Road & Track pits a 2011 MINI Cooper S against a 2012 Volkswagen Beetle Turbo. Here is its concluding assessment:
After learning of Big Brother's imposing will, we were less excited to explore the dynamic handling capabilities of our new Man-Bug. To our surprise, the electronic nannies were more supportive than restrictive to these activities, dialing out front-end push when possible and allowing for mild amounts of yaw. Pleasant as it was, the Mini's lean mass and handling agility allowed it to fly through the cones, around the skidpad, and away with our vote as the unanimous winner of this compact showdown.
