Vehicle Highlights

Here, I will be highlighting some of the best choices for those looking for a small car in the US. This will be a growing catalog, so be sure to check back for more featured vehicles.

Mini Cooper

Quick Facts

MSRP: Cooper $20,100, Cooper S $23,700

MPG: Manual: Cooper – 37 Hwy / 29 City, Cooper S – 35 Hwy / 27 City

Automatic: Cooper – 36 Hwy / 28 City, Cooper S – 34 Hwy / 26 City

Horsepower: Cooper – 121 HP, Cooper S – 181 HP

Airbags: 6, including passenger and side-curtain airbags

Safety: Overall – 4 Stars

Specific: Front – 4 Stars, Front Side – 5 Stars, Rear Side – 4 Stars, Rollover – 5 Stars

Review

The Mini Cooper is a fantastic choice for anyone looking for a fuel-efficient car but still wants a car that’s fun to drive. With a perfect mix of classic British styling and German engineering, this car really is the best of both worlds. While the base model certainly has ample power to get you moving, anyone who wants a bit more kick can go for the turbo-charged “S” version, with it’s 60 HP bump (a 50% increase!) making it quite zippy while still maintaining fantastic gas mileage.

At around 5 ½ by 12 ¼ feet, it may appear quite small. However, don’t let it’s exterior fool you as the Mini’s interior is surprisingly roomy, this in part thanks to Mini’s clever design of the wheel wells being at the extremities of the car.

Safety-wise, the Mini is one of the best choices. With a total of six airbags, there is a plethora of protection in the case of an accident, leading to an overall 4-star rating. But when it comes to preventing an accident in the first place, the Mini has dynamic stability control and electronic brakeforce distribution. The car can stop remarkably fast, and it even has a system to control breaking while cornering that ups the game from a simple obligatory ABS system. Though it is fantastic fun simply in everyday driving, the Mini’s amazing handling is a safety feature as well, as it can help you steer away from possible collisions as well.

So, if you’re looking for a bit of a premium car, without too premium of a price, the Mini really is the best way to go, as it’s sportiness and sustainable consumption make it one of the best cars for the everyday motorer.

Sources:

Mini data and picture: MiniUSA.com