The 2005 Mini Cooper S is a beautifully designed car with an amazing drive line. Its supercharged 1.6L inline 4 produces a great 170 hp with 160 ft-lb of torque. It might not seem like much but when the car only weighs 2,600 lb it can get up to 60 in about 7 seconds and go a quarter mile in about 15 seconds. Its 6 speed manual transmission is great. It has a nice click when you put in a gear. The gear ratios are great for the car as well, but I wish 6th was a little taller considering that at 70 mph the engine is at 3,000 RPM. On the road this is great, the power come on like a tidal wave at about 2,500 RPM all the way until the rev limiter at 7000 RPM. The  gear ratios are great for the car with each gear being tall enough to have a good about of time between shifts, but are short enough that you get great acceleration.

The suspension is set up great for just bombing down some twisty back roads. When you are driving down the road the car just goes when you turn the wheel with no complaints or body role. When you start to push the car to the limits you will get understeer, but it is controllable. The steering has an amazing feel. When you drive down the road, you can feel almost everything and you can really read the road surface through the wheel.

The ride is a little stiff, but the nice leather seats really just soften those larger bumps that would normally wear you out. The seating position is low almost like a go-kart. Although the pedals are a little close together the car is small so it’s not to bad. Overall the car is an amazing machine that will never disappoint in any aspect of driving.