Is the MINI considered a Sports Car?

Allow me to introduce my self before we get this one kicked-off. I am a Miata owner and I am an editor of Miata Magazine - for the last 10 years. I have owned a few “sports cars” in the last couple of decades and note that even Sports Car Magazine will not “truly” define what a sports car is. With that in mind...

I currently own a ’04 MCS and I love it. But, can a Front Wheel Drive (FWD) car be a sports car? Can you name a FWD race car? Can a FWD be a true sports car? I know this car is a great performer in Autocross, but is it a really a sports car?

As Mike Myers would say in his role as Linda Richmond in Coffee Talk on Saturday Night Live... let’s discus....

 

There is the Realtime Acura TSX competing in the Speed World Challenge.

Plenty of race FWD cars in SCCA too.

 

Is it a sports car?...uh...yeah it is and happens to be one of the best.Geez...

 

Of course it's a sports car and one of the best values on the planet. Since when does FWD mean it can't be considered a sports car and if it is not a sports car...what would it be?

 

Anyone who's really driven one has absolutely no doubt that it is, indeed, a sports car. What anyone else thinks, who cares?

 

There are a lot of people who do not consider a Miata a sports car - just an imitation sports car for people who want to look like they are driving a sports car. As an automotive editor, you must have some sort of definition in mind for what a "sports car" is. Is my 91 Mercury Capri XR2 a "sports car." It seats 4, and is front wheel drive, so does that disqualify it? Is any 2 + 2 disqualified? Like some Ferraris?

If you are old enough, was a Saab Sonnet a sports car? No stick shift.
Are any american cars which were designed to go fast in a straight line a "sports car" or just a potential drag racer? Was an Oldsmobile 442 a sports car? Was any Muscle car a sports car? For that matter is a Mustang a sports car. A Corvair turbo?

There is an automotive continuum which runs from truck on one end to ultimate driving machine on the other. Every car fits in there somewhere. The definition of a sports car for me is a car too impractical for anything but enjoying the ride. No passenger space. No luggage space. Too much power. Holds two anorexic rich people.

Most other so-called sports cars are really just "sporty cars," meant to allow the owner to act like he is rich or just does not give a damn enough to own a real sports car. As a Miata owner you know what I mean.

Then there are Sports Sedans, an oxymoron where the owner does not even keep the illusion of a sports car - just a peppy sedan which a racing stripe or big wheels or some knick-knack off a real sports car. These pretenders admit out loud that they do not have the money to own a real car AND a sports car. Plus, they are usually not anorexic enough.

For gods sake, the "S" in SUV stands for "sport." Iceland and Greenland all over!

Is the Mini a "Sports Car?" No. It is a wonderful sports sedan with great handling and image. You can imagine that you are in a Zagato or 350 California and feel the burn. In a Miata you don't even get that.

 

I'd say no :-) Sports car = 2 seats and convertible. GT = has more cargo space than it's convertible sibling.

Now there are fast cars out there, no doubt about it, but it doesn't make them sports cars. Just like the Mustang GT isn't a GT car.

Vette's, Vipers, BMW Z3's/4's, Miatas, S2000's, Porsche Boxters/ 911's (those 2 back seats I consider the trunk since if you've ever tried fitting 2 people in them it's near impossible), Aston Martins (yum), Jag XK8/R's, Ferrari's (see porsche 911 comments on rear seats), Lambos, Audi TT convertibles, Cadillac XLR, Lotus elise, MBZ SL/K, TVR's.

If I was going to look at the ultimate "sports car" I think the Elise is the #1 choice right now hands down. GT car would be between the Vette, Viper, BMW M Coupes, Ferrari 575M, and Aston Martin V12 Vanquish.

People say sedans can be sports cars. While today's sedans are great cars, and very trackable, they are really mass market sedan platforms built fast. Take a E46M3 versus an Elise (I've only driven a S1 Sport 190 so not the new US model) and it will be stupidly obvious what the difference between a fast sedan and a real sports car is.

Patrick

 

Yes, I agree. Even the legendary 911 is becoming less sporty and I'm starting to think it's no longer a "sports car".

fwiw, I don't think the Mini qualifies as a sports car because of the FWD and its anemic power (yes, even the MCS).

