2003 MINI Cooper

In all my years of reviewing vehicles, I can't recall one that enjoyed such polar opposite fans as this new Mini Cooper. On the one hand, you have the group who never heard of a Mini Cooper until this generation, but can't wait to get their arms around this puppy of a car. You know: tiny, cute, loveable, doesn't eat too much. On the other is a bunch of diehard driving snobs well versed in the original British Mini Cooper legend. They know by heart the '60s lore of its brief, but celebrated, career as an unassuming unbeatable racer in grueling intercontinental rallies and on city streets. Among those tales is actor Steve McQueen terrorizing LA streets in his souped-up funky little toy car, leaving Porsches and the like in his dust.

So which is this new Mini? A cuddly economy pet or a driving machine incognito? I'd say it's a little of both and something else entirely.

For starters, it's no longer truly British, even if the miniskirt was named after it, the fellow who designed the first one in 1959 was knighted and it's still produced in Oxford, England. BMW now owns the marque and builds the car, although we're not supposed to call it the 'BMW Mini.' Mini is a separate division, we're told.

We're also told the 'MINI' in 'MINI Cooper' is to be written all caps, but let's not overdo it.

The Good News
The Mini I tested was the base model, powered by a 16-valve 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine producing 115 horsepower. That's not a lot of grunt, but this is not a lot of car in the literal sense.

And therein lies its beauty -- if you can call this 'beauty.' BMW retains the Mini Cooper's original goal of being the tiniest car to accommodate four full-sized adults and some cargo. Although this new iteration is 24 inches longer, 11 inches wider and 1100 pounds heavier than the original, by today's standards it's still tiny. It makes a Honda Civic look like a studio apartment.

That extra weight puts those 115 horses to the test, but the result is far from dismal. Mine had the standard five-speed manual transmission, a must for maximum grins. A continuously variable automatic comes under options. Although the supercharged and intercooled S model Mini with 163 horses and a Getrag six-speed is infinitely more fun, this base model is still a romp.

That's due primarily to an extra low center of gravity (4.8 inches of ground clearance) and BMW-quality sport handling. Point this Mini through any turn and it gladly obliges like cars that cost thousands upon thousands of dollars more. Credit goes in part to unrivaled stiffness and a rear suspension much like the current BMW 3-Series, quality you don't find in this price car.

The speed-sensitive steering responds when you so much as breathe on it, and there is not even a hint of roll as you fling this little front-wheel-drive coupe through roundabouts. Wheeeee!!!

Enhancing this great abandon is the fact the Mini looks so bookish. Just like Volkswagen's philosophy with the New Beetle, the Mini Cooper's exterior is a carefully modernized version of the original with roof and body in contrasting colors. Thus, it captures both nostalgics and those who fancy something very different than today's streamlined pods.

The real wonder is inside, however. Its diminutive stature belies the amazing headroom and legroom available: enough for those 6-feet-plus to get comfortable with seat travel and headroom to spare. The boxy design and generous glass allow even backseat passengers reasonable room with none of the claustrophobia or fading roofline found in literally every other small coupe.

Like the outside, the interior design follows its own muse, with a gargantuan retro speedometer mounted mid-dash, a tachometer centered on the steering column and toggle switches for other adjustments. It looks quirky, but remains very German, meaning the layout is logical and everything works. Well, most everything.

The Bad News
You just can't sit this low to the pavement with such razor reflexes and not give up something on ride. That's certainly the case with the Mini Cooper. Thanks to superb structurals, it's not as raw as you might assume. But you definitely have to hang on to your cappuccino over speed bumps.

Come to think of it, you have to hang on to your cappuccino anyway. For all their brilliant engineering, Germans can't seem to figure out cupholders (it's actually subterfuge; they have great disdain for America's preoccupation with doing anything else but driving while driving). In the Mini Cooper's case, an average cup proves too tall for the holders.

The average suitcase also proves a challenge for the rear cargo hold. This much people room in such a miniscule package leaves only 5 cubic feet for hidden cargo, enough for several paper sacks of groceries or a couple of duffles. Backseats do fold forward.

Finally, I must say that while this petite car offers a refreshing departure economically, ecologically and fun-wise from the giant, fuel-sucking SUV, I was more than a little discomforted by the consistent glare of those SUV headlights level with my rear view mirror. The Big Dogs have you right in their sights in this Mini and, despite extraordinarily strong safety measures (front and side airbags, impact beams with interlocking anchors, advanced head protection system, state-of-the-art braking system, etc.), the fact remains you're grossly outsized.

My husband chuckled that this Cooper could hide up in the wheel well of that Hummer H2 I reviewed last week. I'm not sure that's funny.

Gas mileage
EPA rated at 28 mpg city/37 highway

Price
Manufacturer's base, $16,300
Price as tested, $18,380

Is it worth it?
The risk in resurrecting legends is you have a lot to live up to. There are those who say this new Mini Cooper doesn't do that. It's too big, too heavy, too sluggish.

I submit times have changed and the original ultra-lightweight, go-kart formula is no longer viable. Inability to meet safety standards is what killed the original Mini in the U.S. market. This car is much more substantial for good reasons, and I'll bet we'll continue to see power improvements as it evolves.

Instead of matching the Mini Cooper's past, BMW set out here to create an economical car of uncommon quality and appeal. In my estimation, they nailed it. In doing so, they've created a new nameplate that allows this German automaker to build satisfying entry-level cars that don't impinge on the BMW prestige. Good for us all.

Nowhere else in the truly affordable category do you get the kind of premium build, attitude and competitive sportscar handling I find in this Mini. If nothing else, I would embrace it just for being such a fitting tongue-in-cheek, thumb-of-the-nose to the gas-guzzling SUVs. Instead, it's so much more.

I think this car truly deserves to wear the MINI Cooper badge, in capital letters.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville's daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.