Michael Caine or Marky Mark?
Written: Oct 16 '06 (Updated Oct 16 '06)
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Pros: The styling of course! BMW-massaged chassis
Cons: Somewhat cramped interior; Econocar engine
The Bottom Line: This maybe the only car on the market with absolutely universal appeal, so I'd recommend it to EVERYBODY! Except people with actual families.
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| oldmanshirt's Full Review: 2004 MINI Cooper |
Anyone who has seen the movie The Italian Job (either the original or the new one), will remember seeing the original Mini. This was a little shoebox with wheels introduced in 1951 in England (production ran until 1992). Over the years, the Mini was built in different levels of trim and appearance, but like the original Beetle, it stayed basically the same forever and ended up becoming a cultural icon. The original also has an extensive rally racing history. Now, the New Beetle has obviously been a hit, so Mini (now owned by BMW) didn't want to be left out in the cold, and decided the time was right to introduce an updated Mini (known as the Cooper, after the creator of the original).
The Mini i drove was not at a dealership, but rather is owned by a girl I work with named Amanda. I promised her I'd mention her in my review if she'd let me drive her car, and she was very gracious about it. Her car is an extemely well-equipped Pepper White base model with a 1.6 liter inline-4 cylinder engine that makes 115 horsepower.
Engine
Oddly enough, the engine is jointly manufactured by BMW and Chrysler, and has an appealingly determined growl under full-throttle (although it becomes a little harsh close to redline). I was disappointed at first to learn that her car was an automatic, but it has a manual-shift feature that really saved the day.
Overall: B
Transmission
With the manual shift, driving the Mini feels almost like playing a video game. The steering is hefty once you get up to speed (still light in the parking lot though), and its small diameter promotes quick changes of direction. This Mini is no BMW M3, but it'll definitely get out of its own way, and with the manual shift the engine will go all the way to redline before the computer upshifts to prevent damage to the engine. The way the manual shift works is that it has the same PRND modes as a normal automatic, but you can nudge the lever right in Drive, where you get a +/- option for manual shift. As you can imagine, nudging the shifter back (+) selects a higher gear, while nudging forward (-) selects a lower gear. Its great for U-turns and tight corners, and as you slow down the transmission automatically downshifts, so that you dont have to. I tried upshifting by taking my foot off the throttle when upshifting, and by keeping my foot on the throttle, and the second way is best, because lifting your foot off the throttle kills the revs and proves jerky.
Overall: A
Styling
So with its low center of gravity and expertly tuned suspension (attatched to an extremely rigid body), the Mini handles like a champ. But Mini designers knew going in that, as with all retro cars, its the styling that will make or break it. They definitely succeeded with flying colors on this front. The Cooper hearkens back to the original Mini, but possesses a style all its own. Round headlights sweep back into the bulging front fenders, and are useful for placing the Mini on the road. The rear fenders bulge out the sides and contribute to the Mini's muscular and athletic stance, and the bunker-like upright side glass and flat roof provide the greatest link to past Minis, which as a trademark offered different colors for the body and the roof (some sported novelties such as British flags). All in all, the design contributes a uniqueness that was quite refreshing, and had me grinning before I even got in the thing.
Overall: A+
Interior
Inside, the design becomes more art-deco than retro, with fake aluminum trim on the doors and dash that look like steel girders, and a huge speedometer mounted in the center of the dashboard. Like i said, Amanda's car is comprehensively equipped, so the test Mini had everything including leather seats, a dual sunroof, automatic air conditioning, and an 8-speaker Harmon-Kardon stereo/CD player with a volume knob the size of an asprin. If you can do without some of these features, a beautiful '04 Mini could be yours for well under $15,000. The view out of the Mini is panoramic thanks to the generous glass area, and though wind noise is pronounced due to the upright windshield, it rides quietly and solidly. The only drawback to the Mini's small size is that the back seats are squashed together between the wheel wells, making room for only two passengers. And they'd better be minature ones, too, because these perches are the shape and size of infant car seats (the rear-facing kind). Even though the interior isn't quite the home run that the exterior is, there's still plenty of headroom and passegers of all sizes should be comfortable, provided there's only two of them.
Overall: A
So is the Mini a keeper? Well, I've never had so many strangers check me out while i was driving, but i think i could get used to it. Just sign me up for the 163 horsepower supercharged version and im there!
NOTE: The review was originally written by me on 6-23-04 for my blog: pleonast.com/oldmanshirt. It has been revised slightly with updated pricing information.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19545
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: non-S, automatic
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Epinions.com ID:
oldmanshirt
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Member: David Jones
Location: Cooper, TX, USA
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
There's a shortage of good car reviewers in this world. I aim to fix that.
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