MINI Cooper: tempting, but...

One of the cars we seriously considered buying was the MINI Cooper.  I waited eagerly for March 2007 to arrive, bringing with it the launch of the new R56 MINI Cooper with 6-speed automatic gearbox and new BMW PSA engine. Apparently the old MINI Cooper (with the Chrysler engine) was a bit gutless, particularly when combined with the CVT automatic transmission.  Oh, and I'm just talking about the plain old Cooper here by the way... our funds wouldn't stretch to the Cooper S, which when spec'd up is far more expensive that the Golf GTI! 

Anyway... we took a MINI Cooper (auto) for a test drive on the first day it became available in Australia.  The first thing that struck me was how the car looks in the flesh - fantastic!  It has such a classic shape, and the white roof and chrome grill just bring a smile to your face.  I think the MINI's looks actually go a long way to making up for the many of the car's deficiencies.  

I noticed straight away that the view out of the front window is rather limited, especially when sitting at traffic lights.  The roof obstructs your vision to the extent that you need to lean forwards to see if the lights have changed.   Not so good, but not the end of the world.  The MINI has a distinct lack of storage space and compartments in the cabin, and it is the first car I've noticed in a while that doesn't have a lockable glovebox.  The rear seat space is a bit, well... crap, to be honest.  You could feasibly seat two adults back there for a quick trip to the shops, but driving any further would be a kind of cruelty.  Oh, and I haven't yet mentioned the lack of a spare tyre (you get goop instead), and that you only get 15" wheels as standard.  By the time you add 16" wheels, the chrome exterior additions (yep, they're extra), and any other options you fancy, the price is within a few $1000 of a Golf GTI.  Hmm, something must be wrong here!  By way of comparison, the Golf GTI has much more power, 17" wheels, auto-everything (lights, wipers, dimming rear-view mirror), and even a spare wheel... all for a few bucks more!  I think the only thing the MINI had over the GTI was an aux input for an iPod.  Woohoo.

So, that was the MINI out of contention then.  A pity, as the MINI Cooper is so good looking, and was great fun to drive.  Not a powerful car, but the handling was fantastic - a perfect car for driving around Canberra given the number of roundabouts we have here.  I must take a moment to mention a great MINI forum full of useful information: MINI2.  I spent many hours on the site and learnt a great deal from people's experiences with the car.  This was also, unfortunately, where I learned of the crazy-high number of faults and problems with the new MINI.  Nothing serious, just bits of external trim falling off, gearbox problems, water gushing into the rear hatch when opened after it has rained etc.  The kind of stuff you'd expect when buying a new BMW, I guess (!). It's a real worry when there are so many people talking about rejecting their new car, especially when it's a marketed as a 'premium' product...

For interest's sake, I've included two images showing our favourite colour schemes and configurations - we would have chose between these two if we bought a MINI Cooper.  The online configurator lets you mix and match colour schemes, accessories, wheels etc.

  Like I said, it really is an awesome looking car... pity about the other stuff though :)