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2014 Mini Cooper

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone from Mini refer to 'go-kart-like handling,' I'd be retired, living on a beautiful piece of coastline somewhere in the Caribbean. Perhaps even on the shores of Puerto Rico, where Mini chose to launch its latest Cooper and Cooper S hatchbacks. As with so many frequently used phrases, though, there is indeed some truth to the cliché - while the Mini Cooper has never actually handled quite like a go kart, it has always had a certain directness in its movements, reacting to steering inputs with an immediacy and fervor unlike most any other automobile meant primarily for the street.
Combine those unique driving dynamics with a sense of fun that permeates the entire brand from pre-sales marketing to the actual sales process itself and you end up with a marketplace success. As an ex-Mini owner myself (a 2009 Cooper S Convertible), I can attest to the kinship felt between fellow Mini drivers who share in the knowledge that they are having more fun than the poor appliance-driving masses sharing the highways and byways of these United States. It's no surprise that the style-conscious US continues to be the marque's single largest market year after year.
This enviable brand perception hasn't been attained without its own fair share of flaws, however. Though the quirky design and massively customizable bits and pieces that have made up the Mini brand's interior philosophy since it was reborn in 2001 have proven somewhat endearing, the Cooper Hardtop's ergonomics have always been an unmitigated disaster. Plus, this is a very small car, with a rear seat that's practically uninhabitable by adult-size occupants. While that adjective seemingly goes hand-in-hand with the brand's name, the modern Cooper has never been as ingeniously packaged as its 1959 forbearer, which offered up as much interior space as possible through innovative engineering and minimalist design. Further, parent company BMW has positioned Mini as a premium brand, so the Cooper's diminutive size has never equated to low prices. And for being such a small car, the Cooper historically hasn't been well-known for its fuel efficiency.

Man criticized for filming rather than helping road rage victim

A man from Cheshire in England was criticized on social media after he filmed a road rage brawl and provided color commentary for it instead of helping the victim. According to the Daily Mail, Alec Wall was traveling through Cheshire when he came upon a strange scene. A red Mini was stopped at a light, and standing next to it in traffic was a woman in a white dress. As Wall watched, the woman lunged for the Mini's driver's door, wrenched it open, and began fighting with the woman behind the wheel. While the women fought, Wall pulled out his phone and started recording. "Road Rage!" he shouted as he filmed. Apparently finding the situation extremely funny, Wall continued to film, giggling all the while and providing commentary on the scuffle. "Oh my God, actual road in a rage!" he shouted. Once he returned home, Wall uploaded his video to a Facebook page called Idiot UK Drivers Exposed where it racked up nearly 90,000 likes. Not everyone found it as funny as Wall did, however. Comments began piling up chastising Wall for his flip attitude and his failure to intervene in the fight. "How about instead of laughing and screaming 'road rage' like a moron you do something productive like get out of your car and try to defuse the situation? Use some intelligence..." said one commenter. "I really have failed to see what the camera man is laughing at," said another. "It looks to me like someone being seriously assaulted. Why is that funny?" There is no report on the cause of the incident, or how it ended. Related Video: News Source: The Daily Mail Auto News Weird Car News MINI road rage fight

Mini Aceman battery-electric concept previews new crossover

In March, Car magazine said the former Mini Paceman crossover would return as an electric crossover for the 2024 model year. A month later, Autocar laid out a rundown of coming, all-new Mini range that would include a new EV crossover under the Clubman at the top of the range and sport a "much more radical design." Last month, Mini teased a battery-electric CUV concept "for the premium small-car segment." Thanks to a teaser vid on Mini's Instagram page, we know that concept is called the Aceman and it will debut on Wednesday in Europe. The name is no accident, lending credence that we'll be seeing a preview of design elements found on the future Paceman.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Brand design chief Oliver Heilmer has said "Purely electrically powered models from Mini give us a unique opportunity to rethink our design. At the same time, we retain the attention to detail, sense of tradition and passion for innovation that Mini is renowned for." From the video, some details will blend old and new as in taillights with a pixelated display that can form the familiar Union Jack motif as well as other glyphs. The light design continues up front, with a grille and perhaps headlights putting on illuminated displays with even more capability. Other details will be all new, like the near-frameless side mirrors. Such features could be the charismatic part of a design language called Charismatic Simplicity. It's possible this is expressed in the cabin with a touchscreen display in Mini's traditional circular, dash-mounted gauge cluster.   The simplicity part will be in more restrained trimming, such as leather-free cabins and far less chrome garnish. If the automaker uses the reveal as more than a visual exercise, we might find out about the new electric powertrains jointly developed by BMW and Great Wall. There's rumored to be a 40-kWh battery pack able to power a 185-mile range, and a 50-kWh pack good for 250 miles; those are likely WLTP figures. The coming electric range will be built in China and exported to global markets.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.