One Big Reason Why You Should Not Purchase the Mini Cooper
Written: Aug 05 '02
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Pros: A wonderful car in almost ever manner
Cons: One huge problem
The Bottom Line: An absolutely wonderful car in every way- with one huge problem.
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| hwz1's Full Review: 2002 MINI Cooper |
Most of us have seen the snazzy Mini Cooper wondering the streets by now and either loved the looks or thought the car would be better of staying overseas where the it was born. Regardless of your initial reaction, it is a great automobile with one really big problem.
I have seen the Mini Cooper and the looks it gets for the past six months. I must admit that I like the way it looks and that was why I took one for a test drive. At a later time, I found that a good friend had bought one and we spent a weekend cruising around. If you are one who wants a "look at me" car- this is it.
The nice thing is that you can the "look at me" experience for less than what you would expect. No, Porsche or even normal BMW sticker shock here. The Mini Cooper will run you less than $20,000. Not a bad price considering you are buying something the size of a golf cart and the BMW name. One gripe I have is that BMW (and the press) has been telling us that you cannot purchase a Mini Cooper without a months long wait. Perhaps this is the case in your neck of the woods, but not in mine. I drive by the BMW dealer almost daily and there are at least 10 of them sitting on the lot collecting bird poop on a daily basis.
So, what about the car itself? I will warn you that I am not a car buff or into technical terms. I simply call them like I see them. I drive a handful of cars every year and own a BMW 3 Series (Love it!). At any rate, here goes:
EXTERIOR STYLING: The Mini Cooper looks a little like a flattened VW Beetle. It has the same "smiley face" look to the front grill and a short wheel base. The roof on all of the ones that I have seen is a different color than the body (i.e. a white roof with a silver body) and I find that this adds to the charm of the car. The roof contains an antenna and the back of the car features a hatchback trunk.
Some of the specifics include the following:
16 inch alloy wheels
Air intake scoop
Twin exhaust pipes
Rear roof spoiler
Chrome grill and fuel cap
Dual metallic side mirrors
enhanced rear and front bumpers
INTERIOR STYLING: The interior of the Mini Cooper follows the recent craze of "race car" design. In other words, it has the metallic gauges mixed in with a black dash. I like the look on the Mini from the standpoint that it gives you the impression that you are in something fast. I also find that it goes along with the styling of the exterior. I believe the owners guide refers to the look as the brushed aluminum look. You will also find two sports seats that I found to be quite comfortable and, most importantly, able to easily adjusted to a number of different positions (Perfect for those valets who always seem to move you seat to drive your car all of 87 feet). The speedometer and tach stand out well (actually, they are huge) and are nice appointed. Finally, you will find a leather steering wheel and gear shift.
I found the interior styling to work well with the exterior styling and also to be quite attractive in a different way. No, you will not feel like you are driving a BMW from the looks of the inside, but that is sort of the point.
UNDER THE HOOD: Before I had sat shotgun or driven a Mini Cooper, I did not expect it to move much faster than a turtle on speed. Was I ever wrong. The mini can flat out fly for such a small car. You will (Ok, they say you will...) hit 60 in 7.4 seconds with a top speed of 135 MPH. Not bad for a souped up golf cart. The mini gets is power from 4 cylinder 16 valve engine that produces 163 BHP- Horsepower. Now from I have learned this is fairly impressive for a four cylinder engine.
The transmission is a front wheel drive platform- a first for the BMW brand- and contains a gearbox that does involve a lot of work. In addition to the six speed transmission, BMW is coming out with an automatic version for those who do not like to spend their days shifting gears.
The two biggest surprises that I found were the speed and the quiet engine. My car is very quiet, but it is also much bigger than the Mini Cooper. Thought the engine could be heard, it was not as if you were driving a tractor; more like coasting on a bicycle. On the negative side was the feeling that I had to do a lot of shifting between gears.
HANDLING: The Mini Cooper the same as most all BMW's do- like a dream. In my neighborhood there are a lot of bends and hills in the roads and the Mini handled them as if we were just going through a small bend. The handling was tight and you barely budged while taking a turn- suggested at 25 MPH- at 40- 45 MPH. My guess is that the low center of gravity allows the Mini to hug the road better than a lot of cars. Like all recent model BMW's, the Mini has the ASC-T (Automatic stability and traction control).
On the opposite end of the spectrum was the feeling that you were driving over a couple of dead trees when you came across a slight bump. Yeah, the ride could be slightly rough at times. My thought is that the Mini is small enough and the wheelbase close enough that bumps are exaggerated.
GAS MILEAGE AND OTHER EXPENSES: The Mini Cooper gets a respectable 33.5 MPG. I find this more than respectable when you consider that the Mini is closer to a sports car than a compact car.
The other expenses you can expect to incur from owning a BMW include a lube oil filter. The company likes to have you change your oil at their dealerships and provide warning lights that only they are able to turn off. Though the change is done much less frequently (Every 8000 miles, I believe), the service will run about $80 everytime. Additionally, the cost to repair various parts is higher than what you would pay for many other cars simply because you are talking about a BMW.
SPECIAL FEATURES: The Mini Cooper contains toggle switches that operate the windows, locks, and lights. I find this to be a nice touch from a previous day.
I also found the abnormally large doors to be inviting. For a car this size, you would expect that it would difficult to get in and out of, but this is not the case. The rear seats are fairly comfortable and offer a decent amount of head room, but little leg space. You will find it difficult to fit a women's purse into the trunk.
The sound system is average at best. Though the sound itself is not bad, I found the system to be difficult to work with. For instance, the volume knob is small enough that a large five year old would have a tough time working it. The system comes with a six CD changer.
WHY I WOULD AVOID THE MINI: I love the Mini Cooper. I found it to be stylish, quick, fun to drive. It has the BMW name and is very affordable. Everyone I know who owns one raves about it. So, what would cause me to say "No" to the Mini?
Picture this: You are driving down the road at 50 MPH and you see a large bug. You keep driving and think nothing of it. A moment later you are in a ditch. What happened? Simple. The bug was bigger than the car. You lost the collision. Of course that is a slight exaggeration, but you get the picture. The Mini truly is just a bit larger than a golf cart. The size resembles that of the old Ford Fiesta or Yugo.
In a car that size you will lose a huge percentage of the time when you are in a collision. Even worse is that there are more and more large cars, trucks, and SUV's on the road these days.
The Mini Cooper includes up to six airbags (front, side and head) and features four wheel ABS disc brakes. While these are nice and important safety features, I still cannot imagine what happens when the Mini Cooper meets the Hummer. I am sure that the Mini has tested well in those five MPH bump tests that receive so much press, but what I want to know is how it tests in the 50 MPH tests that we never seem to hear about.
Along this same line is the thought that the Mini is a good starter car for a teenager. Wrong! Remember, that kids (and the really, really old) are the worst drivers on the road and probably the ones most prone to distractions. They do not need to be driving the smallest car on the road.
FINAL THOUGHTS: While I find the Mini Cooper to a joy to drive and be seen in, I cannot see myself purchasing the car because it just is not safe enough. A wonderful automobile, but just not for me or for those who I care about the most.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 20,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Mini Cooper S
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Epinions.com ID:
hwz1
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Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 845
Trusted by: 923 members
About Me:
Just got a big promotion that will move my new wife and I to Atlanta.
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