Category: Hot Hatchbacks 
Price Range: No data available
Unassailable image, fantastic interior, strong residuals, excellent to live with, TLC package.
Pricey, limited room in the back, cheap seat tilt mechanism, dull engine note, not frantically fast.
The Mini has grown up a little and, although it lacks some of the sparkle of the original, it's still a cracking car - if not really a full-on hot hatch.
The first-generation new Mini has had a few problems since its launch in 2001, most notably relating to electrical gremlins and a front suspension fault that caused some cars to pull to one side under braking. Also, there have been problems with expensive runflat tyres puncturing too easily.
But BMW has learnt from these weaknesses and the new model shouldn't have the same issues. Indeed, much of technology comes from other tried and trusted BMW products - the radio is essentially the same as the one in a 3-Series, for example - so should prove reliable.
The fit and finish of the cars we've seen looked exemplary, with a clear improvement in the quality of the materials used in the cabin. Real wood and aluminium can now be specified as interior highlights, along with hand-sewn leather. It certainly feels better than anything available in French superminis.
Latest Readers' Drives About the MINI Cooper S
wrote on 16 12 2007
wrote on 23 01 2007