The Mini Cooper is a remade automotive icon. It's available in no less than sixteen different model variants. Stretching from about thirty grand to just over 50. It's the ideal mid-life crisis car for anyone who's seen the Italian Job - the Michael Kane original, not the remake. Joining me in the studio, someone who's so far from a midlife crisis it's not funny, Car Advice road tester Anthony Crawford.
Mike, what is it about the Mini, because everyone loves it? It's an icon that goes back over 50 years, and it's probably the coolest car in the world. fifty grand. This is a car that corners on rails. You've heard of go-kart handling? This is the king of it. It's tight. The seats are really really bolstered, really sporty.
Male Interviewee: so far as I'd say racing buckets, but comfortable racing buckets. And you tuck into a corner, you turn the wheel a quarter turn and you're into a hardcore corner. This is a real driver's car. It's retro meets modern. You've got those cute little toggle switches. You've got the trademark mini center dial speedo, which is enormous.
Mini have brought out a bunch of new variants; the Clubman; the Countryman, which is all-wheel drive heavy capture, I think you stick to the original Mini Cooper.
Male Interviewer: So you cannot have an SUV in your garage any time soon with mini badge?
Male Interviewee: Absolutely not. lt'll have Mini Cooper S or Mini Cooper SJ, John Cooper works.
Male Interviewer: And how does it cruise on the highway? Is it a pleasant enough cruise over a short distance?
Male Interviewee: Yeah. The drive train is really quiet. Runs a 1.6 liter petrol turbo engine, which is very quiet. Even the gear changes are quiet. That's not the problem. It's just really the ride is quite firm. Everyone knows it's no secret that BMW owns Mini. And owning a Mini's a pretty cheap way to getting to some BMW technology.
So how does that actually play out when you've got your backside in a Mini? Look, you can feel the quality when you close the door, there's a thud that plastics and the materials around the dash are all of high quality. And this is a very fuel efficient car, so even when you're [xx] In a 1.6 litre turbo petrol, you're not using more than 6 or 7 litres to a hundred K. Is it a keeper?
I'll take the Mini Cooper John Cooper works. with 155 kilowatts it just gives you that extra thump. I like that. Actually the suspension is even stiffer. If you can bear with it I'm okay with it because I like to drive, but you know, I think you gotta weigh that up when you're buying a Mini Cooper, do you buy the stock standard Mini Cooper, or do you go the S or Do you need another car in your driveway if you are in the Mini or can you get away with just one?
Look, you can get away with it if you're a single guy, you're a couple Even if you have a couple of young kids, you can get away with it for a while. After that you may need an SUV. Thanks, Anthony. That was Anthony Crawford with the Mini Cooper S in a class of it's own. To read the full review, download specs, add your comments, or get a quote from a Mini dealer, just follow the links on this page.
