Ok, so my husband has been promising me one for about a year now. And in his last ditch effort to put off the purchase he brought up a good question.
"Is it going to get you through the snow here in Denver?"

Is there anyone out there that can help me defend my case with cold, hard facts?

 

Lots of folks made it through last winter in Denver.
No sweat. Get the car!!!

 

Check out THIS THREAD for more information. This topic has been discussed a couple of times.

I found the above thread through the "Search" function just above us ^.

 

The MINI will give you more winter happiness than the husband who won't buy you one....

 

>>"Is it going to get you through the snow here in Denver?"
>>
>>Is there anyone out there that can help me defend my case with cold, hard facts?

Well, almost nothing would have helped with the big one in March, but a basic answer would be "yes." My MCS did fine. I picked it up in early February and we survived with no damage. Of course, I'm a Denver native and I know very well what I am doing. I am happier in a manual transmission for winter driving. The advantages of the MINI in winter really come from the feedback. I know exactly what the car is doing. Brake feedback is fantastic and the suspension helped as well, but I don't know if the new shock oil is going to change that. Steering wheel feedback was so-so, but it's pretty good as power steering vehicles go. Anyway, the biggest mini winter advantage is the information the car gives you by keeping you very connected to the road.
I also would like to point out that the quick reflexes can result in over correction if you don't take the time to get used to them first, but once you know how the car behaves, you may never have to hit a pothole again. You can dodge them like nobody's business. I would watch out for big melt offs as it does tend hydro/aquaplane a bit more than other cars I've driven.