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"         Say what you want about the Mini Cooper S, it&amp;#039;s a genuine driver&amp;#039;s car.   Macho types may have a difficult time feeling comfortable in such a &amp;quot;cute&amp;quot; car, with its quirky exterior styling and that giant speedometer on the center dash straight out of Toontown. But let me tell you, once you start the engine and put your foot down, all visions of Roger Rabbit disappear and the charming little runabout transforms into a serious sports car. For 2007, BMW has changed the formula slightly, giving the Cooper S even more performance, with a brand-new engine, a new form of forced induction and better handling manners.   From the outside, you&amp;#039;ll barely be able to distinguish the new Mini Cooper S from the old \u2014 the front and rear bumpers have slightly changed, and the turn-signal indicators have been relocated into the headlight housings. The new car&amp;#039;s overall length has grown 2.5 in. to 146.2 to make room for a new engine: a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-4 that produces 175 bhp at 5500 rpm and 177 lb.-ft. of torque from 1600 rpm to 5000.   Yes, you read it right: The new Cooper S is turbocharged. The reason Mini engineers decided against supercharging the all-aluminum powerplant was fuel consumption. They wanted to increase output while keeping fuel economy the same as the previous model; therefore they opted for a turbocharger. Mechanically driven superchargers sap a bit of the engine&amp;#039;s power; turbos make use of exhaust gases already spent. The twin-scroll turbo in the new Cooper S delivers 12 psi of boost, which starts coming on smoothly at 1400 rpm.   As you work through the solid-feeling 6-speed manual gearbox, you&amp;#039;ll notice there&amp;#039;s hardly any lag, with even power distribution from idle all the way to redline. (Also available is a 6-speed automatic with sequential manual shifting.) BMW says that during an all-out acceleration run, peak torque climbs to 192 lb.-ft. (something the company calls &amp;quot;overboost&amp;quot;), helping the Cooper S run to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.1 seconds.   When the road becomes twisty, the most notable difference is the car&amp;#039;s steering. It&amp;#039;s quick and super-reactive, with just the right amount of boost. It&amp;#039;s a new rack-and-pinion system equipped with what BMW calls Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPAS), a variable-speed-sensitive assist system that provides the driver with two different settings, Basic for around-the-town driving and Sport when the red mist rolls in. The suspension in the new Cooper S is basically the same as the previous model&amp;#039;s, but with slightly firmer springs and shocks.   Our test car was equipped with the sport suspension (optional on the Cooper S), which exhibited excellent stability through corners while keeping ride quality smooth. Also, the optional limited-slip differential helps keep understeer minimal. On the mountain roads outside Barcelona, Spain, the Mini was a delight, displaying the balance and agility of a true performance machine \u2014 despite its front-wheel-drive configuration \u2014 as I overtook Porsche 911s and other &amp;quot;real&amp;quot; sports cars with relative ease. Look who&amp;#039;s embarrassed now.   The price of the new Mini Cooper S has yet to be announced, but we predict it&amp;#039;ll stay in the same neighborhood as the current model&amp;#039;s when it hits dealer showrooms in February. As for those who still have a complex with the Mini Cooper&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;cuteness&amp;quot;...hey, it&amp;#039;s better to be seen in one than be passed by one. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a12525/mini-cooper-s/>