Turbocharged engines used to have a unique character, a.k.a. "turbo lag." You'd roll into the throttle from a stop, wait a few beats for the boost to kick in, and whooooosh! The sudden rush of power would pin you back in your seat. Automotive journalists often had nasty things to say about turbo lag, but personally I enjoyed it. It was something cool you could show off to your passengers -- that Jekyll-and-Hyde personality was what made a turbo a turbo.

Alas, times have changed. More and more turbocharged engines these days are designed to reproduce the linear, lag-free power delivery of larger-displacement normally aspirated mills. Try the new Subaru Forester XT's turbocharged 2.5-liter boxer four, for example -- or any BMW with the twin-turbo inline-6.

Happily, our turbocharged long-term Mini Cooper S offers the best of both worlds: it's eminently tractable at low rpm, unlike those laggy turbocharged engines of old, yet the overboost function adds a furious and decidedly non-linear kick under full throttle that reminds me of turbos past. Boot the Mini from a stop, and you're thinking, "Well, this feels pretty quick but not exactly--" Whooooosh! Suddenly you're pinned to your seat and grinning uncontrollably.

That's why I can never refuse the keys to the Mini when they're available. In a lag-free kind of way, it reminds me of the days when a "Turbo" badge (which our Mini lacks, incidentally) virtually guaranteed an engaging driving experience.

Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor, Edmunds.com @ 15,284 miles

Remember when Donna reported that the Mini literally stinks? One of our readers guessed it was mold and after a waff of Mini stank a few weeks ago, that's certainly my guess as well. It's pretty disgusting and I'd much rather sit in a hot car that slowly die from mold spores being blown into my face. Anyway, before rushing to the dealer, we decided to take a holistic approach. I went to the garage, blocked the Mini in with another car, and then let her run for about 20 minutes with the heater on full blast.

I had the Mini this weekend and the stank has dissipated somewhat, but some still remains. I ran the heater again on my drive in (it got a little toasty), but we'll definitely have it checked out at the dealer. The problem with that, however, is Mini's service intervals are insanely long and we're not due for our first service for another 2,550 miles (according to the car). 

James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 15,220 miles

Yesterday our 2007 Mini Cooper S zipped past the 15,000 mile mark. Considering there are still three months to go before it must be returned to Mini, I'd say it'll pass the 20,000 miles mark during it's 12 months in our fleet. And that means we like this little hatchback.

In case you haven't noticed, if a car doesn't make the 20,000 mile mark, it's for one of two reasons.

1) Nobody on our staff like driving it so the car sits in our parking garage like an agoraphobic.

2) It's liked, but has a flappy canvas roof which prevents its from being enjoyable on long drives and is called the Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited.

But back to Mini, which has yet to need a single unscheduled pit stop and never ceases to put a smile on my face. This car is dead reliable, stupid fun and it's averaging 26.5 mpg. If there's a better small car on the market I'm unaware of it.

Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 15,008 miles

It's that time again. On the eve of our four-car fuel-sipper comparison test, I thought I would calculate the lifetime fuel economy of another diminutive fuel sipper -- albeit one that's fun to drive. Since our last update, we've actually improved our Mini Cooper's fuel economy by 0.6 mpg! How about that!

Average MPG: 26.24
EPA Combined MPG: 29 (d'oh!)

Best Tank: 33.70 mpg
Worst Tank: 16.57 mpg

There was a fill-up that reported 40 mpg, however, the entry's penmanship was questionable and it just seemed too good to be true. So it's certainly possible that Brian Moody went on a 123-mile downhill road trip with a stiff tail wind, but I've thrown it out just in case and used the second-best tank.

James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 14,775 miles

When IL Senior Editor Erin Riches and I took a road trip to Central California this past weekend, we stayed at the (low) Quality Inn in Pismo Beach. This ended up being a big mistake as this particular motel seemed to attract nothing but college kids.

So from 10pm to 2am, these kids were running up and down the walkway outside of our motel room on the 2nd floor as their party was going off two doors down from ours. Sometimes they would even bang on our door and run away. Erin had considered calling the front desk to complain but then decided that they probably wouldn't have cared enough to do anything about it.

Anyway, the next morning we wanted to hit the road early so we got up at 6:30am. Still pissed off about last night, I entertained naughty things I could do to get back at those kids. Leave my leftovers from last night outside their door? Write them a nasty note on motel stationary? Knock on their door and dash? Surely they were sound asleep having partied for most of the night.

And then I heard a car beep outside giving me an idea. I know! I'll hit the panic button on the Mini key fob! That'll wake 'em up! But when I grabbed the Mini key there was no panic button to be found. And the Mini doesn't beep when you unlock or lock it with the key fob (usually a blessing).

