2002 Mini One

What's special about it?
Mini One marks the entry-level vehicle of the Mini product, which was recently resurrected by BMW Group. Remarkably similar to its recently introduced older brother, the Mini Cooper, in terms of styling, One can be distinguished mainly by its body-colored roof, which differs from Cooper's two-tone design. Additional exterior styling cues include chromium-plated headlights and body-colored door handles and bumpers.

Like the Mini Cooper, One comes equipped with a four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Outstanding body rigidity is purported to give One a go-kart-type driving feel to complement its diminutive size. Front ventilated disc brakes with ABS come standard.

Mini One boasts an impressive array of airbags, with head protection airbags for all four passengers, in addition to seatback-mounted side airbags and smart front airbags that release based on the severity of impact. Adjustable headrests also grace all four seats. Both the driver seat and steering wheel are height-adjustable to facilitate finding that perfect driving position.

Interior accommodations are impressive in Mini One; the easy entry system allows the passenger seat to move forward automatically and the headrest to be pushed forward for easy rear entry. Two cupholders in the center console and six large storage sections add practicality to the attractive anthracite interior of this cutemobile.

Mini One has one trim option: Salt. Referred to as "the city cruiser," Mini One Salt features parcel nets for the storage areas, an all-silver interior, additional interior lighting, fog lights and a six-speaker RDS radio.

Why should you care?
To us, at least, "entry-level" means "cheap." If you've been dying to get your hands on a Mini, but can't stomach paying over $18K for such a teensy wittle ting, Mini One may be the answer. However, there's still no word on pricing, so don't go counting your chickens just yet. -Erin Mahoney