Journey's End: A second opinion
I began to fear that I had developed an unfair bias against the MINI, so I decided to get a second opinion from my friend and fellow reviewer Jason Fogelson, who likes small, fast cars as much as I do. I watched with guilt-tinged amusement as Jason bent, folded and spindled his 6'2" frame in order to squeeze behind the wheel. He fired up the ignition and away we went.
Three minutes later, we were back in front of his house.
"It's uncomfortable and it's stupid," he said, shutting off the ignition and setting about the painful task of getting out. "And it's ugly."
"It might look good from some angles," I said.
"Yeah," Jason replied. "Maybe from underneath."
While I did love the way the MINI Coupe drove -- sometimes -- I still can't see buying one over a MINI hatchback. Yes, it handles a bit better, but it's also less comfortable and less useful. And to add insult to injury, MINI charges $22,000 for the base model -- $1,800 more than the regular Cooper hatchback. (I've heard of convenience fees; is this an inconvenience fee?). My test car listed for over $32k -- are they kidding? -- and with a turbocharger and no back seat, I can't imagine what the insurance would be like. MINI does plan a convertible version of the Coupe (the MINI Roadster), which makes a lot more sense. I can't help but wonder why they didn't just skip the Coupe altogether. Aside from polarizing people's opinions, it doesn't do anything that the MINI Cooper hatchback can do -- and that makes it pretty well useless. -- Aaron Gold
What I liked about the MINI Coupe:
- Very fast and a LOT of fun to drive
What I didn't like about the MINI Coupe:
- Cramped cabin
- Rough, noisy ride
- Less useful and more expensive than a plain ol' MINI Cooper hatchback
Other cars you should consider:
2012 MINI Coupe details and specs:
S model pulls an incredible 181 horsepower from the tiny 1.6 liter turbocharged engine
Photo © Aaron Gold- Price range (including options): $22,000 - $43,650 (!!)
- Powertrain: 1.6 liter 4-cylinder/121 hp, 1.6 liter turbocharged 4-cyl/181 hp, 1.6 liter turbocharged 4-cyl/208 hp, 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive
- Where built? United Kingdom
- EPA fuel economy estimates: 29 MPG city/32 MPG highway (base manual), 28/31 (base automatic), 30/35 (S manual), 29/34 (S automatic), 25/33 (JCW manual)
- Standard safety equipment: Front airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags, side curtain airbags, antilock brakes, electronic stability control
- Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, 12 years/unlimited mileage outer body rust-through
- Roadside assistance/free maintenance: 4 years/unlimited mileage roadside assistance, 3 years/36,000 miles free maintenance
