CREDIT: NAUMAN FAROOQ
The MINI Cooper S 5 Door Seven Edition is the latest model to hit the market. Though it may seem like a tiny car, this vehicle is quite spacious and a smooth ride to drive.

When the Mini was first introduced by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), in 1959, it was offered under two brands, Morris and Austin. The former was named the model Mini, the latter called it the Seven.

Since the year 2000, Mini is no longer the name of the model, in fact, it has become a brand, with the name spelled in all caps to look like MINI.

Nearly 60 years on (58, to be exact), the Seven name is back on a MINI, but only as a special edition.

So, what’s so special about this special edition?

In a way, not much, because it’s not like it has any extra performance, or features that you can’t find in any other Cooper S 5 Door model (the Seven Edition is also available on the 3 door model).

What this $2,400 option, which is on top of the base price ($27,790) of a Cooper S 5 Door, gives you, is an attractive package that has a two tone paint (with a silver roof and mirror caps), some hood stripes, a piano black with malt brown interior trim, some snazzy cloth and leather combo seats with a pattern that’ll take you back to the 1960s and a special paint called Lapisluxury Blue.

If you had tried to add similar features to any other Mini Cooper S model, it would amount to a lot more than $2,400, making the Seven Edition a bargain.

As mentioned earlier, this special edition doesn’t have any more performance than the regular Cooper S, but the Austin Seven was never about extra performance, so this new version doesn’t need to either.

Besides, performance numbers might not look attractive to muscle car fans, but this car is delightfully peppy.

Under the hood of all Cooper S models is a turbocharged 2.0 litres, four-cylinder motor that produces 189 horsepower and 207 pounds per foot of torque. This motor sends power to just the front wheels, via a six speed gearbox (manual or automatic, you get to choose).

While the manual is likely to be more fun for purists, the automatic (such as my tester) is quicker, allowing you to sprint from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in 6.8 seconds.

While I like this automatic gearbox, I wish this $1,400 option came with steering wheel mounted pedal shifters. You can still select to choose your own gears with the automatic, but the function is on the gear lever itself.

Put this car in sport mode and it’ll surprise you how quick it is. It also sounds wonderful, proving that four-cylinder turbo motors can sound wonderful. Take note, Honda.

Show this car some twisty roads and it’ll plant a smile on your face.

The MINI Cooper S might not be the fastest front wheel drive car on the planet, but its handling poise and ride quality has no equal.

Add to that, the practicality of the 5 Door model and things just keep getting better.

While many people say, that under BMW ownership, the MINI brand is getting diluted with bigger and bigger models and perhaps the only model that is anywhere near the original is the 3 Door model, but trust me on this, the 5 Door model is the best of the bunch.

Why is this the case?

The 5 Door model is only 155 millimetres longer than the 3 Door model, yet offers the practicality of having rear doors. Since MINI had to fit two doors on each side of the car, in a space that is only fractionally longer than a space for one door, each door is shorter, which actually makes it easier to get in and out of it in a parking lot, when the other car is parked right next to you.

While cabin space doesn’t look like a lot, it is surprisingly roomy, even adults can easily sit in the back seat.

As for the trunk, it is more than big enough for most people’s needs.

With the rear seats up, you get 278 litres of cargo room while folding the seats down the space goes up to 941 litres. This much space could possibly be used as a small delivery truck.

As with any BMW/MINI product, options will quickly jack up the price.

As mentioned before, the Cooper S 5 Door starts from $27,790. With all the options and packages on my tester, the price on my tester was listed at $38,740 + freight and pre-delivery inspection (PDI) at $2,245, dealer fees and HST.

For most people, that is a lot for a subcompact car. On the plus side, since I was able to average 8.0 litres/ 100 kilometres in my city and highway combined fuel economy test, at least this car is not expensive to run, I know of no other car that is this much fun to drive, and yet this economical.

The MINI Cooper is not for everyone and the masses just don’t see the value in it. For those that do understand the brand and its products, these new models are exactly what they’re looking for.

I loved my time with this Cooper S 5 Door Seven Edition, so much so, that if I had to drive it as my only car for the next 365 days, I’d be happy to. Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger version of each image.