Winding Road ran tests comparing the 2012 Fiat 500 Sport to the 2011 base MINI Cooper. It ultimately gives the MINI the nod, but, it is almost too close to call:
We’ll admit that we kind of want the Fiat 500 to win here. The Mini has been the best small, affordable car for a long time now, and we, like many of you, like the occasional upstart upset. But the truth is that we like the Mini Cooper just a tiny bit better, and think that a lot of you will feel the same way. It’s more expensive, yes, and not quite as good in and around an urban environment, where the Fiat was truly bred to live. But the Mini also feels more substantial, and truer to the enthusiast’s soul than does the 500, even though both really do make us want to seek out the best road we can find and just drive. . . .
