I drive a 2008 Mini Cooper S, with a six speed manual transmission. The car is a fairly sharp and stylish vehicle; Strangers will often compliment me on my car. The silver racing stripes on the hood and the dual moon roof get a lot of attention. My favorite thing about the car is that it's a good commuter. The car is very fuel efficient, especially on the freeway. Despite using higher octane fuel, my gas cost has been lower since owning the car. The onboard computer will regularly estimate 40mpg on a steady, flat freeway drive. I'm a fairly tall guy, so one of the questions I get asked often is if I have enough room. Even though the car is smaller than most, it's very comfortable to drive, as long as you don't have to worry about back seat passengers. Still, the Mini probably isn't well suited as a family car. Two adults will sit comfortably, but the back seat is really only well suited for young children. The front seats are among my favorite in any car I've ridden in. Using the seat warmers in the winter makes them even more comfortable during your drive. When I first bought the car, there were a few noises in the cabin that bothered me. A couple of the noises were easily addressed by the dealer, but I still occasionally have a rattle in the front console. The road noise is not overly loud, but it is louder than I expected for a car of this quality. One worry I've had in the past year of owning the vehicle is about the reliability of the timing chain and chain tensioner. There is a widely reported problem of a "growling", indicating a stretched or damaged timing chain. Mini recently issued a service campaign for this model, and performed a free inspection and repair on my car. Despite this, it's still an issue that's in the back of my mind. Another maintenance issue is that the engine has significant amounts of carbon build up over a short time. Mini recommends cleaning as a standard maintenance procedure, but has addressed the problem in newer models. Despite these two issues, the car has only required normal maintenance and has been very reliable for me since buying it. Handling and acceleration in the car are both really good. In sport mode, the car has even more power, though it's overkill for most driving situations. Even though the car is smaller than a lot of other cars on the road, I feel completely safe driving it. The car is equipped with numerous airbags and has a good stopping power when breaking.