The 2010 MINI Cooper offers agile handling and crisp performance and a distinctive bulldog appearance, the latter enhanced by a variety of trim and color options. Whether you choose the hardtop, convertible, or Clubman, the MINI provides some of the most fun per dollar of any car on the market. The 2010 MINI Cooper is a carryover from 2009. Personalization is a big part of the MINI experience, and the list of available options include electronics and amenities to aero kits, stripes, and chrome accents. An extensive array of alternative trim features is available to customize the interior to personal tastes, in terms of colors, textures and materials. The modern MINI Cooper originates from 1959, when a groundbreaking new subcompact coupe emerged in England using a transverse-mounted engine and an efficient, boxy front-wheel-drive layout. It achieved truly MINI-compact exterior dimensions along with a surprising amount of usable space inside. Because it was affordable, stylish, fun to drive and easy to park anywhere, the British MINI and MINI Cooper quickly achieved icon status around the world - including the U.S., where it sold as a brief counter-culture favorite during the 1960s. For 2010, MINI celebrates its 50th anniversary with two packages for the hardtop, the Camden and the Mayfair. Both have unique paint, wheels, and exterior and interior trim; they come with the 172-horsepower turbocharged engine.
MINI Cooper Design
This second-generation version of the modern MINI Cooper, launched as a 2007 model, is unmistakably a MINI. The first-generation of the modern MINI Cooper was launched as a 2000 model. The two biggest changes from the regular MINI Cooper are the addition of a rear access door on the passenger side and the use of split rear barn doors at the back. The right-side access door, or Clubdoor, is a small door that doesn't open independently of the front passenger door and is meant to provide easier access to the third row. At the back, the handles for the split rear doors are placed together where the doors come together. The rear glass does not open. Clubman comes with two-tone paint. The accent color found on the roof is carried over to the rear C-pillars, and it also extends down through the taillights and onto the rear bumper. Accent hood stripes can also be ordered. Close inspection of the exterior shows that in almost all areas, design and execution is upgraded from the first generation. One notable example is how the headlamp clusters are now firmly attached the front fenders, fitting through openings in the hood; where in the previous model the headlamps were built into the hood itself.
Driving the 2010 Cooper
The latest engine for the 2010 Cooper was engineered by BMW and is manufactured in the BMW Hams Hall engine plant in England. Equipped with BMW Valvetronic variable-valve-timing technology, it rates an EPA-estimated 28/37 mpg City/Highway. The base engine makes 118 horsepower. In Cooper S turbocharged trim with direct fuel injection, the engine delivers a sporty performance. Its 172 horsepower is more than adequate in the lightweight MINI to generate speeds twice most legal limits, but the 177 pound-feet of torque, which can be over-boosted to 190 pound-feet for short intervals, and is available from 1700 rpm to 5000 rpm, is nothing short of marvelous. A Sport button yields quicker response from the accelerator and steering. The turbo engine takes the MINI from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, reflecting a slight turbo hesitation at the start, but producing satisfying acceleration at all speeds once in motion. And even with that performance, the turbo with manual transmission is still EPA-rated at 26 mpg urban and 34 mpg highway. The Clubman S is capable of a 7.2 second 0-60 mph sprint. That's just 0.2 seconds slower than the regular MINI Cooper S, which isn't surprising because the Clubman weighs only 177 pounds more. With a MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension, the Cooper S is flat and stable in corners, and absorbs most bumps without discomforting passengers. Oversteer has been tuned out, so the car never feels at risk of spinning out even with radical changes in the throttle or brakes in the middle of corners. The four-wheel disc brakes provide quick and stable stops. Both the base and S model benefit from MINI's brake cornering control, which can use the ABS to apply individual brakes to inside wheels to help get the car through a corner.
2010 MINI Cooper Cabin
The MINI Cooper cabin is charming with well chosen interior materials. Though there are many plastics, they have a quality look and feel. Three leather seating options are available, a cloth and leather combination, a fully leather option, and higher end English leather. MINI allows customers to choose from numerous interior trims to give each car an individual character. In keeping with MINI tradition, a big round speedometer is mounted in the center of the dash. The tachometer is mounted on the tilt/telescoping steering column, moving with it as you adjust it up and down. The convertible also has a unique Openometer next to the tach. It's a meter that measures the number of hours you drive with the top down. Audio controls have been moved from the center stack into the bottom half of the speedometer dial, and the heating and air conditioning controls have been compressed below it. These changes reduce the width of the center stack, which increases knee and leg room in the foot wells, answering a common complaint against the previous-generation model. For a car that has the smallest exterior of any four-passenger vehicle on the road, the MINI is surprisingly spacious inside. Heating and air conditioning controls in the base model are straightforward.
