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Avenue of the Giants Weekend Run - Sat. March 23, 2024

Saturday will be a very full day of cruising from Novato up through the Avenue of the Giants and ending at Eel River Brewing in Fortuna. Sun...

GM Inside News Reviews The 2012 Coupe

The forum GM Inside News (GMI) reviews the 2012 MINI Cooper Coupe. GMI's conclusions:
MINI designers and engineers should be very pleased with the time and effort they invested into developing the MINI Coupe. Despite having a few minor quirks, the Coupe does offer potential buyers a unique and compelling package which should please their performance needs. Interested in purchasing a MINI Coupe for your garage? Pricing for the MINI Coupe begins at $22,000 dollars for a minimally equipped base model with the six speed manual gearbox. Cooper S grade cars like my tester offer more performance excitement to the driver and have a base price of $25,300, John Cooper Works models represent the top trim level for performance and start out at $31,900. My Cooper S grade tester had a base price of $24,600 but options such as its $1250 automatic transmission, $1500 Sport package, and other goodies helped push the final price to $32,000 which is a lofty sum considering that for roughly the same money, one can get a Mustang GT with the 5.0 V8 which is capable of outshining the MINI in raw performance numbers and can also haul four passengers. Buyers could also opt for the iconic Mazda Miata which can be similarly equipped and delivers equal handling performance for less money. In addition, the MINI also lacks features that many other vehicles in its price range have as standard equipment such as automatic climate control, seat heaters (which are included in the $2750 Recaro seat option), and power seat adjustments.

However if a potential customer can tolerate these downsides and desires performance and handling in a uniquely crafted package that can make a bold visual statement in the driveway, then the MINI Coupe is the answer to all of their wants and needs.