I’ve loved the MINI Cooper since I first laid eyes on it. It’s not just cutesy cute like the VW Bug, it’s a cuteness married with road rally aggression and beach-loafing fun. How can one car embody so much style? I just love it.

Most people recognize the unmistakable MINI Cooper, but not so many are aware of its sibling, the Clubman. They’ve taken the Cooper, made it slightly longer, and gave it some extra doors. It’s a lot more practicality built into the same fun car. Instead of a standard hatch, the rear has two “barn doors” that open like a van, and on the right side there’s a “club door”. The rear seats also fold flat. It makes for pretty roomy storage when you need to haul stuff.

The MINIs come in standard and sport models. I first tested the standard, to see if it was enough zip for me. I was hoping it would be, because it gets the best mileage — 25 city / 33 hwy — beaten only by the A3 TDI. The standard MINI Cooper almost did it for me, but not quite. The engine seemed to strain pretty hard and it made me feel bad for pushing it. I then hopped in the sport, and what a difference. It zipped just like the way I wanted it to. For so much extra power, I was surprised that the mileage was only reduced by one!

While I’m in love with the exterior of the MINI, the user experience inside the car is a whole other matter. I’ve never been a fan of form over function, and for some reason the MINI designers decided to do just that. The speedometer is this gigantic dial in the middle of the dashboard. Seriously, do the passengers in the back seat need to see how fast I’m driving? They put the tachometer directly in front of the driver, as if that’s the most important thing she needs to be seeing. Come on, who cares about how much the car is revving, especially in an automatic? It’s pointless! It’s the most horrible dashboard layout I’ve ever seen.

The dash controls are fairly esoteric as well. There are switches and dials with cryptic icons above them, although it looks kinda cool like a jet plane cockpit, I had no idea which did what. I would have to sit down with the manual and figure everything out. Even the window controls had to be pointed out to me by the sales rep! Horrible, horrible user interface design.

Interior storage compartments are pretty minimal. The seats, although kind of stiff, are surprisingly form fitting and comfortable. The panoramic sunroof is pretty cool, but no solid cover is available for it, only mesh. The ride is stiffer than most of the other test drives I’ve done, but definitely responsive and corners really well. Makes my 325i feel like a lumbering beast by comparison.

STYLE – More style than just about anything on the road! I also love the tons and tons of non-aftermarket customizations you can order for it.

MILEAGE – Standard: 25/33 mpg; Sport: 24/32 – Better than most of the cars I’ve tested so far. It’s pretty difficult to find zoomy and fuel efficient.

COMPACT – You can’t get much smaller than this!

UTILITY – The Clubman packs more utility into a small package than the regular Cooper, with extra backseat legroom and extra capacity in the back.

RELIABILITY – Consumer Reports has rated the MINI above average when it comes to long-term reliability.

PRICE – Starting prices are as follows: MINI Cooper – $19,500; MINI Cooper S – $23,000; MINI Cooper Clubman – $21,150; MINI Cooper Clubman S – $24,750. The tons of options are what will likely push the car over $30k.

PROS:

• Good fuel economy
• Sport version has fun zippiness
• More style than I could possibly hope for
• Tons of options for unique customization

CONS:

• Interior form over function is a turnoff. The learning curve shouldn’t be this big.
• The ride is stiffer and bumpier than I had hoped.

CONCLUSION
I found the club door to be a little useless. It’s easier for rear passengers to climb in and out, but you still need to push the passenger seat forward. I so rarely have a third passenger, that it isn’t really worth the extra cost. I’m not sure how the barn doors are more useful than a regular hatch either. All it does is split the rear window into two tiny windows, which reduces the visibility back there when you’re driving. The extra space is nice, but overall I don’t think it’s worth the extra $1650 to get the Clubman. The Cooper and the Clubman both perform identically, so that is not a consideration.

As for the MINI Cooper as a whole, it’s more sport than luxury, but its personality definitely calls me like a siren. It’s been at the top of my list for some time, and I may be willing to overlook its annoyances just to drive one. I will continue to keep my eyes open, however, as there’s always the possibility that something else might be better. To be honest though, every other car I drive, I compare to the MINI.