My car is at BMW again because of the rattle in the rear. I asked for a loaner with winter tyres because there is still quite a bit of snow on my street and I got a MINI Cooper (only 207km on the clock, I have to be gentle
). I thought I would share a few thoughts.
First off, you can see the subtle BMW touch with the interior lighting scheme (orange displays and night lighting). But the first thing I noticed was that for such a 'large' car there's not much room on the back seats, and even less in the boot. That said, the front seats have tons of room and the doors are huge! I guess that's where all the space went!
I have mixed feelings about the actual interior look. That big, round speedometer in the middle of the dash is a little strange (and takes a bit of getting used to). The plastic on the doors feels cheap, the seats aren't really comfortable enough for extended trips, and the indicator and wiper stalks feel and sound cheap and flimsy. There's that really cheap 'click' sound when you put the indicator on and after driving the E90 I had forgotten what it sounded like. I also had to try and remember there was no 'triple turn signal'. But, the controls are pretty well placed and within easy reach.
Driving wise, the steering is extremely light to the point of being a bit vague. Even so, it still manages to be quick and nimble. The manual transmission however, is quite heavy (in contrast with the steering). Maybe it's because of the low km's and in time it will loosen up. And for those that think the ride in the E90 is harsh, then don't even think about the MINI. You feel and hear every bump in this car (and this is without RFT's).
All in all, I think the MINI is not really for me. It looks kind of cool, but I think that's about it. There's no real driving sensation like there is with a [real] BMW. For the same amount of money I would rather have a VW Golf. Before I got my E90, I rented one when needed for about 2 months all up. It was a real pleasure to drive.