Test Drive: 2010 Mini Cooper Classic

By Kevin Harrison

Sometimes the more simpler things in life can give you just as much or even more pleasure than all the fancy gadgets and technology that we surround ourselves with. All my friends have smart phones. I have a $70 LG that insists on dismantling itself piece by piece if you even so much as look in its direction. But I actually like it. Sure, smart phones are cool but I really just use my phone for what Alexander Graham Bell originally intended it for: talking. Okay, I do text a fair amount but that’s only because everyone else insists on communicating to me that way and if I dared to call someone in response to a text they will react as if I just has sex with their girlfriend.

If I had a fancy iPhone or Blackberry I’d likely lose my job. Seriously, how do people with smart phones keep their jobs? Or their girlfriends? All smart phone people do is become hypnotized and nothing else around them matters. I know because I was once given an iPhone to hang on to for 10 minutes. When its rightful owner came back he pointed out everything that I had missed: three very attractive girls waiting at the bus stop, a car stopped by the police across the street and an unusually large spider that decided my leg would be an excellent chill spot.

So when I was given the opportunity to test BMW’s adorable little Mini Cooper I was not only excited at the prospect of a test drive, but I was also intrigued when I found out it was the absolute most base trim level you could get. Usually manufacturers like to give the most decked out model you can get for car reviews hoping to swoon the auto journalist that reviews it. What gives?

“You’ll have just as much fun with this,” assured Campbell Harbord of Halifax BMW. Apparently this was the same vehicle that Halifax BMW uses as a loaner car. I gave an unsure acknowledgment in return to Campbell, grabbed the keys from him and set out into the lot.

The first thing I noticed when I got to the Cooper was “my, what small ugly wheels you have”. I crouched down to see what the deal was. 15 inches. Oh, and they still had winter tires on them. From last winter. What the hell? They kept the winter tires on since last winter? Aside from the fact that winter tires wear down more quickly in warm weather, I didn’t want the Mini to have an unfair disadvantage. This was a review after all and Minis are renowned for their handling abilities. This would surely cause the Mini to misstep if I pushed it to the limit. Campbell mentioned no possibility of getting another Mini with summer tires on, so this had to do.

Turns out, the Mini Cooper is quite surefooted despite wearing the wrong shoes for the conditions. I know you always hear this when you read Mini reviews, but go-kart like handling really is the best way to describe it. There is a touch of understeer at first. I’m not sure if this could be blamed on the horrible tire/wheel set up or if it’s a characteristic of all Minis. Either way, it doesn’t quite matter as the point and shoot steering ensures you go the direction you intended. And it does it quite sharply. There is little hesitation from the Mini no matter how aggressive you drive, it is generally very pleased to do whatever you want it to. As far as front wheel drive cars go, this is easily in the top five for handling abilities.

Power comes from a 1.6 litre making 118 horses. Considering the Mini’s size and weight, this is indeed quite adequate. Power is mostly available in the top end. As a result of such a small low horsepower engine, the Mini retains excellent fuel efficiency scores. Rated at 7.9 city and 5.7 highways, the Mini has earned a spot on Natural Resources Canada’s most efficient vehicles of 2010 awards. It is the most efficient in its class. That is, if you drive as if there is a carton of eggs under the gas pedal. Which is really hard to do. The 1.6 is so peppy, and despite the rather buzzy exhaust note, you’ll find yourself over the speed limit rather than under it. On another note, when I say ‘buzzy’ I don’t mean annoying buzzy. It’s almost like an adorable characteristic.

My tester had an optional automatic. It’s pretty meh all the way around. Shifts aren’t fast and quick, but not terribly slow and jolty either. There are no paddle shifters available on the classic. Do yourself a favour and get the six speed manual. It will really bring out the life in the engine, whereas the automatic kind of robs it to a certain degree.

The interior tries everything it can to blend retro with modern styling and as is the usually the case, it doesn’t work out so well. Being a quirky car, the Mini’s interior has an abundance of somewhat confusing toggle switches, a large speedo in the centre stack which definitely takes some getting used to, and the hood release on the passenger side of the car. The radio unit is a bit hard to work as well as the two knobs that control the tuning and the volume are not labeled, look exactly the same and are positioned fairly close to one another. As a result, when Ke$ha comes on the radio and you naturally wish to change radio stations as quickly as possible, you inadvertently turn the volume knob ans suddenly her talentless blood churning voice gets louder.

Cargo capacity is obviously not this car’s main selling point, however the boot does have room for about four full grocery bags and the rear seats do fold down. Which is good because they are pretty much useless otherwise. The hilariously quotable Graeme Fletcher says it best, “this is where you put your briefcase, and not your favourite mother in-law”.

The exterior is the victim of a rather unfortunate colour choice and of course the wheels and tires so I won’t be too hard on it. Usually Mini’s are quite nice looking with a blend of sporty, classy and quirky, but my tester doesn’t really have any of those going on.

At the end of the day, Campbell was pretty much right. Despite this being the most base Mini you can buy with the only option being the automatic, I came away fairly impressed. At $22, 800 to start the Mini isn’t exactly cheap compared to… well, the Mini doesn’t have too much competition as such. The Audi A1 would be a good comparo but we don’t get it here unfortunately. Mercedes-Benz has the Smart Fortwo, which is grossly overpriced for what it is. Maybe the Volvo C30 is the best to compare to and that starts at $27,000. You get more power, but it’s also heavier. In any event, the Cooper is all about fun at the end of the day, and it’s good to know you can get some good old fashioned fun in a base model without having to fork over money for things like leather seats.

You want cheap, fuel efficient fun? Here’s your answer.

Price: $22,800

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