Beforehand, just wanna say sorry for the impromptu break, but we’re back for the 3-a-week posts. Enjoy!

Most people compare the Mini Cooper to a go-kart, but after driving a pretty much stock, non-S newer mini, I have to say it’s closer to an RC car if anything. Not a brand new, brushless RC car, but a 90s Tamiya DC racing car. Boy, does that thing not go anywhere fast except around a corner.

However, those corners show how amazing the car handles, up in the top 3 of the stuff I’ve personally driven. This one has been tracked, and the only mod is a bigger rear sway bar. The difference that sway bar makes is immense, it reacts around mid-fast speed corners with the perfect amount of oversteer and understeer. It wants to step out, until the exact moment it does which precisely is when the 500 tread-wear street tires break traction in the front. It was the easiest way to get around a corner quickly, but the worst part is how quickly it gets to the corner.

Of course, this isn’t the Cooper S, it’s just a regular 120 hp NA 4-banger. And GOD does it show. But does that really matter when the car handles as good as it does? Yeah, kinda, because the best handling comes from medium to high speed corners. If you can’t get up to medium or high speed, you don’t get to drive medium to high speed corners. To get the maximum amount of enjoyment, it NEEDS to go to a track (like this one does). Apparently, it doesn’t put up a fight after some harsh sessions. So, that’s cool.

Enough talking about the driving, let us discuss the crackhead interior. Honestly, I can’t decide wether I enjoy or hate the whole “look how British I am” tone, with the quirky center gauges and toggle switches. Consider it like your annoying autistic friend that you can’t help but not be angry with, ya know, because that’s how he is. Something the interior is, is BIG. It’s like the Tardis, I really don’t know if I would need anymore room than this. I was genuinely surprised, and plenty of headroom for a helmet or the taller top-hat wearers of us.

More about this interior, as weird as the speedometer may seem, it’s actually useless. Everyone will use the little LCD in the tachometer, right where a speedometer SHOULD be. Instead, there’s a massive useless circle with a moving needle in the center of your car that you’ll never look at or see. But again, silly stuff from those silly brits, even if it doesn’t make sense.

Overall, it’s a genuinely good car, especially a good first car (if we don’t count BMW part prices) if you’re a teenage hoon looking for something fun that the parentals will agree with and you can still enjoy. Is it fast? God no, borderline painfully slow. However, it TURNS and it turns WELL. No need for special tires, no need for coilovers. Personally, I enjoyed it. A good time, a fun goofy little toaster that zips itself around like nothing else I’ve ever driven. Good job, Mini.