Small, economical cars may soon be in vogue again — for the same reasons they used to be in vogue: Money's tight, and things cost more.
Gas, especially.
Thus, buying a car that doesn't use, or cost, much has appeal, again.
A car like the Mini Cooper.
What It Is
The Mini Cooper is the smallest new car available in the U.S., as well as one of the most affordable, with a base price of $28,600 for the hardtop coupe, which seats five. A slightly larger version with four doors is also available, with a starting price of $29,700.
What's New
The Mini hasn't changed much since 2014, but that's not a bad thing if you like what the Mini is and what it resurrected — that being the original '60s Mini concept of lots of fun in a small package that's surprisingly big on the inside.
In addition to that sameness, there's also some newness in the form of a newly designed front grille, a standard digital main gauge cluster and new multicolor (and multitone) paint combinations that enable the buyer to almost custom-order their Mini's outward appearance.
What's Good
Saves you money on gas without costing you fun.
One of the few new cars you can buy that still comes standard with a manual transmission.
Two- and four-door body styles.
What's Not So Good
Small (11.6-gallon) gas tank makes the Mini seem thirstier than it is.
Small, relative to the size of just about everything else. You may feel like a mouse scurrying around among elephants.
Curb weight (2,712 pounds for the two-door) is more than it ought to be for a car this small.
Under The Hood
The two- and four-door Minis are available with your pick of three different engines.
Standard equipment is a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine (one of the smallest engines available in a new car) that makes 134 horsepower and 162 foot-pounds of torque. It's paired up with a standard six-speed manual transmission or, optionally, a seven-speed automatic.
A larger, stronger turbocharged 2.0-liter engine is available in the S versions of the Mini. This one makes 189 horsepower and 206 foot-pounds of torque (at just 1,350 RPM). The same transmission choices are available.
Even with the standard 1.5-liter engine, the Mini can get to 60 in just over seven seconds. With the stronger 2.0-liter engine, it's just over six seconds.
And if you want a really speedy Mini, there's the John Cooper Works (JCW) version of the Mini, which is powered by a tuned and tweaked version of the 2.0-liter engine that makes 228 horsepower, enabling it to get to 60 in less than six seconds.
On The Road
Driving a small car can be big fun.
In a small car, you can exploit those small gaps in traffic that larger cars can't. You can slip past the left lane hog who is almost pacing the car to his right but left just enough space for a small car to dart through the opening — and get around both. You can also park in spots larger cars can't; some that only motorcycles can. And when you park in your garage, there is still space in your garage.
The Mini also connects you to the drive as closely as a car can without being a motorcycle. You're close to the road, even more so than a bike, because of how low the Mini sits. Ahead of you is the road — because there's very little hood.
It is a highly maneuverable little skateboard, ideal for busy traffic and perfect for having fun in it.
At The Curb
The Mini is ... mini. Whether two or four doors, it is so abbreviated in length you look at it and think it might fit in your pocket. And, naturally, you then wonder what (if anything) will fit inside it.
It turns out to be a lot more than you may think.
The two-door version is just 152.2 inches long, end to end. Yet it has 41.4 inches of legroom for the driver and front seat passenger, as well as 34 cubic feet of space if you make use of the available space by folding the back seats forward.
Even with its back seats in use, the Mini still has 8.7 cubic feet of space behind them, which is about twice as much space for stuff as in the Mazda Miata, a two-seater sports car that is also a couple of inches longer than the Mini.
The Rest
The new/standard digital dash is very modern, but the toggle switch controls for many functions are happily retro — and uncommon. This way of turning things off and on is intuitive and satisfying in a way that tapping/swiping isn't.
The Bottom Line
Small is beautiful, especially when it's also practical — and easy on gas.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View the Mini Cooper this week.
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