No Small Feat; It doesn't take a lot of car to keep us smiling, just the right one.(News)

Byline: NATALIE NEFF

Few cars leave our long-term fold to the cries of tearful goodbyes. Fewer still leave permanent hollows in our hearts, palpable, sucking voids that feel impossible to fill. The Nissan 350Z comes immediately to mind, as do both of our Porsche Boxsters, the original as well as the S. Joining such esteemed company, perhaps even overshadowing them, is the departed Mini Cooper S. How much we miss our littlest ride!

We were besotted from the first moment we laid eyes on it. Most of us were, anyway, and those who weren't mostly quibbled about poor cupholder design, awkward door pulls and difficult rear-seat access. But when a car delivers as much fun as the Mini did, those kinds of complaints mean little.

And was it ever fun. "This is a street-legal go-kart,'' said one editor early on. "This car is nothing but fun, from its bright red paint and white stripes to its diminutive, low-slung design to its zippy never-out-of-breath supercharged engine.'' The car turned every bend in the road into a Watkins Glen in miniature, every tight roadway into a virtual Monte Carlo. Little kids and big kids alike turned and smiled, pointed and waved as we drove by, even months into our loan. Never did a single staffer ever complain about the driving experience the Cooper S delivered. "It's the most fun I've had (911 Turbo excluded) on a public road in a long time.'' And that from arguably the biggest car snob on staff.

Our long-term Mini arrived last year just as we'd specified it, donning a pair of snazzy, go-fast bonnet stripes with matching wheels, side mirrors and roof, all in crisp white over a "chili red'' base coat. Those wheels came in 16-inch form rather than the "sportier'' 17-inch option. Experience with the more aggressive tires convinced us to forgo spending a year with the harsh ride that comes with them, despite whatever superior autocross times they might have supplied.

We also ordered the premium package, which added a multifunction steering wheel with cruise and audio controls, expansive sunroof, automatic climate controls and an onboard computer. On top of that we had Mini slap on the cold weather package, with its heated washer jets, mirrors and seats that were always welcome through a long, cold winter.

All told, our little long-termer posted an MSRP of $21,605. Considering how few problems the car encountered during its year in our stead, the Mini also proved to be one of the most reliable, best-built cars we've had the pleasure of evaluating. The car spent but a few hours in service and it never stayed in the shop overnight. It didn't require its first service until 12,000 miles. The recommended first service interval was 10,000 miles, but the onboard service interval computer (thank parent company BMW for that) calculated that plenty of oil life remained at that point. That first service ended up being the only one the car required, at which point we also had the automatic locks disabled, the ECU software updated, tires rotated, a broken ashtray replaced, the tailgate latch tightened and rattles in the sunroof and passenger-door panel erased. Close to the end of the Mini's stay ...