REVIEWS: First Drive: 2012 Mini Cooper S Coupe

Looking at the size of its lineup, Mini's portfolio is anything but mini. Currently, the automaker sells twelve different models based on four different body styles. By the end of the year, those figures will swell to fifteen and five, respectively. Come 2013, new additions like the Roadster, the Paceman, and the Goodwood will increase the model count to a Porsche 911-like twenty-two.

Is that overkill? It depends who you ask. Mini USA vice president Jim McDowell doesn't think that the firm is "slicing the salami too thin," but rather, launching new products catering to the unique wants and needs of different customer bases. In the case of the 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe, however, that base may be quite small.

All-New From The Waist Up
In some ways, the Coupe steps on the toes of other Mini models, particularly the standard four-passenger hatchback. From the beltline down, the two models -- in Cooper, Cooper S, or John Cooper Works (JCW) form -- are virtually identical, sharing powertrains, bodywork, and most chassis components with one another.

But when it comes to styling, the Coupe steps out from the hardtop's shadow. Much like the 2008 concept car of the same name, the Mini Coupe adopts a rakish, low-slung roofline, inspired in part by vintage tuner Minis like the Broadspeed GT. According to product planner Vinnie Keung, this not only is supposed to lend the car a more masculine feel, but also lure in buyers who long for the likes of an Audi TT or a Mercedes-Benz SLK but who may not have the means to acquire one.

To enhance that boy-racer feel, the Coupe's windshield rake is now thirteen degrees lower, while a rounded roof -- painted either black or silver -- breaks away from the two-box form traditionally associated with Minis. A spoiler is integrated into the trailing edge of the roof, and helps direct airflow towards another spoiler, which pops up from the stubby decklid at speeds above 50 mph.

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1109_2012_mini_cooper_s_coupe_first_drive/index.html#ixzz1ZMPkXHE6

REVIEWS: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 - Four Seasons Update - September 2011

Months in service: 2
Miles to date: 4326

When we last left off with our Mini Countryman, New York Bureau Chief Jamie Kitman was about to set out in it on his annual family pilgrimage to PNC park to see the Pittsburgh Pirates. He reports:

"Well, the sales figures are in, and the Countryman is a winner, accounting for a third of Mini's worldwide volume, almost instantly. The purist in me is mildly offended -- the thing weighs 3300 pounds fer chrissake -- but I can understand why it's so popular: four doors, four-wheel drive, and the sort of usability that buyers of ordinary Minis and even the Clubman forego. As easily accessed back seat made possible a trip to Pittsburgh with my octogenarian parents (also Mini owners) in tow. And we averaged 30 mpg on the trip home, which is not too bad for a crossover with all-wheel drive."

Kitman gave props to the powertrain ("peppy and tractable, acceptably linear for a turbo"), the seats ("pretty supportive and comfortable"), the brakes ("peachy"), the roadholding, and the economy. In the debit column, he put the steering ("eager at first swipe, but in fact over-eager -- too alert"); visibility ("you'd have thought the extra height would result in improved visibility, but no"); the dash design ("Mini keeps mixing it up, but it's not getting any better"); the L-shaped handbrake ("pointless"); and, of course, the ride quality.

Oh, and the Pirates won both games, beating the Saint Louis Cardinals.

After Pittsburgh, the Countryman went on another road trip, this time to the Adirondacks, to escape the impending hurricane Irene (a plan that ultimately didn't work out so well). We had the car packed pretty full with three people, two coolers, and all the attendant luggage. There's a handy bit of extra storage space under the cargo floor and we also folded down one of the rear seatbacks (they do not fold flat). The biggest road-trip packing challenge, though, is up front, where there's almost nowhere to put anything.

On the empty rural roads in the Adirondack foothills, the Mini was really in its element, barreling up and down the inclines and zooming through the sweeping curves. Not so fun was the oxcart ride quality, which requires the driver to keep an extra-vigilant lookout for even the slightest road imperfections. When the rain finally arrived, we were impressed with the ALL4 all-wheel-drive system's ability to apportion the torque, such that we never saw the flashing indicator of the traction control system.

Back home, we gave the Countryman a well-earned wash in the driveway, and discovered that the chrome beltline molding isn't really chrome at all. It's plastic with a chrome-colored sticker on it. That sticker is too short in places, doesn't sit flush around corners, and is already coming unstuck.

Over the next few days, we made a couple runs into the city, where the Mini's tidy size was, predictably, a boon for slipping through Manhattan's clogged streets. Rear-seat riders continue to be impressed with the space back there, but the rear compartment would be more comfortable if the door armrests weren't molded plastic.

Read More: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1109_2011_mini_cooper_s_countryman_all4_september_update/index.html