Overview & Reviews

Few cars are as instantly recognizable as the Mini. Loved for its diminutive dimensions and cheerful good looks, the British-born car has inspired passionate devotion both in the U.S. and abroad. The brand was briefly discontinued, but was revived in 2002 with help from BMW. Successfully paying homage to the original Mini Cooper of the 1960s, the reincarnated Cooper combines an athletic, BMW-engineered chassis with a space-efficient interior and a generous standard features list.

The history of the Mini make began in 1959. The original Mini car was produced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in England and its mission was to be a lightweight, agile four-passenger car that took up minimal space. In a sense, the brand was born out of necessity. The United Kingdom was subject to fuel rationing in the wake of the Suez crisis, and British consumers clamored for vehicles that offered optimum fuel efficiency.

The car was originally sold under BMC's Austin and Morris brands; the Mini name didn't make an appearance until 1961. Although it had just 34 horsepower, the Mini was the ideal urban car and proved popular in crowded European cities. In 1961, John Cooper, a man who built Formula One racecars, put his magic hands on the Mini and the result was the ferocious Mini Cooper. His Cooper S model had (at 76 hp) more than double the output of the standard Mini. That infusion of power, along with suspension tweaks and some really good driving, had Mini winning the Monte Carlo Rally four years in a row (1964-'67). The marque landed on American shores in 1962.

The '60s truly was the decade of the Mini. New variations on the car's theme came with the introduction of vehicles like the Mini Pickup and the Mini Moke, a vehicle that resembled a quirky cross between a Mini and a Jeep. The car's abbreviated proportions are even rumored to have played a part in sparking a fashion trend; the miniskirt raised hemlines and became emblematic of an era. Mini motorcars tore up the asphalt on the silver screen, with the brand's appearance in the 1969 film The Italian Job. By the end of the decade, more than 2 million Mini motorcars had been produced. Sadly, the vehicle was pulled from the United States in 1968, in the wake of strict new emissions regulations.

Though no longer available in the U.S., Mini remained in production in Europe through the '70s and '80s. By the mid-'80s, more than 5 million Minis had been produced worldwide. In 1994, the brand was acquired by the BMW Group. The marque went on hiatus in 2000, but was resurrected (and brought back to American shores) in 2002 with the launch of the entry-level, front-drive Mini Cooper hatchback. Thoroughly modern in every way, right down to its BMW-engineered suspension, steering and brakes, the Mini Cooper is sold alongside its cousins at BMW dealerships.

Today, Mini's offerings include various derivatives of the Cooper, including a coupe, a roadster and a convertible; the slightly longer Clubman; high-performance John Cooper Works variants; and even the crossover SUV-inspired four-door Countryman. With such a diverse, fun-loving lineup, it's no wonder that Mini has become one of America's most desirable small car automakers.

User Reviews:

• 

  Moving My Mini - 2006 Mini Cooper
  By angel - April 24 - 8:30 pm

  Our new Mini has made drives so much fun. I love passing people and having them stare at us, its cool. I love the waves you get from other Mini owners. It handels like a dream, we havent had a manual transmission car in years and it just makes the ride and car more fun than ever.

• 

  Fun but beware - 2008 Mini Cooper
  By ATMNLV - April 23 - 11:00 pm

  Love the car very comfortable with more than enough power. Car has 2000 miles on it and my engine hood scoop is melting which is happening to a lot of cars. MINI wont reply or hasnt recalled this design defect

• 

  Great Car - 2008 Mini Cooper
  By mini coop - April 23 - 10:00 am

  Has been virtually trouble free and I have 48,000 miles on the car in two years. I am 65" tall and it is very comfortable..tons of room. My 66" son can sit in the back seat behind my wife on the passenger side. We can fit 5-6 bags of grocery even with four in the car. It accelerates very well with 4 in the car even up hills. Ride is firm but has no rattles. The six speed manual is smooth and the engine improves with mileage. I like it better now than when I got it...smoother and quicker. Still gets tons of looks and comments. People pull up asking me roll down my window to say the car is great. Nothing performs as well for the money and 40+ MPG. Great in snow and cold. Strong heater.

• 

  Oh yeah, Baby! - 2005 Mini Cooper
  By WindInMyHair - April 22 - 8:23 pm

  Driving shouldnt be this much fun. Corners are the best... on my test drive I was actually INSTRUCTED to floor it on tight turns and bumps and it performed great. Awesome gas mileage, one touch convertible top operation. Smooth ride even at high speeds. My only complaint is the cup holders....

• 

  You should get this car.... - 2005 Mini Cooper
  By jhocasio - April 21 - 7:13 am

  This car has been fantastic. Especially when driving in German roads, the car can go up to 141 mph! The steering is simply superb. While driving in American roads, the vehicle responds phenomenally to the lack of driving that others do in the highways. Its gas mileage - in the highway you can get it up to 30+ miles to the gallon, however, in the city it struggles to keep past 24 mpg - not bad comparing against the big machines. Other great things about the vehicle - parking, dual sunroof is a must, storage is actually more than expected. The challenge - the other challenge is the sport suspension on American roads, our roads just do not support a race car suspension.

• 

  The best small car in the U.S.! - 2005 Mini Cooper
  By Mark Smith - April 20 - 7:03 pm

  The MINI for me is the only car that truly excells in the categories of Style, Performance, Fun to drive, and practicality. Its great on fuel economy (29mpg avg. Cooper S manual), comes with three years of free maintenance (even covers brakes), has go kart performance, and is able to fit all of the people and cargo that I ever need. Theres nothing negative I can say about the vehicle. It does everything I ask it to do above and beyond the call of duty. Why would you consider any other small vehicle?

• 

  Just got one - 2002 Mini Cooper
  By Carla - April 17 - 2:00 am

  I was one of the lucky few to get one right after launch. It is a fun, feisty little car. It drives tight, quiet and perky. Accelaration is reasonable, albeit coming from a 6 cilinder motor it feels low powered.

• 

  So in love with my new Mini 4 door Hardtop - 2016 Mini Cooper
  By Mangolover - April 11 - 12:13 pm

  Ive only had the car for a couple of days but so far its the best car I have ever driven. Its so much fun to drive! The attention to detail is incredible and it only took two times driving the car to learn most of the features. I cant wait to learn even more.

• 

  MINI is Max - 2004 Mini Cooper
  By Gara - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Great handling and plenty of headroom. IÂ’ve been averaging around 400 miles to a tank. Of course there is a cool factor, especially with my kids and their friends. So much so, that my wife bought one too. And buying two vehicles at the time give us a discount at the dealership as well as a great deal on car insurance. I highly recommend this car to anyone looking for practical, reliable and fun to drive vehicle.

• 

  Street Legal Race Car - 2004 Mini Cooper
  By Capt54 - April 9 - 10:00 am

  The Cooper S is the closest thing one can own to a street legal race car.A fun to drive car that will not break ones bank account.I have enjoyed driving my S on curvey back roads and on hours of interstate driving.In both cases the car is well suited for the job.BMW has nice job of equiping the MINI with enough luxury features to make most any journey pleasurable.