2002 BMW X5 Review

TOKYO--The cute, spunky 2002 BMW Mini Cooper--one of the biggest hits at the Tokyo Motor Show--might be the next mega-hit car in America after it goes on sale in March. Some analysts think it will be as hot as the Volkswagen New Beetle and Chrysler PT Cruiser. The original Mini was a British car that soon became a cult auto in swinging 1960s London after being introduced in August 1959. It was bought by everyone from celebrities such as Paul McCartney and Peter Sellers (who owned 10) to royal family members and regular folks.

The Mini even inspired fashion designer Mary Quant to name her "miniskirt" after it. About 5.3 million were sold before production ended in October 2000.
But only 10,000 Minis were bought in the United States when offered in the 1960s; the car only cost $1,250, but was poorly marketed. Most Americans opted for the Volkswagen Beetle and its efficient sales and service organization.

The small Mini drew big crowds at the Tokyo show largely because it's perfectly sized for Japan's tight driving and parking conditions. The original British version of the car long has been popular here for that reason.
BMW took over production of the British Mini in 1994, retaining the original design. Mini Cooper designer Frank Stephenson, who also designed the popular BMW X5 sport-utility vehicle, smiled broadly as he watched show visitors stand in long lines to sit in the new Mini's well-cushioned seats and examine its chic retro-style dashboard.

"The trick was giving the BMW Mini the same general charm as the British Mini. While a British icon, it was much smaller and less roomy," said Stephenson, an American who lived overseas for years. "I practically grew up with the British Mini because my father was a Mini dealer in Europe. I never dreamed that I would design a new version of the car.


"Many designs for the new Mini were submitted at BMW, but most were too extreme," Stephenson said. "We had to take about a 40-year jump since the original Mini was introduced, but needed to keep the genetic DNA of that car. The 2002 model had to have such things as the original-style grille and basic shape so people would instantly recognize it as being a Mini."
While Stephenson saw to it that the new Mini retains nearly all the charm of the original, it's 18 inches longer and 14 inches wider. The original Mini, which was basically unchanged during its life, was only 10 feet long.

"The first-generation Mini was a bare-bones car, but the new model is more refined and sophisticated. After all, it comes from BMW, although it's a distinctly independent BMW brand," he said. Indeed, the new Mini has the same refined, upscale interior look and feel as a regular BMW. And it's said to be a blast to drive. The original Mini also was a kick to drive, but a heater was optional and there was no provision for a radio. The windshield washer had to be manually pumped.

Despite its BMW parent, the Mini is affordable. BMW said the base model will cost under $18,000 while the hot rod Mini Cooper S version will be priced at less than $21,000.
And standard items include an AM/FM audio system with an in-dash CD player, traction control, anti-lock brakes, tire pressure warning system and power windows and door locks. Safety items include six air bags with head protection system. The S model will have such things as a sport suspension and bigger tires. Options include a sun-roof and run-flat tires.

The Mini initially will be sold in America by about 70 dealers, with three in the Chicago area. Approximately 20,000 Minis are expected to be sold in America out of worldwide production of 100,000 units during the car's first full calendar sales year. However, Mini spokesman Andrew Cutler said worldwide production can be doubled, with considerably more Minis coming to America. "This is a young-at-heart car that should attract people of all ages, from new college graduates to 65-year-old retired persons," Cutler said.
The new Mini allows four 6-footers to fit with reasonable comfort--although they have little room to spare.

The new-generation model also is a lot more powerful than the old Mini, with the standard version of the car's 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine having 115 horsepower and the "S" version producing 163 horsepower. The original Mini had a much smaller 34-horsepower four-cylinder--although the car was so light it could top 70 mph. The more powerful S version was considerably faster and won many races.
The regular new Mini has a five-speed manual transmission or optional continuously variable automatic transmission, while the S comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox.

BMW says the base model provided 26 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway for a combined rating of 35 mpg during European tests, while the S version has a combined rating of 33.6.
High fuel economy--not speed--was a major goal of the original Mini's genius designer, Sir Alec Issigonis. He'd been told by British Motor Corp. in 1957, after national gas rationing caused by the Suez Canal crisis, to design a very small, inexpensive, fuel-stingy car for narrow British roads that could swallow four adults and luggage.

Issigonis threw away the rule book for small-car design and came up with a revolutionary auto. He made the Mini very roomy for its size partly by giving it an engine mounted sideways that drove the front wheels through a manual transmission built into the engine sump--a concept never tried before. Wheels were pulled to its far corners to help allow an unprecedented 80 percent of the body to be left for occupant accomodation.
If the old Mini lasted about 40 years, how long will the modern version be around? Stephenson said that is anyone's guess. The original Mini was a British car that soon became a cult auto in swinging 1960s London after being introduced in August 1959.