Official MINI USA Press Release: Topping off its successful US market launch last month, the all-new MINI Cooper has been named by the Editors of Edmunds.com as “Most Wanted Coupe Under $30,000”.
According to the Editors, the MINI Cooper’s redesign helped it win, beating out others in its class: “Retaining the Cooper’s beloved looks, baby has actually gotten better, as its classic styling and handling have been painstakingly preserved with welcome improvements appearing inside and underhood.”
In announcing the 9th annual “Editors’ Most Wanted” awards, the Edmunds Editors, said, “We eat, breathe and dream automobiles, and in many instances, this love for the car overruled common sense during our selection process. But that’s the great thing about the Edmunds.com Editors’ Most Wanted list: it’s guided by passion, not science (much like the majority of car purchases). The result of our voting is a list of cars and trucks we’d want in our own garages”.
“We are truly excited to receive this award from Edmunds.com for the all-new MINI Cooper” said Jim McDowell, Vice President, MINI USA. “The Editors of Edmunds.com are passionate and knowledgeable about cars and we are happy that they recognize all of the goodness that we have engineered into the new car while retaining its iconic characteristics.
The all-new MINI Cooper and Cooper S hardtops are built upon the design success of the first generation MINI models, offering go-kart like reflexes and the ability for customers to individualize their car. The most successful premium small car in the world has been completely redesigned – with new engines, interior and technology – in a way that is evolutionary in its design, yet revolutionary in its substance. With a base MSRP of $18,700 and 40 MPG EPA highway mileage, the new MINI Cooper offers improved value and efficiency as well.
Sweet! Funny, though, I never think of my MINI as a “coupe.” When I think of coupes, I see two-door cars that are several feet too long, like G35s or Solaras.
I guess I’m more of a hatch man.
It is heartening to see that in a country of 298,444,215 people (CIA estimate July 2006) that a small fraction of the population want to own a MINI.
Wikipedia; A coupé (from the French couper to cut) or coupe is a car body style with a close-coupled interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating (space for two passengers up front and for two occasional passengers in the rear). Through the 1950s convertible models were sometimes called convertible coupés, but since the 1960s the term coupé has generally been applied exclusively to fixed-roof models. Coupés generally, but not necessarily, have two doors, although automobile makers have offered four-door coupés and three- and five-door hatchback coupés, as well. Modern coupés generally have the styling feature of frameless doors, with the window glass sealing directly against a weather-strip on the main body.
The SAE distinguishes a coupé from a sedan (saloon) primarily by interior volume; SAE standard J1100 defines a coupé as a fixed-roof automobile with less than 33 ft³ (0.93 m³, 934 L) of rear interior volume. A car with a greater interior volume is technically a two-door sedan, not a coupé, even if it has only two doors. Some car manufacturers may nonetheless choose to use the word coupe or coupé to describe such a model, e.g., the Cadillac Coupe de Ville.
In some parts of the world (especially America), it is becoming more of a marketing term for automotive manufacturers, calling any two doors (or three door) a coupé. This is mostly due to the fact that coupés in general are seen as more sporty than sedan, hence a coupé would be perceived as sportier than a 2-door sedan. Lately, some four door sedans are being marketed as coupés, notably the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class. Marketing divisions from other companies are set to follow the example of Mercedes; for example Audi with its rumoured 4-door coupé variant of the upcoming A5. In other locations (in particular, Australia, the UK and some of Europe), the traditional 2+2 seating definition persists among the general public.
Edmunds gave MINI this same award back in 2002.