One would assume the smaller Mini, with fewer seats, is lighter than its four-seat brother, but unfortunately their curb weights are – at least according to Mini – exactly the same! Although that weight is not excessive by today’s standards (at approximately 2700lbs (1230kg) averaged for the manual and automatic), I was hoping for a little bit less weight in this Coupe model.

Not that the Coupe is not fun to drive. In fact, it is one of the most fun-to-drive vehicles I have tested in quite some time. Power with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine is addictive, with its 181hp and 177lb-ft of torque from 1,600 – 5000 rpm; it is all I can do but stay out of the accelerator to save my license.

And when you are not indulging in the brisk acceleration of passing or merging onto highway on-ramps, you can’t help yourself scoot along the least direct route to your destination via the kind of twisty roads that you feel this car can easily attack without you even thinking about lifting off the accelerator.

Like all Minis to come before the Coupe, this vehicle is no exception to that handling rule. It sticks like glue, it feels like a go-kart and it simply offers the driver that excitement they are looking for. But there are some downsides: road noise is a little intrusive if you consider that the cost of this vehicle approaches $40,000. But perhaps more important is the sports suspension that offers two modes, stiff and stiffer. That is not aided in any way by the 205/45/R17 performance run-flat tires; the stiff ride may get a little tiring to all but the most hardcore drivers out there, when all you really want to do is get to work and back. It has been proven by some manufacturers that you can have your cake and eat it too, but the Mini is one of the stiffest rides out there… unfortunately.

Day 2

I seem to be in a very small minority of people who think this new Mini is not a bad-looking car. Based on the comments here, everyone thinks it is ugly, but it is not unattractive in the metal, and it is even better looking when you are inside of it.

The interior is not really any different than any other Mini Cooper, so if you have been in one you know that there is a gigantic speedometer dead centre of the dash. You know the tachometer is in its proper location directly in front of the driver, and you know that all the switches are retro-styled toggle switches that seem odd at first but work just fine.

From the driver’s seat, the only thing that seems different is when you turn your head to check your blind spot and there is no seat behind you, just a small window to peer through. When you look through the rear-view mirror, you are also reminded as the back window is rather small, compromising your view behind, but why would you need to look back, with a car this fun to drive?

Some interior improvements over the years have made it into the coupe, including ambient mood lighting around the armrests in the doors. There is a ski pass-through which is a good size, although I’m not sure how useful it actually would be for skis as the car is fairly short. The trunk itself (a hatchback design) is very generous, and the high lift hatchback design lends itself to a storage space that is more useful.

Driver and passenger are offered a good amount of space to move around, but it is a two-seater so don’t expect too much. Missing is a centre armrest which would make longer drives more comfortable, but the driving position is pretty much perfect for ripping up those “B” roads.

Day 1

This is what I look forward to week in week out: a driver’s car. A car which was designed to provide the driver with pure motoring fun and is capable of delivering. But then, of course, for the most part these vehicles are also daily driven, so they need to offer convenience and practicality for this duty.

This week I’m behind the wheel of the all-new 2012 Mini Cooper S coupe. The astute will note that the Mini has always been a coupe in the traditional sense of the word — a two-door vehicle.

This Coupe though is not only a two door vehicle, but also a two-seater. So how do you make a Mini even less practical? Take out two seats!

This is the first car I’ve ever driven that comes with a built-in helmet. At least, that is what the roof looks like to me. A little odd, but it certainly is unique and one must also note the interior headliner has cut-outs for the driver and passenger to sport helmets of their own.

My tester is an S model; the coupe follows Mini’s traditional Cooper, Cooper S and John Cooper Works packages, starting with a base price of $31,150. My coupe is equipped with a Special Launch Edition Package for $1,000 that offers black headlights, auto-dimming rear view mirror, heated front seats, rain sensors, dynamic traction control and media connect.

Also on my tester is the $500 Style Package and the $1640 Sport package which adds the all important Sport Suspension.