2012 MINI Cooper Reviews, Pricing & Specs

With news of the new Cooper Coupe dominating the MINI media, another new development is in danger of flying under the radar – MINI Yours....

With news of the new Cooper Coupe dominating the MINI media, another new development is in danger of flying under the radar – MINI Yours. It’s not the only change for the MINI Cooper in 2012, with a new aero kit for John Cooper Works (JCW) trims and floormats for all trims made standard, but the MINI Yours program can seriously change your MINI experience.

Offering high-end options, accessories, trim packages and even full special edition trims, MINI Yours attempts to cement MINI’s image as a one-off, premium choice for the style-conscious in the small-car segment. With special paint options, custom wheels, premium seats and more interior materials and designs than we have room to mention here, it mirrors the options list of many higher-end cars, reflecting the associations MINI has with parent company BMW and sibling Rolls-Royce. A Rolls version of the MINI was even announced earlier this year, further supporting its luxury aspirations.

Barring these changes, the MINI remains the same, coming off a mild mid-cycle refresh in 2011. That means Base, S and JCW trims in 2-door hatch and convertible styles, all powered by different versions of a 1.6-liter engine. While the Base trim’s 1.6 delivers only 121 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque, it’s more than enough to motivate the MINI’s 2,500-pound curb weight. Equipped with the standard 6-speed manual, the Base MINI will do the 60 jaunt in just 8.4 seconds and still return 29 city mpg/37 highway. Choosing the automatic means a big drop in acceleration however, taking a leisurely 9.7 seconds to do the same 60 sprint.

The S adds forced induction in the way of a turbocharger and does much better with 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. With the temporary overboost engaged, that can be bumped to 192 lb-ft and shoot the little hatch to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds with the 6-speed manual. Even with that significant power boost, the S still manages a 27/36 fuel economy rating with the manual and 26/34 with the automatic.

But for those for whom no sacrifice is tolerable, the JCW trim breaks the 200-hp barrier with 208 horses and 192 lb-ft of torque – enough to get to 60 in 6.2 seconds. Even still, the JCW trim manages 25/33 with the 6-speed manual transmission, the only available.

The manual is definitely the better of the two setups, as the automatic has been criticized for rough operation and a reluctance to swap cogs. All MINIs offer a slightly stiff ride, with the larger tires and more aggressive setup of the S and JCW trims making things slightly worse. But the reward you get for that penalty is one of the most responsive, best-handling cars on the market, and certainly at its price point. Safety is handled by traction and stability control as well as 4-wheel assisted antilock discs, even at the Base level, with the JCW trim adding a limited-slip differential and larger brakes.

Whereas the MINI enters as a relatively inexpensive car, options can have a big effect on that price point. Despite a modest price increase last year, value was still there, especially considering the 2011 MINI got a power and fuel-efficiency bump. When delving into the MINI Yours options list, value is not a consideration, and with little effort your MINI could crest 50 grand.