Small Car, Big Attitude

It's the Cooper S that strikes the best balance between comfort and performance. It has a more powerful turbocharged engine than the base model, has tighter suspension, sport seats and fog lights. You can opt for a sport package on top of that, but we don't recommend it. The Cooper S is already sporty enough and the Sport Package makes the car so firm it's hard to live with as an everyday commuter car. Stick with the Cooper S and its 16 inch wheels and the car's "just right" nature is all the more obvious. It all adds up to a little car that's a blast to drive hard but comfortable enough for everyday use.



One thing that makes the Cooper S feel so responsive is the light, quick steering. The steering effort and feedback make the Cooper S easy to guide through twists and turns on your favorite back road. Also, the manual transmission is joy to shift, as the gates are well defined and precise. The shifter communicates a level of precision that makes the car feel more expensive than it really is and helps the driver feel more connected to the car. Also, the pedals are well-placed, the brakes are especially responsive and the way the clutch engages on manual transmission cars is perfect ? there's just enough travel and the take up point is works well for spirited driving. There's even a bit of an exhaust note too, something that adds a little extra edge to the overall Cooper S experience.




Interior Accommodations

One drawback with the S is that on long trips, the sport seats can start to feel too firm. They are comfortable at first and they're certainly supportive and do a great job of holding you in place during hard cornering but if you find yourself behind the wheel for a long stretch, those supportive seats start to feel less than comfortable once you spend a good 90 minutes in them.

Like a lot of new, small cars, Mini's interior makes the most of a fairly small footprint. There's lots of headroom and legroom up front but the rear seat is useful for kids only. If you need a useable rear seat but really love the whole Mini vibe, you might want to consider a Mini Countryman or Clubman. Cargo space in the Mini hatchback is limited, there's just 5.7 cubic feet of useful space behind the rear seats, although you can fold those seats down and get quite a bit more.



Moderate Price

The new Fiat 500 is a new Mini Cooper competitor but the two cars are as different as they are similar. The Fiat isn't as powerful as the Mini and the Cooper S is a much more serious sports-hatchback than Fiat's sport model. However, the base Fiat is less expensive than the base Mini Cooper by about $4,000, and that's something to consider if you're on a super strict budget. VW's completely re-worked Beetle might be a car to consider alongside the Mini Cooper as well.

Thankfully, the Cooper's price is fairly reasonable. A base Cooper with a 121 hp engine costs about $20,000. The Cooper S with its more powerful turbo engine is $3,600 more and the high-performance John Cooper Works Mini is just over $30,000.

There are less expensive small cars, like the Fiat 500 but most force some sort of compromise where the Mini is that "just right" fit most shoppers will like. The 2012 Mini Cooper S packs a lot of style and fun into a small package and proves you can have performance, economy and style all rolled into one car.

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