Passion rules in opting for cheeky Mini

JIL MCINTOSH/FOR THE TORONTO STAR

Mini Mayfair package’s most noticeable feature is brown “Toffy Lounge” heated leather sport seats and trim.

Jil McIntosh

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

There are essentially two types of car buyers out there: those who choose with their heads, and those who buy with their hearts. If you are among the former, you might as well stop reading right now, because nothing I say from here on in is going to make the least bit of sense to you.

You can get a plain Mini for as low as $22,800, but my turbocharged test car carried a sticker of $29,900, along with a “Mayfair” option package that took it to $34,900. The car is smaller than a $9,999 Hyundai Accent. A Kia Forte SX makes one extra horsepower and costs $21,095. A Mazda5 carries two more people, for $20,495. But that isn’t the point. If you want a Mini, you want a Mini, and if anything in that vehicle’s perceived value or practicality shifts your vision to a brand across the street, then you really didn’t want a Mini.

All Mini models use a 1.6 L four-cylinder engine; in my tester, the Cooper S, it’s turbocharged, producing 172 hp, along with 177 lb.-ft. of torque that peaks at a mere 1,600 rpm for quick acceleration. A six-speed automatic transmission is available for an additional $1,490. My car used the default six-speed stick shift, combining a smooth-shifting lever with a nicely-weighted clutch pedal.

Just about everything on Mini comes with a trade-off, and accepting the bad with the good is the price of being smitten with this little model. The ride is butt-busting firm over potholes, but that’s because the chassis is super-stiff for confidence in the sharpest corners. There is a ton of torque steer (as with the original Mini in 1959, it’s front-wheel-drive), but once you’re over that initial pull to the side, few vehicles out there offer more direct and sharper steering.

The quirky dash and centre stack look fantastic, but they’re not easy to use. The speedometer is actually the huge dinner-plate in the middle, and so I always end up using the smaller dial in front of me. It’s the tachometer, but the screen in the centre can be configured to bring up a digital speed readout.

A row of identical toggles, separated by plastic rings, operates the door locks, power windows and fog lamps, and requires you to look way down to be sure you’re pressing the right one.

The climate control buttons are small, and the stereo controls are clustered together with the exception of the volume button, alone, lonely, and far away from anything else that operates the music.

The rear seats are cramped, although the chairs themselves are comfortable, and they fold flat but not level with the cargo floor. Still, you’ll accept that, because that’s what you get when you buy a Mini.

What you don’t get, at least not as a standard item, is one of two special editions for 2010 that celebrate the brand’s 50th birthday: the Camden edition, and my tester, the Mayfair.

For an additional $5,000, the Mayfair edition — named for the upscale district in London, and also available on the non-turbo Cooper — adds brown “Toffy Lounge” heated leather sport seats and trim, 17-inch wheels with performance run-flat tires (which contribute even more to the stiff ride), rain-sensing wipers, Bluetooth, USB port, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, and auxiliary driving lights, which can only be operated when the high-beam headlights are on.

The “Mini 50” badge on the grille indicates that the package is this-year only. It’s a lot of money, but the brown-and-black interior is a thing of beauty, and enthusiasts will appreciate the provenance of the anniversary badge.

The Mini is quirky and expensive, but that’s not the point. Some spend their money on boats, cottages, big-screen home theatres, and others indulge automotive passions. If you buy one, you may try to justify it. Don’t bother, because you can’t. You bought it because you wanted one. That’s reason enough.

2010 Mini Cooper S Mayfair

PRICE: $29,900, as-tested $34,900

ENGINE: 1.6 L four-cylinder

POWER: 172 hp, 177 torque

FUEL CONSUMPTION: city 7.8 (36 mpg), hwy. 5.7 (50 mpg), as tested 8.4 (34 mpg)

COMPETITION: The VW Beetle’s gone, and the Fiat 500 isn’t here yet

WHAT’S WORST: Harsh ride, quirky controls, pricey

WHAT’S BEST: None of that matters

WHAT’S INTERESTING: The Cooper S’s base price is unchanged from 2009

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