I just leased a new mini ...... Cooper Hardtop, White Pepper/ black roof, Automatic Trans., Premium, Convenience, Cool Weather packages. I also got the 15" wheels with 5 star stokes.

The car is for my 16 year old daughter. I didn't get the car for it's great performance otherwise I woulda got the Cooper S. I got the car because she thought it was adorable. I wanted a smoother ride for her and that's why I got the 15" wheels (all season tires) that gives her more rubber for bump absorbtion.

The 5 star stoke wheel dresses up the wheels a little better than the other 15" selection imo and made the base wheel selection a no brainer for my purposes. I also tried to stay away from the stiff "run flats". You can only do this by selecting the 15's.

I was also impressed with the automatic transmission considering the small 121 hp engine powering it. It lagged upon hard acceleration from a standstill, but not as bad as I thought it would. In sport mode the lag decreased but was still noticeable. All that is required is to gradually give it gas and the transmission is smooth enough and quick enough for the average joe. Passing power from 50 mph to 65 mph was also impressive for an undersized engine. I could only imagine how quick the S must be especially turbocharged. But then again, I don't want that for my daughter.

Bottom line ........ the car is still a lot of fun to drive even though it's not the super fast and super handling one. My daughter looks so cute in the car and it will really give her some individuality vs. all her friends getting the typical higher end sedans and trucks. I'm looking forward to driving the mini a lot for the 2 months before she gets her drivers license. After that I'm sure I won't be allowed to drive it ...lol

 

You are a good daddy, every daughter deserves a MINI, have fun with it the next 2 months.

 

+1 I second that motion. May your daughter have MINI miles of smiles.