2004 MINI Cooper Baltimore

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The 2004 MINI Cooper is a well-executed piece by every measure. It's the total package that makes it an excellent value: appealing appearance inside and out, excellent performance, notable engineering, numerous safety devices and the simple delight of being in and around it. The MINI Cooper delivers sports car handling and acceleration. It offers the cargo convenience of a hatchback and decent passenger seating for four, all stuffed into the shortest footprint on the road. Its retro styling is chic. And it's safe, with a multitude of passive and active safety systems working to protect you if the unforeseen should happen. For 2004, both the Cooper and Cooper S offer an optional three-spoke leather steering wheel, as well as Cordoba Beige leather sport seats. They also add digital speedometer readout under the tachometer and a real-time fuel-consumption meter to the on-board computer. A standard rear power point has been reintroduced, and Pepper White paint is now available on the MINI Cooper S.

Handling of the '04 MINI Cooper

The 2004 MINI Cooper comes in two model designations: the 115-horsepower MINI Cooper and 163-horsepower MINI Cooper S. Both are four-seat hatchbacks, with front wheels driven by a transversely mounted 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. The MINI corners like a go-kart and it's hard to exceed its cornering limits. The harder and deeper you go into corners, the more it says more. The MINI goes where it's pointed without protest. The standard 115-horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder overhead-cam engine never feels deficient. It delivers plenty of power for most of us, but does not put your head against the backrest at launch. The brakes (vented front discs, solid rear discs) are equally impressive, proportionally balanced as they are. Hit them hard at speed and the car feels sucked to the earth and stops quickly. MINI comes standard with four-channel anti-lock brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), and Corner Brake Control (CBC).

2004 MINI Cooper Design

The hood of the 2004 MINI Cooper is wide, but short in depth, the product of unique design and manufacturing techniques. The MINI iCooper is an engaging automotive device with an appeal that stretches across gender, age and economic status. Its horizontal roof is functional: It provides adult headroom to anyone riding in either the back or front seats, something that arch-shaped body designs cannot do. The Cooper S is distinguished by its hood scoop, sport bumpers, lower intake grille, aggressive side sills, wider wheel arches, and twin exhaust tips that exit from the middle. A rear spoiler trails off the roof, chrome brightens the fuel-filler flap, and an S logo shaped like a curvy road spices up the rear badge. Numerous other styling cues, include a big eight-spoke wheels reminiscent of the classic MINI lights.

Inside the MINI Cooper

The 2004 MINI's cabin space is stylish and modern, and exudes quality. Prominent circles set the interior design statement. That large circle in the center of the dash, visible to anyone in the car, is the speedometer. A racy round tachometer is perched like an aftermarket muscle car unit immediately before the driver's eyes and tilts with the adjustable steering column. Toggle switches with little guards are arranged in a row near the bottom of the center stack. They operate power windows, power locks, front and rear fog lamps, and the anti-skid system. The front seats slide and lift out of the way to allow rear passengers into the back of this two-door hatchback, and then they return to the original position. That makes loading rear passengers quick and easy. The seats have recliner levers on both sides for convenience. The rear seats are surprisingly roomy.

2004 MINI Lineup

The MINI Cooper comes with a high level of equipment, including air conditioning, CD stereo with six speakers, power windows with auto-down, power locks, remote keyless entry, and a rear wiper all standard. A five-speed gearbox and 15-inch alloy wheels are standard. A Continuously Variable Transmission, or CVT, is available for drivers who must have an automatic.

The MINI Cooper S adds a supercharged version of the four-cylinder engine, a six-speed manual gearbox, stiffer front and rear anti-roll bars for flatter handling and 16-inch wheels. The Cooper S has exterior trim that distinguishes it from the base model. Inside, the S adds sport seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Conclusions

All 2004 MINI models come with a luxury-class list of safety features, including anti-lock brakes with electronic brake force distribution, front and front side-impact airbags, curtain-style head-protection airbags for all passengers, a crash sensor that automatically unlocks the doors, seatbelt pretensioners and side-impact door beams. The Cooper S adds traction control. Both cars offer DSC electronic stability control as an option. Visit the official MINI USA website for more on this automaker.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com