Cost, horsepower etc
http://www.miniusa.com/ Also there is an MPSIMS thread I think where a few mini owners posted.
Isn’t the Cooper an old car? Maybe just found in Europe, perhaps in the 1970’s? I have some old (1970’s) Cooper Matchbox cars. Never really understood what they were modeled after. They look exactly like the Cooper cars popping up on the US roadways today. So, what’s the scoop? Did BMW buy up some old, family-run line of sporty econoboxes? -Jinx
Test drove the Cooper and Cooper S last week. The Cooper has 115 hp and the S has 163 hp. I definitely preferred the S, especially on the on-ramps.
BMW did buy the brand (I think from Rover) and did the redesign.
Also, my Great Dane does fit in the backseat just fine, though I don’t think two adults would find it that comfortable.
From what I understand, the Cooper is fairly readily available, but a custom ordered Cooper S is at least a 12 month wait. $1000 deposit lets you design your own Mini.
It’s really complicated, Jinx. Somehow, the Mini fell under the control of Rover Cars, which in turn was controlled by British Aerospace. In the early 1990s, Rover was in dire straights, and BA decided to unload 'em. Honda thought they had a deal in the works, but a last minute back-stab of some sort transferred Rover Cars, and the Mini trademark, to BMW.
BMW had two notable reasons among many to invoke the Mini. First, BMW was looking to break into the American market with a small, affordable car, but it also had to have a degree of style and perfomance worthy of the BMW marque. The design of the Cooper, with the wheels pushed out to the very corners of the car, makes for excellent handling. Second, the original Mini was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, who happened to be the uncle of the CEO of BMW at the time of acquisition.
Certainly there were other reasons as well. As you know, a new Mini ain’t all that miniature–in fact, it looks like you could hide an old Mini in the new one’s passenger space. Nevertheless, it’s still a rather engaging car, especially for the low-20K US price.
For what it’s worth, Consumer Reports evaluated the Mini in the last two or three months, and liked it a lot. They said it handled really well (I guess that’s what moving the wheels to the corners gets you), but they complained about a few things: the tiny back seat (predictably), the speedometer nostalgically but awkwardly placed in the middle of the dash, etc. You might go to the library and look at their back issues of CU for the writeup.