Suburban Dad: 2007 Mini Cooper S

“You know,” she said, “it’s not often that we’re trying to get all five of us into your car.”

It was a diplomatic comment, aimed at me. Was it the break I’ve always dreamed of, but never believed could happen? Could my wife truly be endorsing a Mini Cooper — one of my dream cars? Not exactly.

“I wouldn’t mind being seen in this when you drop me off at school,” my daughter continued. “It’s cool-looking.”

It’s that and more. I’ve loved, from afar, the Mini’s small size, its style, the BMW heritage, the nifty airplane-like switches on the center console. I’ve also been intrigued by the ardor that the car has gotten from its owners for the past five years or so, and I’ve always considered it an inexpensive version of the “midlife crisis.”

My 24 hours with the Mini Cooper S were no disappointment.

 

It has plenty of pep, with its turbocharged engine and six-speed manual transmission. I didn’t feel scared on the interstate (as I had long feared I would), even driving among semis. It took me a little while to understand that truck drivers weren’t trying to run me down; they just felt closer than I’m used to because of the car’s small dimensions. The Mini darted in and out of lanes easily with great handling, little body roll and way more than enough kick to get me into position for those lane changes. The bonus? I was getting very close to 26 mpg in the car, better than I get most days in my compact sedan. The sedan is my car; the minivan is my wife’s.

The cockpit was roomy enough for my 6-foot-1, way-too-heavy frame, even with a sunroof, which always brings the ceiling lower. It was similar in size to my current car, and as big as plenty of other sedans I’ve driven. I never got the sense that the world was closing in on me.

Ergonomics, though, were an issue. Finding the lever to adjust the seatback took me quite a while, and I scratched my hand on the center armrest’s plastic trying to reach it. There are some other questionable choices in the Mini: The fan adjustment knob often got stuck in the up or down mode, making the fan either be on full-force or not at all. The temperature up and down control, built exactly like the fan control, worked much better. The heated seat button felt really cheap and needs some work to make it feel a little more substantial and a little less like if I hit it the wrong way it would fall off.

The net in the passenger’s well was a nifty idea; I was able to stash my camera there, and later my wife used it to keep her purse out of the way. It’s a simple, smart idea, and more automakers should embrace it.


As an experiment, and because I’m Suburban Dad, I tried squeezing all three kids into the backseat. Needless to say, they weren’t thrilled being packed in there. Don’t worry: I never drove the Mini with all three in back. After I got my shots of them, they moved like the wind to get out. Making all three happy in the backseat wouldn’t likely be an issue; as my daughter also pointed out, it’s not often that I have to get the whole family of five into my car now. Of course, I could always hang on to my current car (the older two kids could drive that, leaving the Mini to me) and buy the Mini as a third car. Given its incredibly high resale value, and the few miles I’d put on it, it might turn into a collector car that pays for itself.

The kids all expressed admiration for the Mini; the older two agreed it’d be a great car for them to drive when they’re old enough. Of course, they doubted that my wife would ever let me buy it.

Ahh. Back to her. Would she endorse a Mini purchase? Well, I’ll let her speak for herself.

“The Mini is a deceiving-looking car — very small on the outside but surprisingly roomy on the inside, at least if you’re sitting in the front seat.  It’s definitely not a family car. I loved the interior and the styling of the dashboard. The seats were comfortable and you looked like you were having fun driving it. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine driving around the English countryside.

“Would I let you buy one? My gut reaction has always been: No way, no how, not in a million years! Despite your claims of its great safety record, it's so small that I could see one of the many monster-sized SUVs out on the road just rolling over it. Having now ridden in one, and realizing that I don't feel any more vulnerable in it than I do in our sedan, I guess you could say I'm softening up to the idea. Of course, your bigger problem is that I don't drive stick!  As soon as you buy me a cottage in the English countryside, I will let you buy a Mini Cooper to go along with it.”

See, there’s the rub. I get her to agree, then she renegotiates. Giving in, even when she agrees, isn’t her way.

What’s an English cottage go for these days, anyway?

 

Comments

[Julie Cohen]

Thanks for the great comments. I'm wanting a MINI but as the primary driver of my 5 year old during the week, I'm feeling guilty of whether it's safe enough for him, even for just neighborhood drives.