The 2005 MINI Cooper is a fun, stylish car with plenty to like.

The new MINI Cooper, though nowhere near as “mini” as the original, is still a quirky, fun car with an attitude all of its own. Its revival a few years back by BMW means the name on the dealership might not be familiar, but the cute little cars on the lot will be instantly recognizable. The Cooper is offered as either a hardtop hatchback or a convertible for the 2005 model year, both of which are offered as a base model and a sportier “S” model. There is a separate John Cooper Works model with an even hotter engine. The JCW, as its known, combines the retro styling with modern sports car go-fast parts to make a subcompact car with real attitude.

Two engines are on offer: a 1.6-liter inline-four-cylinder that produces 115 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque and an upgraded supercharged 1.6-liter that produces 168 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. The base engine is available with a five- or six-speed manual transmission or with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The hotter powerplant is available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or six-speed automatic transmission. All models are front-wheel drive.

The Cooper’s trims are broken down by body style and powertrain. Both the hatchback and convertible are available as a standard car, a Cooper CVT, and a Cooper S. The MINI is targeted at new-car buyers that want a fun, quirky car. The MINI Cooper competes against the Fiat 500, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Golf, and Ford Fiesta. Buyers may also consider the Toyota Corolla, Mazda Mazda3, Honda Civic, or Nissan Sentra.