The 2006 Mini Cooper is quite the extraordinary piece of automotive artistry. Still similar to the 2005 Mini Cooper, the 2006 Mini Cooper brings some changes to the table. If you fell in love with the 2005 Mini Cooper then prepare to fall in love all over again now a year later.
The 2006 Mini Cooper is an e-ticket carnival ride that can dry out wet pavement with its excellent handling. The shortest car on the road, it can be parked in the smallest of places. Yet it seats four, with surprisingly roomy back seats, and it can carry a generous amount of cargo. Its bulldog stance still generates smiles, four years after its introduction as a 2002 model.
Expanding, literally and figuratively, on the look of the original, the 2006 Mini Cooper maintains the classic two-box form, but with a stronger structure, smoother contours, bolder details, and better aerodynamics. Although it's grown, the Gen-II Mini still spans a mere 143.1 inches nose to tail. Short overhangs and a relatively wide track create a sporty stance that rightly indicates its superb handling skills. All versions come with alloy wheels. Cooper variants have conventional 175/65HR15 tires while S and Works models ride on 195/55VR16 run-flat rubber -- and forfeit their normal temporary spares. A variety of color combinations (roof, body, mirrors) and exterior treatments (fascia, stripes, fog lamps, wheels) allow owners to personalize their car from the factory.
The 2006 Mini Cooper cabin is a visually enticing realm where body-color metal, black plastic, argent trim, and chrome accents do look remarkably cool. Sadly, it is also a land where style often takes the measure of ergonomics. Everything you really need to drive the car is handy, including well-positioned pedals and a leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel on a tilt column. However, the design and location of much of the supporting cast leaves a lot to be desired, starting with the standard black-on-silver instrumentation.
Despite its scale, numerous warning lights, odometer readouts, and fuel and temperature sub-gauges in its lower margin seriously influence the main speedo's readability. Fixing the problem requires the Chrono Package, an option that puts proper versions of both main gauges back where they belong and fills the center ring with lesser items. Switchgear residing below the center stack -- which also houses controls for the Mini's standard AM/FM/CD audio and air conditioning systems -- is equally grim. There, finger-foiling metal loops further obstruct ill-positioned toggles for its power windows, door locks, fog lamps, and optional stability control system.
On the positive side of the ledger, the Mini's six-way manually adjustable front buckets are a driver's delight. Covered in leatherette, they are firm yet comfortable and superbly supportive. The 50/50 split folding "bucketed" rear bench is less endearing; its ability to carry even smaller adults being largely dependent on the size of the person sitting dead ahead. With both seatbacks down, cargo space more than quadruples, rising from a petite 5.3 cu ft in the coupes we drove to a more usable 23.7. Save for a climate-controlled locking glove box, interior storage is modest in scale and marginally useful for anything larger than a cell phone or sunglasses. Dual 12V power points do add some function.