Winding Road Issue 18 for March 2007 has a lengthy article comparing the 2007 MINI Cooper S with the Volkswagen GTI and the Volvo C30 T5. While they discuss the good and bad attributes of each car, they don’t declare a winner. Things they like in the MINI: the light weight, wider powerband, interior (mostly), seat position, steering, Web-Spoke wheels, and its “flick-ability”. Things they dislike: rear seat space, remote mirror adjustment knob placement, thin interior plastic, and straight-line speed.

Register your email address for a free three-year “subscription” and download the article at Winding Road.