- hatchback 113,695
- Cleburne, TX
-
- autoshopper.com
- hatchback 113,695 black manual
2002 mini cooper review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Mini is just the name. Think huge. introductionthe eagerly awaited mini has arrived with the emotional appeal of a puppy, the high-style gloss of a fashion magazine and the technological edge of a los alamos lab. It is adorable, roadable and affordable. bmw has managed to meld the inherent incongruities of the german and british car culture and reached back to the 1960s for the automotive icon of mod london. The popular mini thus reappears as the mini, reinvented for the 21st century. a third larger than the original issigonis design, this mini is still the shortest car in american parking spaces and still larger on the inside than on the out. Though connected to its popular past, the new mini is clearly of this century with advanced safety features and impressive engineering innovation. bmw priced the mini with an appreciation for real-world pocketbooks (starting at $16,300) yet endowed it with a visual and physical opulence that ratchets up its value quotient. And finally: it's as much fun as patent-leather mary janes with taps on the toes. lineuptwo models are available: 115-horsepower mini cooper 16,850) and 163-horsepower mini cooper s 19,850). (prices include a destination charge of $550.) (the basic 90-horsepower mini one will not be sold in the u. Color options outnumber those in a bag of jelly beans and can be topped with a roof that's either body-colored, black or white. (white is traditional.) checkered flags and flags of all nations are in the works, starting with the union jack and the star-spangled banner. Wheels can be white or silver. anti-lock brakes are standard as are six airbags with special head protection for both front and rear passengers. several popular performance and appearance options are grouped into three major packages, premium, sport and cold weather. The premium package 1250) includes sunroof, automatic air conditioning, on-board computer and cruise control. The sport package 1250) includes dynamic stability control, rear spoiler, fog lamps, sport seats, and larger alloy wheels. The cold weather package 500) provides heat to the seats, the mirrors, the windshield and the washer jets, along with rain sensor and auto-dimming mirror. the packaged options can be ordered ala carte as well: leather seats 1250), xenon headlamps 500), an eight-speaker harman kardon sound system 550), a navigation system 1600), and a cvt continuously variable transmission 1250) are among the options. walkaroundthe first impression of the mini comes from its broad brow and challenging demeanor tempered by an appealing wonder-eyed look. The distinctive body shape is recognizable even in black paper silhouette. The wheelbase at 97. 1 inches is longer than some small cars though the mini's body is shorter at 142. 8 inches (less than 12 feet). the wide-across, short-in-depth hood is the product of unique design and manufacturing techniques. It might well hang on the wall of some corporate offices along with other shaped sculpture and not betray its origin. The round, large doe-eyed headlights (which go up with the hood) are partly responsible for the common reaction of 'oh-h-h, isn't it cute!' actually, this response was by intent, not chance. Mini designers also threw in what they consider to be some voluptuous feminine curves and some masculine muscular bulges to cover all the visceral reactions. Thus the mini is neither guy wheels nor a chick car. The box tacked on at the front housed an engine set in sideways to take less room. This mini is a third bigger, wider, taller, longer, so a car full of adults need not be tight. It may well surprise six-plus footers. the seats are handsome to look at. The sport seats are more receptive. That makes loading to capacity quick and easy. any notion that a car celebrating a popular icon of old has to be retro is dispelled forever by the with-it modernity of the mini's interior. Materials and shapes are as cheery as sunshine and balloons and as now as a new magazine. The prominent circles are as much a design statement as a function, including the tach perched like an add-on immediately before the driver's eyes. That large circle in the center of the dash, equally visible to anyone in the car, is the speedometer. The positioning was borrowed from the mini of old and might seem a tad precious to those who don't smile in recollection. however the press-briefing explanation that the speedometer is in the center to celebrate the rally tradition of the mini (so that the co-driver can see it clearly) is balderdash. It was there because that central position made it cheaper to build cars with either right-hand or left-hand drive. The first 850cc mini with its 10-inch wheelbarrow wheels was a response to a mid-east war and resulting oil crisis (sound familiar?), not anything else. It kept saying 'more.' i drove in deeper; i drove harder. The mini simply went where it was pointed without protest. Even when rain was sheeting down and the pavement shimmered in rivulets, the mini felt bonded to the surface. Ah, a squeegee at no extra charge. The old mini was as much fun as a carnival ride to drive, but much of the fun came from constant flirting with catastrophe (one wheel always lifted off the surface in hard turns). Hit them hard at speed and the car feels sucked to the earth and slowed immediately by an invisible hand. Excellent brakes can mean survival in germany where running at ultra-high speeds on the autobahn is interspersed with serious slowing. the mini suspension system (mcpherson struts in front and multi-link rear) is designed to keep the car snug to the road. This means passengers feel broken surfaces, expansion joints, weathered pavement. The mini's ride is not a velvety one, but it is a secure one. Somehow even on the roughest road, one that sets passengers popping like corn in a hot skillet, the mini holds its direction like a gyroscope. However, the mini cooper's five-speed gearbox leaves a longer stretch between second and third gear than expected. I found it a tad annoying, rather like a flight of stairs with one riser a little higher than all the others. Drivers should make appropriate use of the gearbox to keep themselves well positioned on the 115-hp mini cooper's torque curve. It feels good and shifting is smooth. the 1. 6-liter engine in the mini cooper s produces 163 horsepower and 155 pounds-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. But the car will rarely be without company. Air Conditioning✔ Cruise Control✔ Anti-lock Brakes✔ Sport Package✔ Sunroof/Moonroof✔ Navigation System✔ Leather Seats✔ Alloy Wheels
Cleburne, TXCleburne, TX at autoshopper.com