MINI Lineup
The hardtop was redesigned as a second-generation car for the 2007 model year, while the second-generation convertible makes its debut as a 2009 model. The MINI Cooper hardtop is powered by a normally aspirated 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine rated 118 horsepower. Both come standard with air conditioning; AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo with six speakers, RDS, and pre-wiring for satellite radio; power windows with auto-down; power locks; remote keyless entry with electronic signal transmitter in place of the ignition key: leather-wrapped tilt/telescoping steering wheel; six-way adjustable driver's seat; height-adjustable front passenger seat; split-folding rear seat; leatherette upholstery, outside temperature display, and a cooled glovebox. The hardtop also gets a rear wiper and defogger and P175/65R15 all-season tires on alloy wheels. The convertible has P195/55R16 run-flat tires on alloy wheels.
The MINI Cooper S hardtop is equipped with a 172-horsepower turbocharged version of the same engine, stiffer suspension, performance exhaust system, and 16-inch alloy wheels with 195/55R16 all-season run-flat tires for both body styles; 17-inch wheels are optional. Exterior design details, including fog lights, a black grille insert, hood scoop, rear bumper inserts and prominent rear spoiler wing (optional on the Cooper), distinguish the Cooper S from the Cooper.
Conclusions
The MINI Cooper provides the driving enthusiast with a combination of fun-to-drive performance, engineering and unconventional attitude. The MINI Cooper is sporty and fun. It's practical, with comfortable seats, useful cargo capacity, and an EPA-rated city/highway 28/37 miles per gallon. Inside, it's large enough to accommodate all sizes of drivers and front passengers in comfort. The rear seats in the hardtop allow four adults. With the hatchback and folding rear seats, the MINI Cooper can haul reasonable amounts of gear. Safety features on all models include dual front airbags, anti-lock brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Brake Assist, and Cornering Brake Control. Hardtops get torso-protecting front side airbags and head-protecting curtain side airbags, while convertibles add front seat-mounted head- and torso-protecting airbags and a pop-up rear rollover bar. Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with traction control is standard, and a version that can be turned on and off is optional on all but the JCW, where it is standard. Hill Assist start-off assistance is a feature of DSC, activating the brakes when starting on an uphill ascent to prevent the car from rolling back. Interested in purchasing a MINI? Go to the official MINI Cooper website, and you can build yours from the ground up!
This second-generation version of the modern MINI Cooper, launched as a 2007 model, is unmistakably a MINI. The first-generation of the modern MINI Cooper was launched as a 2000 model. The two biggest changes from the regular MINI Cooper are the addition of a rear access door on the passenger side and the use of split rear barn doors at the back. The right-side access door, or Clubdoor, is a small door that doesn't open independently of the front passenger door and is meant to provide easier access to the third row. At the back, the handles for the split rear doors are placed together where the doors come together. The rear glass does not open. Clubman comes with two-tone paint. The accent color found on the roof is carried over to the rear C-pillars, and it also extends down through the taillights and onto the rear bumper. Accent hood stripes can also be ordered. Close inspection of the exterior shows that in almost all areas, design and execution is upgraded from the first generation. One notable example is how the headlamp clusters are now firmly attached the front fenders, fitting through openings in the hood; where in the previous model the headlamps were built into the hood itself.
The MINI Cooper cabin is charming with well chosen interior materials. Though there are many plastics, they have a quality look and feel. Three leather seating options are available, a cloth and leather combination, a fully leather option, and higher end English leather. MINI allows customers to choose from numerous interior trims to give each car an individual character. In keeping with MINI tradition, a big round speedometer is mounted in the center of the dash. The tachometer is mounted on the tilt/telescoping steering column, moving with it as you adjust it up and down. The convertible also has a unique Openometer next to the tach. It's a meter that measures the number of hours you drive with the top down. Audio controls have been moved from the center stack into the bottom half of the speedometer dial, and the heating and air conditioning controls have been compressed below it. These changes reduce the width of the center stack, which increases knee and leg room in the foot wells, answering a common complaint against the previous-generation model. For a car that has the smallest exterior of any four-passenger vehicle on the road, the MINI is surprisingly spacious inside. Heating and air conditioning controls in the base model are straightforward. 
The MINI Cooper S hardtop is equipped with a 172-horsepower turbocharged version of the same engine, stiffer suspension, performance exhaust system, and 16-inch alloy wheels with 195/55R16 all-season run-flat tires for both body styles; 17-inch wheels are optional. Exterior design details, including fog lights, a black grille insert, hood scoop, rear bumper inserts and prominent rear spoiler wing (optional on the Cooper), distinguish the Cooper S from the Cooper.