A Fast and Fun Little Car - Second Updat
Written: Jul 17 '03 (Updated Dec 23 '03)
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Pros: Quick, nimble, and incredibly cute
Cons: None, Zero, Zip, Nada
The Bottom Line: It's not as small as you think. Drive it and see. The SUV backlash starts now.
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| justpaul's Full Review: 2003 MINI Cooper |
My wife and I have had our 2003 Mini Cooper for almost one month, and we are very much in love with it. What it lacks in cargo space it more than makes up for in personality and zip.
We bought one with the continuously variable transmission (CVT), so we are giving up a bit of punch, but you'd never know it. Although it sports only a 115 hp 1.6 liter inline four, this little thing rockets from a start and once it has climbed into the powerband it really sings. Even better, because of the CVT auto, it stays in the powerband full time, never dropping back like a normal auto. The only downside to this is that it tends to be a bit buzzy, but you get use to that pretty quickly. But it does have a manual shift feature like the Porsche triptronic, giving you six pre-selected gears to play with, and still no clutch! Best of all, you can manually shift it to get it hauling in a hurry then pull it back over into drive and let it drive like a normal automatic, albeit without the bogging between shifts. I've only played with this a few times since we're still within the break-in period (max rpm of 4500), but the shifts are very smooth and you can get her up to speed fast than any 115 hp 2500 lb car should be able to.
The interior of this car is incredible. We have a 1991 BMW 325 and they have almost exactly the same amount of space within them. For a little car, the Mini Cooper is quite spacious. Even adults in the backseat have plenty of room and very nice seats to enjoy. No, it doesn't have as much room as an SUV or a Lincoln Town Car, but then neither of those would keep up with it in the twisties either. All in all, it's a great two-person car with room for four on shorter trips. We had a 6 foot friend in the back on a 40 mile jaunt and he had no complaints.
Another great feature is the dual pane panoramic sunroof. If you are considering a Mini Cooper, add Premium Package #1 for this feature alone. It adds a whole new depth to the car's comfort and fun factors. You also get the sport steering wheel, which has some really nice features, such as radio controls built in to the back of the wheel. It takes a few tries to learn where things are, but once you do you can raise and lower the volume, switch from CD to radio, and switch stations or tracks without ever taking your hands off the wheel.
The controls are easy to understand and use and the row of toggle switches for things like windows and locks is a sweet touch. Very retro. And that giant speedo in the center of the dash? Once you get used to it, you start to wonder why other car manufacturers don't put it there. It's so clearly visible that you don't even really have to look at it to read the speed (something you need to keep an eye on as this thing is moving a lot faster than it seems to be most of the time).
Driving wise, this thing is so nimble it will change lanes before you even finish the thought and takes corners likes its on rails. Yet it is quite refined at highway speeds and tours like a champ. We drove it over 200 miles each way last weekend and she handles the interstates very well. The ride is firm but not overly harsh, the wind noise is much less than would be expected given the shape, and the overall cabin comfort is excellent. And with the CVT working for you, she gets really good mileage if you keep her down to reasonable speeds. On our trip from Philly to northern Virginia we averaged just under 30 mpg at speeds averaging 80 mph.
On back roads it's another matter altogether. This car handles so well you start to find yourself throwing it into corners harder and harder just because it's so much fun. Here the CVT shows its one flaw, in that if you let it slow down too much you have to get on it pretty hard which results in the aforementioned buzziness. But at the same time, this car and transmission combination really rewards smoothness. If you pay attention to what's ahead and keep your speed up she runs along almost silently and still gets great mileage.
Finally there's the brakes. The only word for them is ungodly. Hit the brakes hard in this car and it stops. Not "down the road" but right where you are. Don't try this move without the seat belts on unless you want to get real friendly with the windshield.
The one downside to the Mini Cooper, if you want to call it that, is the obvious lack of massive amounts of cargo space. Truth be told, with four people in it, there's very little room for anything. But, as I said, this is rather obvious. If you want or need an SUV, buy one. If you want a fabulous little car that will carry four people, or two people and quite a bit of stuff, all while averaging 28 miles to the gallon and causing everyone to smile when they see it, buy the Mini. At the price, it's impossible to beat.
UPDATE: We've now had a chance to drive the Mini in snow, and the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system is amazing. I ran it up to 50 mph on hardpacked snow and stood on the brakes to see what she did (front wheel drive cars are notoriously bad in such situations), but all she did was slow down and stop in a perfectly straight line. There is absolutely no under or oversteer, no matter how hard you push it. I even tried to make her spin in reverse by cranking the wheel hard and stomping on the gas and all she did was go around in circles (backwards of course). I could not shake her grip loose, and believe me, I was trying to do so. The same holds true for takeoff. Step on the gas on snow and she just pulls away. No fuss and no drama. My brain tells me that this wouldn't be the case in a car without the DSC system, but if you're going to want to drive it in the snow, pay the extra money. It's well worth it.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 21035
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: Mini Cooper
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Epinions.com ID:
justpaul
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Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
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