2017 MINI Hardtop 4 Door

People consider a compact car for many reasons, mostly practicality and value. After all, a compact vehicle has a low entry-level price point, is easy to park no matter where you go, and fuel-efficient enough to get you there without blowing next month's budget. Although many compacts are appealing on a logical level, they are often missing elements that prevent a truly emotional connection. If you buy a 2017 Mini Cooper Hardtop, though, those elements are fully intact.

The 2017 Mini Hardtop is not like other compact cars. It packages the intrinsic strengths of a compact and injects them with a healthy shot of excitement, a rare combination in this price class. Much of the excitement comes from the three available turbocharged engines. The base Cooper's 134-horsepower three-cylinder is surprisingly peppy, while the Cooper JCW pumps out nearly 100 more hp.

The key for us, though, is the customization factor. The Hardtop's affordable base price is really just a jumping-off point for a seemingly endless options list, which really allows you to make the Convertible your own. If you want snazzy 18-inch wheels to replace the standard 15-inch rims, you can have that. If you want full leather upholstery, side mirrors painted like the British flag or adaptive suspension dampers to tailor your driving style, you can have all that, too. Just be prepared to pay a little bit extra. Or maybe a big bit extra, depending on how far you go.

The Mini Hardtop is tops for customization and style, but a few other subcompacts might be worth your while to check out. The Ford Fiesta is plenty practical but still reasonably fun to drive, especially if you get the high-octane ST variant. The Italian flair of the Fiat 500 can't be ignored, and the energetic Abarth version is sure to put a smile on your face. If you don't mind going slightly bigger, the Volkswagen Golf and Golf GTI, Ford Focus and Focus ST, and Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ twins will all fuel your desire for a sporty car with a manageable size. Even with all these strong choices, though, it's hard to ignore the charm and fun offered by the 2017 Mini Hardtop. It is really that good.

Standard safety features on the 2017 Mini Hardtop include antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags, front knee airbags and full-length side curtain airbags. Rear parking sensors and a rearview camera are optional.

In government crash tests, the two-door Hardtop received four out of five possible stars for overall protection, with four stars for total front-crash protection and four stars for overall side-impact protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Hardtop hatchback its top score of Good in the moderate-overlap and small-overlap front-impact crash tests, as well as a Good score in the side-impact, roof strength and head restraint (whiplash protection) tests.

In Edmunds brake testing, several Mini Hardtops with summer tires have come to a halt from 60 mph between 113 and 116 feet. These stopping distances are good for the class but a little underwhelming given the summer-rated tires. However, a Convertible Cooper S with Pirelli P Zero summer tires came to a stop in an astounding 101 feet. Although we haven't tested a Hardtop with all-season tires, we expect them to come to a stop about 15 feet longer than those equipped with summer tires.

The 2017 Mini Hardtop is available as a two- or four-door hatchback. Both body styles are available in base Cooper and Cooper S versions, while the high-performance John Cooper Works (JCW) trim is reserved for the two-door hatch.

All Cooper models come standard with 15-inch alloy wheels, an electronic limited-slip differential, automatic headlights, automatic wipers, heated mirrors, remote locking/unlocking, keyless ignition, a leather-wrapped tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, automatic climate control, a cooled glovebox, cruise control, height-adjustable front seats, a center armrest, leatherette (premium vinyl) upholstery and 60/40-split folding rear seatbacks. Technology highlights include Bluetooth connectivity, smartphone app integration, a 6.5-inch display screen, and a six-speaker sound system with HD radio, a USB port and an auxiliary input jack.

The Cooper S adds a more powerful engine, a hood scoop, dual center-mounted exhaust tips, 16-inch wheels with run-flat tires (regular tires are optional), LED foglights, sport seats and adjustable driving modes.

Additional equipment for the John Cooper Works variant includes 17-inch wheels, Brembo front brakes, a sport-tuned suspension, LED headlights, an even more powerful engine, an aerodynamic body kit, a rear spoiler, a sport steering wheel and special seats with cloth upholstery. The standard suspension is available as a no-cost option for the JCW.

Although there are many standalone options, most are bundled into packages. The Premium package consists of keyless entry, a dual-pane sunroof and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. The Sport package includes adjustable dampers, 16-inch wheels (17-inch wheels on the Cooper S), sport seats, adjustable driving modes and LED headlights. The Technology package bundles a rearview camera, rear parking sensors, a navigation system and an 8.8-inch display screen. The Fully Loaded package combines all three packages, while a separate Cold Weather package adds auto-dimming mirrors, power-folding exterior mirrors and heated front seats.

Other available features include a head-up display, an automated parking system, and cloth or leather upholstery. Even more personalization is available through a large selection of custom details such as hood stripes, contrasting hardtop roof colors and special interior trim pieces.

Regardless of engine or number of doors, the 2017 Mini Hardtop comes standard with a six-speed manual transmission (with hill start assist and automatic rev-matching for smooth and simple downshifts), while a six-speed automatic (also with rev-matching) is optional. For extra fuel savings, an automatic stop-start feature shuts off the engine while the car is stopped.

The base engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder that develops 134 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. In Edmunds testing, a two-door with the automatic transmission recorded a 0-60 mph time of 7.4 seconds. That's a quick time and second only to the Ford Fiesta ST in the subcompact class. Fuel economy is also impressive, especially considering the available performance — the EPA estimates you'll get 32 mpg combined (28 city/38 highway) for the two-door model with the manual, while the manual four-door earns 32 mpg combined (28 city/37 highway). Both automatic versions return estimates of 30 mpg combined (27 city/36 highway).

The Cooper S is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 189 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters are available for automatic-equipped models. In our testing, a four-door S with the automatic sprinted from zero to 60 in 6.3 seconds (just a tick slower than a VW Golf GTI). Fuel economy for the two- and four-door Cooper S is estimated at 28 mpg combined (25 city/32 highway) with the automatic, while the manual is rated at 26 mpg combined (23 city/32 highway).

The John Cooper Works variant (solely available on the two-door) ups the output of the turbocharged 2.0-liter to 228 hp and 236 lb-ft. We tested a JCW with a manual transmission and achieved a 0-60 mph time of 6.2 seconds; Mini says an automatic-equipped JCW is a few tenths of a second quicker. EPA-estimated fuel economy is the same as the Cooper S.