I know. I wouldn't have really done it anyway because I wouldn't want to disturb the other motel guests but it would have been nice to even think I had that option.

When I was sitting in the Mini waiting for Erin to come down, I thought about maybe parking in front of room 407 and honking the horn signaling her to come down...but then chickened out.

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor

Various California Central Coast wineries were the destination for the 2007 Mini Cooper S over the weekend. As I'd expected, driving the Mini on all the back roads between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo was a bigger treat than tasting various pinot noirs. As previously reported, any curvy road is fun with a Mini. However, roads with tighter, lower-speed turns show off the car's personality to best effect. Higher-speed stuff can still be entertaining, but brutal acceleration is not within the car's repertoire, at least not in stock form.

Even though my traveling companion, Deputy Managing Editor Caroline Pardilla, and I drove crazy enough to make each other carsick, the Cooper S still returned 29.5 mpg over 600 miles. One thing I noticed was that the ride quality was a little better on the roads we drove (considerable time on I-5, CA Highway 33 and U.S. 101) than it was on the roads I took to Arizona (I-15 and I-40). In addition, the cloth seats never got uncomfortable during 3-to-4-hour stints. Cargo space was perfectly adequate for three days of travel, even though we both purchased wine along the way.



The best scenery of the trip was found on CA Highway 58, which, between Highway 33 and the 101, is an explosion of wildflowers. We stopped for a picnic here (shown above). The best winery we visited on the trip was Wolff Vineyards -- be sure to try the chardonnay.

Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 14,499 miles

I had the Mini Cooper S this past weekend (I didn't notice the A/C stink) and I once again realized the vast improvements made to this car over the original new Mini. In fact, I'd venture to say that this one went down in only three areas: center stack ergonomics, styling and steering. Even the last one is a mixed reaction since the two-mode electric set-up is far friendlier in parking situations.

My girlfriend owned a 2005 Mini Cooper S and I subsequently logged quite a few miles behind the wheel in it -- including the same route I took this week to Moorpark, Calif. Over the craptacular pavement that covers the journey, the old Mini's ride was punishing and its seats would make my lower back numb. New Mini's seating position is much better (thank you telescoping wheel), the seats are far more comfortable and the ride is much friendlier -- although certainly on the firm side.

The best improvement, though, is build quality. Every interior trim panel on the last-generation Mini seemed to rattle and shake like crazy over the slightest imperfection. The blue dash panel on my GF's Mini would squeak so much, I would press down on it to prevent myself from going bonkers. This was virtually from the beginning of ownership. The new one after 13,000 miles? Nothing, absolutely quiet. Say what you will about the Playskool look of the dash, but they at least screwed it together well.

James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 13,692 miles

Haven't driven the Mini Cooper S in a while. Jumped in last night and the previous driver had left the A/C on full blast. I got hit in the face with a musty, stinky, yucky smell.

It was like "feet wrapped in leathery burnt bacon."
(If you get that pseudo-Star Wars reference you win a gold star.)

It took a good five minutes for it to clear up. Haven't smelled it since. I'm assuming because the A/C was used so much over the hot weekend, that condensation built up in the vents and got funky. Then it cleared itself out.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 13,800 miles

 

The above photo has little to do with this post. I was going to talk about the fact that while the seats in our 2007 Mini Cooper S fold down, they don't slide forward, so the space use is a trifle inefficient. . .blah blah blah. News Flash: It's not a van.

What I really want to mention is the fun factor. It's such a little go-kart. I used to be annoyed by the torque steer, and the car's inherent skittishness really forces both hands to stay on the wheel at all times. (It's always a good idea, but in this car, the wheel really jumps, particularly with some solid throttle application.)

But it's really quite fun, and the steering is incredibly responsive. Formerly a fan of Sport mode, I am now a convert to DSC Off. Makes for some very enjoyable high-speed turns, when you can kick the rear out a bit. If I owned this car, I would force myself to learn how to really powerslide. Given an open lot and some cones, I might even waste a few sets of tires and brakes learning the power-park move.

Doug Lloyd, Senior Copy Editor @ 13,628 miles

The crack. It's mesmerizing. Much like the Tide-To-Go ad where the guy is in an interview and all you can look at is the coffee stain on his shirt.

When you drive at night you think there's a twig lodged under the wiper. During the day your eyes repeatedly give it a worried look. It's very distracting. I know you guys are sick of repetitive posts. The endless complaining. The whining.

That frustration you now feel with this post is the same I feel while driving this thing.

Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer