For our money, the best review yet. Here’s an excerpt:
>The road to Castellet is narrow, undulating and sinuous. The new Mini Cooper S eats it for lunch. While the suspension layout — struts up front, multilink in the rear — and the tire sizes are essentially the same as before, there are noticeable revisions.
>Slightly increased wheel travel lets the suspension breathe a bit, while lighter rear trailing arms, aluminum instead of steel, reduce unsprung weight and allow the chassis engineers more freedom with the damping. Revised steering geometry and a quicker ratio make turn-in more immediate, yet improve straight-line stability. Fourth-generation Dunlop 195/55R16 run-flat tires feature less rigid sidewalls.
>It all results in handling that’s just as epic as before, with much less kicking and screaming when the road gets lumpy. Even the optional 205/45R17 tires, brutish at times on the last car, have a shot at being livable on the streets and freeways back home.
[ First Drive: 2007 Mini Cooper S ] Inside Line
The R56 looks soooo much better in motion than in pictures. Except for those awful wheels….
Gabe you should have quoted the last sentence where Dan Edmunds says “Excuse me while I figure out how to get my name on the waiting list. Shall I put your name down for one, too, Officer Lopez?” I like their write ups on cars. They try to be colorful and do a great job.
Be sure and watch the video for more comments too. “More fun to drive” than previous MINI was one.
Another glowing review here folks [scroll down to Drive Impressions]
<a href="http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/36316D4D570F33B5CA257203001D9FE2" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/36316D4D570F33B5CA257203001D9FE2</a>
“On beautifully smooth and dry-hot Spanish roads, the latest Mini feels like one of the greatest handling and roadholding vehicles ever made. And even on the rough and ready ones also sampled, there surely are not many four seaters that could keep up.”
OK…
Now I know we’re all MINI fans here, but why do I get the vibe that one of these reviewers is blowing smoke?
Autocar
“Despite BMW’s claims this engine does need a little spooling up, but it pulls hard from 2500rpm through to 6000rpm. There are only 500 revs to come after that, but they deliver lessâ€ÂÂ
Inside Line
“Torque not only increases from 162 to 177 pound-feet, but peaks at a mere 1600 rpm and stays there all the way to 5000â€ÂÂ
Did both reviewers actually drive the car?