However, as a person with a BA in journalism, his writing is a joke. I’m sure the attempt was to be overly brash which would invoke an emotional reader to read on. But get your facts straight, get your driving straight etc.

Who mashes the gas on a fwd car in the middle of a corner and complains of understeer. Mash the gas in the middle of a corner in freshly prepared m3 and what happens, oversteer.

I’m a realist about my car and know how fast it is and isn’t. That being said to say this car is not an otption for the track just shows glaring ignorance. The car does decently in all classes it competes in. Sure some new cars stand up to be as good or even a better value, ala the mazdaspeed3 but who cares honestly.

If you don’t see that the mini manages to take an age old style and history and mold it into a solid performing, good on gas, well built hatch that can easily be a hoot to drive on the track, you clearly have no grasp of the automotive market.

Well let’s see. Obvious enthusiasts on a site essentially devoted to enthusiasts, take issue with what is clearly a poorly researched and written article. And for this you wish to ridicule us?

Seems to me you have the axe to grind here, james. I think the initial post and many of the comments were well stated and thoughtful. I also didn’t find them particularly venomous as you might expect in response to such a negative review.

Why would we do that? That car was a hoot! It’s too bad 95% of those are now piles of red dust.

I thought my 1979 Honda Civic 1200 was more fun to drive than a Mini. You gonna beat up on me now?

yeah- ok guy! u definitly know what ur talking about. (btw, that was 100% sarcasm there) does anyone else find it funny that two of the other cars mentioned in that story were said to be the cars to beat- civic si and mazdaspeed3- are also FWD? who writes this stuff? seriously c’mon. im also surprised he didnt say anything about the GTi. he definitly lives in AZ or some place that doesnt see a drop of percipitation a year. oh yeah! Mazdaspeed3? where did that come from. give an R56 the mazda’s displacement and we’ll talk. and finally a real automotive journalist would have gotten behind the wheel like 4 or 5 years ago. i saved my motor trend and card and driver with the first reviews. thanks guys, just needed to vent. people on sites like that just annoy me and drive car not even worth a review.

I drive my girlfriends MCSC and tell her I’d trade her straight up. I can’t wait until the new convertibles come out so I can come back! No car is everything to everyone and MINI doesn’t try. It succeeds in being like nothing else in the world.

I’m guessing he was relishing a chance to skewer a favorite car among their readsership.

Agree with all the comments posted so far. Faulting a product for what is not and failing to see the overwhelming positives it brings to the table is nothing but shortsighted attitude.