 

I would have to say the Mini is a sports car. Fun fun fun!
Larry

 

YES! Yes, yes, yes, indisputably, yes. Any car with multiple Monte Carlo wins to its pedigree must be considered a sports car.
WRONG! "2 seats and convertible" == Roadster or Spider which is a subset of Sports Car. Examples of Roadsters being the venerable Alfa Romeo Spider (Duetto) 1750 Veloce or the odious knock-off thereof known as the Miata.

 

I say stop the debate and just enjoy your car for what it is.

I judge a car's 'sports car'ness' on its performance/handling. I have driven an E46 M3. My step mother owns a Carrera and my dad had owned two 97' 993 twin turbos, last of the air cooled. These all have back seets, funtional or not. I say that as a passenger or a driver if you need to remeber to breath when stepping on the gas, pressing the brake, or ripping around a corner, it's a sports car. And yes, according to my definition, even an E55 w/ 469hp and nearly 5k lbs is a sports car. My dad's current car a Ceyenne, is deffinatley not a sports car, although a blast to drive, that's where I draw the line. Absolutely no SUV or truck is a 'sports' anything.

 

My MINI is a sports car because I say it's so. It has been known to be involved in sports...know what I mean?..nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

 

>Is the MINI considered a Sports Car?
Well, mine's just a sporty coupe. :smile:

 

I wouldn't necessarily say "sports car", I'd say it's a "sporty car".

 

Here's one for a kicker. My insurance agent commented " the MINI isn't considered a sports car so your rate will be low...". Do insurance companies flag a definition for a sports car or just use that term for HP to weight ratio?

Whatever, it was cheaper then my 4 year old Prelude. HA!

I'll call it a "Rally Car" no one can dispute that.

 

I think their simple definition was if it was a 2dr 2 seater or not.

 

Sports car? It better not be because my insurance would be waaaay higher.

Is it a big go kart? Not as low and not as stiff but just as fun as one.

 

The irony of someone involved in Miatas asking about what a sportscar is is just too sweet to bear..........PS: Don't you just love sentences with two "is" in a row?

 

We've had this discussion before and it always boils down to your
definition of "sports car".
http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Sports_car
http://www.webster-dictionary.org/de...n/sports%20car
Noun 1. sports car - a small low car with a high-powered engine; usually seats two persons
Synonyms: sport car
http://www.free-definition.com/Sports-car.html

If you allow a full back seat then the MINI is a Sports car but for most people it is really a Sports sedan or Sporty sedan. A track version of an MCS with all unneeded weight removed would be a Sports car.

 

As with many conundrums in life...maybe the answer is: "well, it is...and it isn't."

After all, we were just given something to talk about....

 

I don't know what the official definition of a sports car is, but I consider my MINI to be a high-performance premium compact hatchback! And MINI-motoring is very sporty!

Clover

 

it all boils down to what you think a sports car should be.. im sure everyone's got a different opinion

one can make a case that the original catham 7 isn't a sports car because it's low on power, one can make a case that the daihatsu copen is a sports car simply cuze it's a 2 seater...

to me, mini is as much a sports car as anything that drives like it (and there isn't much), in my book, mini qualifies as a sports car, as much as elise, evos, skylines, 350z, 911, basically anything that makes the driver feel part of the road, not devoid of it because it thinks you can't drive

 

I didn't ask what a sports car is. I wanted to know if others considered their MINI a sports car.

 

Well in that case,

My MCS "IS" a sports car.
Don't look in the rear seat.
They are just there so I have attachment points for my Schroth harnesses and a place to store my helmet and gloves.

P.S. Don't tell my insurance agent I said that. He thinks the MINI is an economy car.

 

If the Miata isn't a sportscar I'd say sportscars don't exist. As for my MINI, I consider it first and foremost a "fun car". If you took a vote and asked this question, "which of these two cars most closely fits your definition of a sports car, Miata or MINI," my guess would be the Miata would win hands down.

I even thought about getting a Miata when I bought my MINi but I checked out the Miata and preferred the MINI.


R.E.