Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 7 of 7.00

• 

  Cute quirky w some less than ideal attributes - 2016 Mini Cooper
  By David - September 23 - 4:41 pm

  I have my own opinions that sometimes run counter to the popular view. Case in point are some aspects of the 2016 Mini Cooper hard top. We recently bought mostly for its quirky charm unfortunately not because of its handling. We ordered a base cooper with the 15" wheels but with the default performance tires. The handling isnt as good as I hoped. It has personality like the rest of the car although Id hoped for it to just work. Steering is responsive, however the car fishtails in quick maneuvers. It fact its one of the worst Ive driven testing by swishing the steering wheel side to side. The rear reacts violently after a long delay like the back is whipping around later. Can be scary on the expressway. We tried 16" wheels and theyre a little better but not great. Many other cars this size do better on this test. The other thing I dont like is the Harmon Kardon upgraded stereo. It has way too much bass. If that all you want to hear, maybe its fine but I rank it as practically unlistenable even with the bass turned way down. The Fender upgraded stereo in VWs are awesome. Awesome bass yet clarity. We didnt order the upgraded stereo. The base stereo is fine and sounds clearer. The little 1.5 liter 3 cylinder engine is great. Has lots of low end torque, is happy to rev, and is surprisingly quiet. Manual transmission is very good. Nice fairly short throw. Rev matching on downshifts, hill hold. I test drove automatics. It works well in most cases but I got it confused when I jumped out in traffic and it took an eternity (maybe a second or two) to decide what gear to go into, all while cars were bearing down on me. Interior is small but can be comfortable is people arent too big. Sunroof is amazing. Feels like your in a convertible. Overall ride is very solid. Stiff body, normally few rattles, good at absorbing bumps. Storage space is definitely lacking. Mini went cheap for 2016 and removed the secret compartment on the dashboard reducing storage space thats practically non existent. Whos idea was it to make a four door car and only have one cupboard in the rear seat? Overall a fun cute car but with sometimes poor handling with the base wheels.