Often discussions of the F56 will reference the growth in size among the MINI generations and, often, that the F56 grew "too much".

Eye of the beholder, of course.

But that got me wondering about the size growth: what are we talking here, exactly?

So with a few minutes research, I came up with this small table. Sorted by overall length, longest to shortest, you can see how the MINI generations fit in with some other "small car" market choices.

Most data from the automobile-catalog.com site, except where it didn't have a couple of them (the Golf Mk6 was one) and I had to resort to Wikipedia.

 

It is interesting how small differences can make a noticeable difference. I had my M Coupe at the time my boss had an R50 and it was funny how differently proportioned they were. Just for reference:

Z3 M Coupe
Length - 158.5"
Wheelbase - 96.3"

F55 5 Door Cooper
Length - 156.7"
Wheelbase - 101.1"

 

My MINI looks big, inside and out. Not until I park next to a small econobox, do I realize it's still a small car.