Today I drove my girlfriend up to Irvine, CA to test drive the new Mini. She really wants one, and will be selling her Alfa after the summer to buy a Cooper S. We lucked out and the guy that took us out for the drive happened to be the manager. He told us we could do whatever we wanted, so we flogged that poor little car around the business park for the better part of an hour.
How was it? Well, pretty gutless actually. I was expecting quite a bit more pep from the supercharged engine... and the car isn't as light as it's size suggests. I did really like the gearbox... the 6-speed is very smooth with short throws.
While a stoplight racer it is not, a canyon carver it IS! The handling was VERY sharp, and the car transitions very well and is suprisingly neutral. The brakes were also very confidence inspiring, with good feel and modulation. I was pushing the car pretty hard and stopping from 70-80 mph often and there wasn't a hint of brake fade.
This car turned heads like any Ferrari would... but that will probably change once they become more common (the Cooper S isn't even for sale until June). The interior is a bit cramped as you can imagine, but still quite comfy. I don't imagine you could fit human adults in the backseat for very long ;-) Fit and finish all seemed up to BMW standards and the paint looked very nice with very little orange peel.
The Mini is definitely not for me... it's only 300 lbs lighter than my WRX and with 65 hp less. Especially considering that the dealers are marking the Cooper S up to around $30k with options. My girlfriend loved it though
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