2002 Mini Cooper - Cars Worth Noting - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, April, 2002 by Lindsay Brooke

Anybody who doesn't believe that good things come in small packages hasn't gone for a ride in the new Mini Cooper. The last time I had so much fun simply driving at a car launch was in 1989, at the Mazda Miata's debut That's because the new Mini reprises Alec Issigonis' 1959-2000 original in the same way that the Miata celebrates Colin Chapman's first Lotus Elan. Both contemporary cars remind me of how brilliant the originals were in concept -- and how thankful we all should be that it's 2002 and Joseph Lucas Industries no longer exists.

The Mini Cooper is part sports coupe, part fashion statement That makes it an ideal city car, as I found out tooling around the hills of San Francisco last month. The Mini knifes through traffic with the agility of a bicycle messenger, each of its 115 horses powering 20 pounds of vehicle. Steering is go-cart-like, the 5-speed gearbox shifts with snick-snick precision and the 4-wheel disc brakes helped me avoid bowling pedestrians in the crosswalks. The Mini also squeezes into parking spaces that are too tight for even VW's Beetle. It's the perfect Frisco-mobile.

Content is impressively high, as this month's Cover Story notes. Build quality is BMW-like, tight and solid. But make no mistake, this is a little car. At traffic lights I found myself staring at the wheel hubs of Lincoln Navigators. And rough pavement made me wish I was in a Navigator-almost.

But I can't name a car that's as thoroughly engaging as the Mini Cooper. What a great reprise for a concept that has never gone out of style.