In surveys that J.D. Power and Associates has conducted with verified owners of the Mini Cooper, the people that actually own one told us what they like and don’t like about their car.

What Owners Like:

“Styling [of] exterior and interior is ridiculously cool.”

“[I like] the style, feel, look, image, and overall coolness factor.”

“The overall design of the car is great.”

“Environmentally friendly, fuel conscious, space saving.”

“The car genuinely is fun to drive and makes you feel good.”

“[Driving is] like going out for adventure. Fun!”

“Fun to drive. You just have to smile.”

“This car is the most fun to drive! I never cared about performance before.”

“Great car. Fun [and] economical to drive.”

“Style and maneuverability, Duh! This is safe, zippy and fun.”

“Performance [in terms of] acceleration, shifting, [and] handling is outstanding.”

“[I] like the…exceptional acceleration.”

“Fantastic and fun for all sorts of trips.”

“Responsive steering and excellent braking.”

“Will stop very quickly with little effort.”

“Driving is a lot of fun. Very responsive and sporty.”

“The handling of the Mini is fantastic.”

“Steering and handling. It is fun to drive.”

“Handling [is] great on curves.”

“I like the way it downshifts, handles curves, hugs [the] road, does well on snow.”

“It handles great and sticks to the road like glue.”

“Great handling [and] pricing.”

“Great gas mileage around town.”

“Gas mileage. [I get] 37 mpg combined city/highway.”

“Gas economy. [I] get 33-35 city mpg.”

“MPG [is] 32-38 so far. Awesome!”

“Fuel efficient! I don’t have to fill up very often.”

“I love the interior color and style.”

“I love the interior design of the dashboard.”

“Love the knob that can easily change the station.”

“Leather seats are good quality.”

“Comfort [and] leg room galore for tall drivers.”

“Surprisingly comfortable in front seat.”

“The most comfortable seats I’ve ever sat in.”

“It’s small outside yet roomy inside.”

“The visibility on all sides and [for] parking is exceptional.”

“[Mini offers] more options than other companies.”

“The dependability of this vehicle is amazing.”

“Strangers acknowledge my car.”

“Car [is] built by BMW.”


What Owners Don’t Like:

“It requires premium gasoline.”

“There is no diesel engine available in the USA.”

“So low it scrapes over speed bumps, hits tailpipe.”

“You feel all the bumps in the road.”

“Tight suspension means you feel every bump in the road.”

“Run flats ride a little rough.”

“Road noise at high speed.”

“Hard to differentiate [between] first and reverse.”

“Reverse gear position hard to get in.”

“The reverse gear is too close to first gear.”

“[I don’t like] the popping noise from the muffler!”

“Brake dust.”

“Speedometer is hard to read.”

“The big speedometer is over the top.”

“Controls hard to see [and] operate.”

“I hate that the window controls are not on the driver’s door.”

“Some controls hard to understand, not intuitive.”

“Wiper controls are difficult [and] annoying.”

“Interior controls confusing, cheap plastic.”

“Radio [and] CD player controls are confusing.”

“The radio is much too complicated to figure out.”

“Setting radio stations [is] too difficult.”

“Stereo is average. Better quality [should be] standard.”

“Audio system could have more power.”

“For a high-end feeling car, audio quality sucks.”

“The radio sucks!”

“Audio system is horrible. No bass, just poor.”

“Rear view mirror blocks visibility when turning.”

“Rear view mirror blocks view forward.”

“Sun visor needs more coverage.”

“Sun visors too small.”

“Cupholders placed inconveniently.”

“Front cupholders interfere with gear shift and window buttons.”

“Air conditioner and heater not fast enough.”

“Audio and climate controls are hard to get used to.”

“Poor iPod integration [and] navigation.”

“Navigation system very poor.”

“Bluetooth phone connection not up to par.”

“Center armrest design is very poor.”

“The center console was an extra $250 for a piece of crap.”

“If water is on [the] roof, when you open the door it lands on the seat!”

“After it rains, you open [the] door and water runs on you.”

“Rain on roof not directed away from [the] door by [a] gutter.”

“Difficult to grab driver seatbelt for fastening.”

“The seatbelt is difficult to find and retrieve.”

“Seat belt gets stuck between seat and door all the time.”

“Seat adjustments should be electronic.”

“They don’t give you an option for power seats.”

“Second detent on the doors opens too far, [the] first not enough.”

“Space between front and back seats should be four inches minimum.”

“Back seat too small.”

“[Rear] seats are useless.”

“No legroom in the back seat.”

“Difficulty getting in and out of the back seats.”

“No passenger room in back seat.”

“Rear seat room, but it is a Mini, [so I] did not expect much.”

“Rear seat comfort, but who cares?”

“Rear seat needs cupholders.”

“Too few places to put things, but it’s no big deal.”

“Would like more interior storage.”

“Storage and space – limited cargo space.”

“Small cargo space.”

“Trunk space too small.”

“Trunk. Can’t fit anything, barely a gym bag.”

“Trunk is way too heavy to close.”

“Carpet is poor quality. Definitely purchase floor mats to prolong carpet life.”

“No dealer in my home state.”

“Convenience of dealers – not.”

“Nearest dealership/service center is 200 miles away.”

Note: This review was published on December 8, 2009. It may not reflect data that has become available for this vehicle since that date.