2022 MINI Cooper vs 2022 Dodge Charger

MINI characterizes its lineup as the “definitive” premium small cars in the United States market. Based on a BMW platform, equipped with BMW engines, and featuring BMW technology, MINIs can substantiate this claim through engineering. But it’s the range of choices and personalization options that make them unlike any other premium small cars.

Naturally, this is true of the refreshed 2022 MINI Convertible, which is available in Cooper, Cooper S, and John Cooper Works (JCW) specification and with Classic, Signature, or Iconic trim. Once you’ve made those decisions, you can select from a wide variety of colors, materials, wheels, packages, and options to make your MINI your own. Or you can choose a pre-packaged special edition like our Sidewalk Edition test car.

A living fossil is an animal that exists today that resembles a long-extinct species. There are a number of sharks and mollusks that fit this description. And the same could be said for the 2022 Dodge Charger. It has muscular proportions, a similar layout, and an identical name to long-dead forebears, but it carries on in its own way—despite the veracity of any shared DNA.

Given how much the auto industry is changing, the Charger is an unlikely car for this decade—or even this century. But perhaps not. As much as the industry is rapidly evolving, buyer behavior might not be so quick to change. For every electric vehicle enthusiast, there are those who truly wish to stick to their guns when it comes to traditional gas vehicles. And certainly many lament the dwindling light of the big, thirsty muscle car.

Whether it be nostalgia or a more timeless form of automotive enthusiasm, the Dodge Charger clearly hit a nerve with many over the past two decades. Whether you prefer electric cars, hybrids, 4x4s, or even mass transit, it’s hard to argue the fact that the automotive world is just a better place with cars like the Dodge Charger in it.