Car Review: 2010 Mini Cooper

By Gary Anderson of New Car Test Drive

The Mini Cooper is sporty and fun. It’s practical as a two-seat car, with comfortable seats, useful cargo capacity, and an EPA-rated City/Highway 28/37 miles per gallon. Inside, the Mini Cooper is large enough to accommodate all sizes of drivers and front passengers in comfort. The rear seats in the hardtop allow four adults. With its hatchback and folding rear seats, the Mini Cooper can haul reasonable amounts of gear. The convertible has less rear seat room and considerably less rear cargo capacity than the hardtop. For those who want more room there is the Clubman, which is 9.4 inches longer in overall length and 3.2 inches longer in the wheelbase. Kind of like a small station wagon, the Clubman has side-opening rear doors and, for entry to the rear seat, a single, rear-hinged door on the passenger’s side.

The 1.8-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine is rated at 118 horsepower and 114 pound-feed of torque in the Cooper models and, with a turbocharger, 172 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque in the Cooper S models. It is available with a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. While all the Minis are very fun to drive, the Cooper S models deliver exhilarating performance and nimble handling that must be experienced to be fully appreciated.

The 2010 Mini Cooper comes as a two-door hatchback called the hardtop, a four-seat convertible, and a longer-wheelbase wagon called the Clubman. Two trim levels are available, the standard Cooper and the higher-performing Cooper S. All models come standard with a six-speed manual transmission; a six-speed automatic transmission with Steptronic manual shift controls is optional ($1,250) for all but the JCW models.

The Mini Cooper cabin is charming with well chosen interior materials. Mini allows customers to choose from numerous interior trims to give each car an individual character. In keeping with Mini tradition, a big round speedometer is mounted in the center of the dash. For a car that has the smallest exterior of any four-passenger vehicle on the road, the Mini is surprisingly spacious inside

We found the seats comfortable for long-distance driving, with good support from the bolsters. The driving position is excellent. The seats are nicely bolstered to keep you in place when you inevitably hustle through the turns. The available sport seats are even better.

We’ve found the Mini Cooper to be sporting and comfortable at the same time. We’ve driven them on race tracks and on streets and highways around the world. This latest-generation Mini is easier and safer to drive quickly, benefits from changes to the suspension, the increased torque of the engine, and the electromechanically assisted steering. This is one of the most fun and responsive cars on the road.

The Mini Cooper offers agile handling and crisp performance and a distinctive bulldog appearance, the latter enhanced by a variety of trim and color options. We’re traditionalists, so we prefer the hardtop over the convertible, but it’s a matter of choice either way, and the Clubman offers a more spacious alternative to enjoy a Mini. Any way you choose, the Mini provides the most fun per dollar of any car on the market with the possible exception of the Mazda MX-5.