We've known that the Mini Cooper range would be topped by a fiesty S model from the get-go, but that doesn't diminish the coolness of this hot coupe one iota. Making its world debut, the Cooper S looks the part with its air-gulping hood intake, special bumper caps, twisty-road S badge, twin chrome exhaust tips, chrome fuel filler cap, rear spoiler, and 17-inch wheels. Inside, the car is distinguished with leather trim elements, standard sport seats, "S" logo on door sill, and chrome accents. Underhood is an intercooled, supercharged variant of the 1.6-liter engine producing 163 horsepower, a significant increase over the 115 horses in the standard Mini Cooper model. Matched to a six-speed manual transmission, the S is both quick and fuel efficient. Performance claims have the S running 0-60 mph in 7.4 seconds with a 135-mph top speed.
