MINI Cooper vs Ford Focus

For as red-hot and competitive as the economy-car segment is, success in this corner of the market is based on some pretty mundane variables. It comes down to things like fuel economy, price, number and location of cupholders, ride quality, and other items. It basically has to be economical, reliable transportation for the everyday commute. There are other nuances, such as the ease of use of its controls, but success in this segment requires automotive pragmatism at its best.

It's through this lens that we consider the 2016 Ford Focus. This 4-door, 5-passenger small car has been refreshed for this model year, building off the success of the third-generation car, which debuted in 2011. That was the first car under the “One Ford” plan, under which one car is sold on multiple continents in multiple markets with minimal changes.

The result of the plan was a car that was much more refined than the two generations before it and positioned the Focus for the past several years as the best American Small Car. That accolade is as much about the Focus’ refinement as it is about the deficiencies of American-made competitors, including the Dodge Dart and Chevrolet Cruze. A second-generation Cruze has recently been unveiled, but it’s still too early for us to render a verdict on that car. It is import rivals, such as the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and Hyundai Elantra, that pose the greatest threat to the new-look Focus.

The Mini Cooper is redesigned for 2025 with a host of alterations throughout. It’s a little bigger inside and out, while sporting all-new infotainment tech and quirky interior design to help maintain the badge’s fun personality. It still weighs less than 3,000 pounds, too, and when combined with a potent turbocharged four-cylinder in the Cooper S, that makes for some truly hilarious fun-to-drive attitude.

Verdict: Although substantially larger than the original BMW Mini that reached America’s shores in 2002, and no longer offering a manual transmission as standard, the new Mini Cooper continues to be a stylish and fun-to-drive way of getting around, and will even return solid overall fuel economy in the process.