POLL: Which would you choose and why, if you have an observation or opinion of why?

[Skid Row Joe]

• Mini Cooper
• Fiat
• Smart Car
• NONE of the above

(FYI - I would go with the MINI COOPER........)

[TheDon]

Mini cooper S. because it looks like fun

[spdrun]

Fiat. More cargo room than a Smart + seats 4 in a real pinch, fun to drive (rented one and drove it on desert roads that would make most kimchi burners fall apart, then test drove an Abarth), and not a bloated oink like the Mini.

Plus irritating the partisans of Ralphie Nadir who ask "what if you get sideswiped by an 18-wheeler?" is fun.

[davidmash]

Test drove the Mini a few years ago. loved it. Im 6'4" and I had plenty of room. Fun to drive. I drove the Cooper S.

Never drove the other two .

[Hatterasguy]

None of the above don't want to drive or own a vehicle smaller than a SWB S class.

Unless its a hard core sports car.

[The Swede]

Fiat if it was an Abarth

[MTI]

If its not the turbo Abrath, the 500 is a slug.

[spdrun]

Originally Posted by MTI

If its not the turbo Abrath, the 500 is a slug.

So's a 240D. If you need massive hp, you epicfail at driving and/or are afraid to rev the thing out high enough. And before people chime in and say "traffic in my area is much worse than in the Northeast" ... we have short entrance ramps to 1930s-era freeways. And I drove the Fiat in CA, where people drive both quickly and stupidly.

[TheDon]

The fiat, like the mini is bland unless you get the s/abarth

[MagnumPI]

I did choose, the Mini S. More fasts, funs and modifications than the rest. And definitely Turbo over the supercharger. But first thing in any case, get rid of the runflats.

[Can't Know]

Having driven the Mini and 500, I'd pick the Mini without question. The Smart and 500 are true city cars, just punishment on a trip. I'm repeating what I've heard about the Smart, but speaking from a week's experience with the Fiat and several drives in Minis.

The Mini is a mature design and works like it. Terrific engine, heck, terrific everything. And a very clever use of space. It's pricey, but it's worth the premium.

[Skippy]

I've only driven the Mini, so I can't pick at this point. I would like to try the other two.

[layback40]

I had a cooper S for a short time about 40 years ago. The new ones are a bit of a con, not a real cooper S.
The Germans may have lost the war but they have now taken one of the British icons !!

[SwampYankee]

Even as a taller than average fat guy, I dig small cars even though I don't currently own any. I WILL have a "real" Mini Cooper in my garage someday. The Abarth Fiat fascinates me. I've got friends with tuned late model Mini's that are fun, they just aren't quite mini enough. Not that I wouldn't drive one if the right deal came along. I'm not opposed to the Smart's miniscule size, I just don't think the fuel mileage is anywhere near where it should be. Especially the gas-only American version.

In this order:

Austin Mini Cooper #1


Abarth Fiat #2

Bloated BMW Mini Cooper #3

Smart a distant #4. If was a diesel (previously available in Canada but not here), it might jump a position just due to its fuel mileage. Certainly not much fun-factor, though.

[spdrun]

The Austin Minis are more common than you'd think in the DC area. Remember that anything made before 1988 can be legally imported without hassle from the NHTSA pigs, and they were made from the 50s through the 90s.