMW and offered numerous safety features. I visited my local Mini dealer (thank heavens there was one in Kansas City). I drove the S model, and was completely hooked. I knew exactly what I wanted after visiting their Web site several times, and placed my order then and there. Nine months later, I was the proud parent of a new Mini. Good things come to those who wait, and I am glad I did.

    "I have had nothing but good things to say about my Mini. I am aware of the glitches and problems, many have incurred. I am lucky and have no problems. This car is a blast to drive (see the silly grin on my face?). I do not recommend this car if you are shy, however, because I have even been stalked in parking lots by curious drivers in their boring Hondas. I have every option available except the GPS (I can read a map for $1,300!), including the 17-inch run-flats (if you want a boat ride, buy a Cadillac), Harman Kardon sound system, park distance control and rain-sensor wipers. I added the rally lights, boot box and mats, and the total was still under $24,500. I have been told that this car fits my personality perfectly. What a compliment!" — Debra Wickizer, Gardner, KS

    "I purchased my car on October 31, 2002. I've now got almost 10,000 miles on it. It has been trouble-free and fun to drive. I tend to push it hard, but am not abusive. This is perhaps the most fun car I've owned (I've owned about 26 cars, mostly foreign sporting makes, including Alfas and Mercedes). This Mini is always entertaining, easy to drive and very practical. I enjoy its ease of parking in town and find it reasonably comfortable on highways. But it is those back country roads and mountain passes that bring out the most pleasure. I even find myself exiting interstates to take the back roads just for the fun of it. It has adequate power even for the mountains.

    "It is a very small car, no surprises there. [But] in fact, I have loaded an amazing amount of stuff in it. The shape of the car allows it to accommodate a lot of stuff. Even four people isn't too bad on a short trip.

    "It is very affordable. I've noted that many folks load the car up with options. I added only xenon headlights, foglights and DSC. You get a tremendous amount of driving pleasure for a very reasonable price. I also average 30 mpg on trips. Not bad for a car that is frequently driven in excess of 100 mph. I can easily afford a more expensive car, but why spend more when it's not necessary. For me the Mini has exceeded my expectations." — Doug Brandi, Silver Spring, Md.

    "I am in the second month of ownership of a Cooper S. So far, I am a little disappointed. Two trips to the dealer to fix noisy doors — the frameless window design causes painful noise to the ears. Second, the sunroof wind deflectors are absolutely useless — not very practical for anyone driving at speeds over 25 mph.

    "Yes, the car ride is a blast — but I am not buying why so many owners believe that some of these compromises were necessary. I understand the marketing ploy — being different — but that shouldn't mean being dealt some pretty poor shortcuts.

    "The six-speed transmission is sturdy — but isn't particularly neat — I would call it somewhat clunky — and reverse is like a treasure hunt — the labor to get it over into gear is quite a pain in the backside.

    "So far — I would say A+ for marketing — C- for quality control — and for $25K — I am not sure that is such a good balance." — Michael Sutera

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