2006 Mini Cooper Model Update

Small Car, Big Fun

Few cars offer this much fun per dollar, but beware: Past models are proving unreliable.

The Mini Cooper, like its more powerful twin, the Mini Cooper S, is a modern-day embodiment of the original Mini, which debuted in 1959 as a tiny four-seat car designed to efficiently navigate the U.K.'s narrow roadways. It gained prominence throughout the 1960s via its championships in international rally racing, as well as its mushrooming image as a fashionable petite car, owned by the likes of the Beatles, Peter Sellers and even Enzo Ferrari.

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The car was sold only briefly in the U.S. during its 1960s heyday, but it was offered in the U.K. and elsewhere abroad in one form or another through the late 1990s. BMW bought and relaunched Mini as a line of premium small cars in 2001 (as 2002 models), updating the vehicles' classic styling and proportions with contemporary underpinnings and a sporty character. It quickly caught on with trendy urban dwellers, motoring enthusiasts and those looking to downsize their rides without compromising cachet.

Consumer Reports rates the Mini Cooper as having poor reliability but high owner satisfaction. This speaks to the car's appeal being so great that owners are willing to overlook its faults, say Consumer Reports editors.

Besides the base Mini Cooper, a higher-performance Cooper S model is available. Convertible renditions of the Cooper and Cooper S were added to the line for 2005. Both feature a fully automatic soft top that incorporates a heated, glass rear window and a unique power-sliding sunroof feature.

Changes to the Mini Cooper are minor for 2006. The base price of the coupe and convertible is up $500. A new Checkmate package features checkered exterior side decals, a rear spoiler and hood stripes, as well as uniquely patterned cloth sport seats with leather trim, a leather wrapped wheel and a high-gloss, specially patterned dash panel. It also includes a performance wheel and tire package, front fog lamps and Dynamic Stability Control, which helps minimize wheel slippage and prevent loss of control during extreme handling maneuvers.

New interior options include English Leather upholstery, a high-gloss black dash panel and a special Park Lane dash appearance. Exterior options include a silver roof, mirror caps and hood stripes, and new paint choices: Solar Red, Royal Grey and Space Blue. Two no-cost, 15-inch wheel packages are also new.

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The base Mini comes powered by a 115-horsepower, 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that's mated to either a five-speed manual or a continuously variable automatic transmission that eschews traditional gears for a system of belts and pulleys so no gear changes are felt, just a smooth delivery of power at all times. While 115 hp might not seem like much, it's sufficient to propel this small coupe to 60 mph in a respectable 8.5 seconds (with the five-speed manual).

The standard sport suspension features MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link array at the rear to deliver lively handling. A stiffer sport suspension (standard on the Cooper S) is a $500 option. Antilock brakes, with cornering control and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, and front-side airbags come standard. Dynamic Stability Control is optional ($500).

Convertible versions feature a fully automatic convertible top that incorporates a heated glass rear window and a unique power-sliding sunroof feature. The latter allows the top to slide open half way, like a sunroof, with the side rails still in place, or be fully lowered like a traditional ragtop.

The car's interior is as stylish as its exterior, with metal toggle switches for some function controls. Well-equipped even in its base form, the Mini offers such high-end options as a navigation system ($1,700), premium Harmon-Kardon stereo ($550), run-flat tires and Park Distance Control. A number of novel custom paint schemes and interior color combinations are also available, as well as a litany of practical, performance and purely cosmetic accessories.

The Mini Cooper performs well (four out of five stars) on every National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test.