2015 Mini Cooper S hardtop four-door review - Detroit Free Press
2015 Mini Cooper S Hardtop four-door, which despite adding two doors, a marginally usable rear seat and 6. 9 inches of length compared to the two-door — 11. 2 inches versus the old two-door — remains a slice of nearly unadulterated automotive joy. "Nearly unadulterated" because Mini's price has grown with its size, but the Cooper S lacks some features I expect from a $35,000 subcompact. Prices for the Mini Cooper S Hardtop start at $20,700 for a two-door hatchback with a 134-hp turbocharged three-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission. Stepping up to the Cooper S gets you a 189-hp turbocharged 2. 0L four-cylinder engine for $24,100 for a two-door and $25,100 with four doors. A six-speed automatic with paddle shifters adds $1,500. Related: Bigger, pricier Clubman heralds new direction for Mini. I tested a four-door Cooper S with the sport automatic transmission, navigation, a big two-pane sunroof that extends over both rows of seats, parking assist, voice recognition and more. Ford's sporty Fiesta ST could also be considered a competitor, despite costing far less than the Cooper S four-door hatchback. Cooper S prices are above the Fiesta and Verano turbo, comparable to a similarly equipped ILX, and lower than a similar A3 or CLA250. Source: www.freep.com
