Crash Test Rating
Source   NHTSA
MPG (up to)
23 -28 City / 32 -36 HWY
Horsepower
115 -214
Seats
2 -4
Front angle medium view.

Positive Owner Reviews

accountCircle Gi G
Don't underestimate its small size for not being roomy on the inside.
I love the color of my car because that color is no longer available. My car is small but fast. I feel like I am in The Italian Job when I drive it.
accountCircle James B
Fun on wheels! A joy to drive and look at. Makes driving an adventure.
It's a joy to drive. It rides low, which I love, but its bumpy on rough roads. Handles like a true sports car. Not big enough for a large family, but great for a 2-3 person family. Beautiful paint job, sporty headlights. Great convertible top, with built in sunroof, if preferred.
accountCircle dorothy V
Mini's are great cars to drive.
She's convertible, reliable and economical to drive. I wish she was newer but I love to drive her with the top down .She is a beast, very dependable.
accountCircle Edward Jobling
Safety/Power
We just bought a 2006 Mini Cooper S with the Sports package and it is impressive. IT drive like a bat out of hell and although it's handling is determined by it's size which is a little bumper and even harsh at times, it handles much like any other sport car, firm to it's feet and corners like a snake.
accountCircle Erica S
My car is a manual manual transmission so be aware
It's too small. I love the manual transmission, it gets great gas mileage and I have had almost no problems with it
accountCircle Andrea H
Get a MINI Cooper S if you want to have enough power to drive up steep hills.
I love that it is a standard transmission and zippy around town. It is a beautiful blue color. I also love that it's paid off!
accountCircle Ronald L
The best thing about this car is the supercharged power and still gets good gas.
My mini comes with a supercharger that makes it very fun to drive great handling very good gas mileage you can see out in all directions has aircon great stereo and great power and large doors to make it easy to get in and out all the controls are easy to reach.
accountCircle Michele P
Small but mighty can get you anywhere you want to go
Love it. Handles great. Drives very smooth. Small but mighty.

Negative Owner Reviews

accountCircle Boris J
Mini Cooper is way small and not safe to drive with kids!
Too small. It is not driving friendly, not safe on freeways. I can't take my kids to their kindergarten and not feel very safe. I would need something more comfortable and more car safety so called. I do like how it looks, but it needs more features like the new cars have. More automatic and radio is not good.
accountCircle Greg B
Looks cool, but is expensive to run/maintain.
The car is small, which is great. However, it is hard to work on, and expensive to fix. It gets poor gas mileage.
accountCircle Callum M
The main issue with the mini cooper is the lack of comfort.
The mini cooper is a great car, though does come with some issues. The main issue is the lack of space in the vehicle, even in the driver's seat. When driving the car, my knees are too close to the wheel and the pedals are too close together, making it uncomfortable to drive. There is simply not enough space in the car fortwo backseat passengers unless they happen to be small children. The fuel gauge is an unconventional design making it difficult to measure how much gas is left.
accountCircle Jane P
Be careful with heat cooling system.
City car. Fun to drive and save energy. If you looking small car this might be your choice. Easy to find parking because it is small.
accountCircle Monica M
Repairs are awful and expensive. Not everyone knows how to work on a mini.
I like my car but the electrical is a mess and it is expensive to have repaired. The car is nice but I would not buy again.
accountCircle Madison H
That it is Great on gas and super cute! But if you want more than 3 people in it it is Not a good idea
I love my Mini Cooper because it is Different and stands out. I also like it because it is really good on gas and easy to drive, park, and maneuver. I dislike it a Little more now because I am not able to have many people ride with me.
accountCircle Ben L
If you think you want a mini cooper, than you would probably like it a lot.
The 2006 mini cooper is a great vehicle. It is fun to drive around and easy to park. The negatives are that the volume knob for the radio broke off and every time I turn the car off it makes this loud noise as it cools down.
accountCircle My Email T
Costly repairs and fairly difficult to find a reputable repairman.
Great city car, fits in almost any space. Alleviating the need to circle the block a million times. Overall stylish and cool features, however with style comes cost. Repairs on this car are very expensive and seem to come up on a regular basis. Would advise to buy this car brand new as a used model will become very costly to repair.

MINI Cooper Models

Models also known as Trim Levels, are used to identify a vehicle's level of equipment or special features.

car
Base
115 HP 32-32 MPG 4 Seats
car
S
168 HP 29-29 MPG 4 Seats
car
S w/JCW GP Kit
214 HP 2 Seats
Photos may not match model

2006 MINI Cooper Owner Reviews

4.26
46 Reviews
close Write Review
5 stars 59%
4 stars 17%
3 stars 17%
2 stars 4%
1 star 2%
accountCircle Katrina S on March 19, 2021
Mini cooper convertible-fun and sporty.
I like this car because it is small and sporty. The heated leather seats are amazing during the winter and early mornings. It handles very well in the summer months making it a fun car to drive. I have a convertible so it is nice to Cruise with the top down when it is nice outside. It gets amazing gas mileage-I can go for almost two weeks on one tank of gas to work and home. It is very reliable. I have had it for 4 years and with, routine maintenance, it has not broken down on me yet! Now for the issues I have with the car. It is very light so during the rainy season here in the great paw, my car is less fun to drive. Because it is so light it hydroplanes in the heavy rains we get here and freeway driving can feel dangerous. I have not and will never try to drive it in the snow. I have tried to get better tires but this did not make the car less likely to hydroplane. Other than the winter driving worries, this car is fun and sporty and great on gas. I recommend for areas without rain or snow though!
accountCircle Natalie F on March 12, 2021
Mini Coopers - the car that lasts.
I love my Mini Cooper. I have had zero to no problems with it since it was purchase in used in 2011 (it is a 2006 model). It drives well, and just got to about 100, 000 miles. Even with that many miles, it is still a great car! One thing I love about it is the compactness, which is great for parallel parking in the city.

Pros from Owners

likeFilled Michael A.

The Mini Cooper is great on gas. It is very fast when you need it to be. It is even better on gas on the highway. And you can park a Mini Cooper anywhere because it is so small. So if you travel around a lot then a Mini is where it is at...

likeFilled Lara G.

Small, fast, good mileage, stylish, fun, cute, little maintenance needed, has manual transmission, good price for value. It is comfortable, has all the room I need, is a hatchback, dash is attractive, has all the features I want and need. And it is VERY safe.

likeFilled Christopher D.

Fun to drive, handles very well with little body roll, has all the amenities that I wanted including leather, sunroof, can seat 4 people and has decent gas mileage. For being a little car it still goes pretty fast.

likeFilled Bethany B.

My mini is very compact so it is great for parking in small spaces or navigating large cities. If you put the back seats down you can fit almost anything in the back including a bike. It has also been a very reliable vehicle.

Cons from Owners

dislikeFilled Michael A.

The only con to the vehicle itself is the storage space. Like for shopping at the grocery store. You have five seats that you can ride comfortably. But if you go grocery shopping you have to fill up the seats because of the trunk space. It is about one foot by three feet by two foot deep...

dislikeFilled Lara G.

There are no cons with my MINI Cooper. It is dependable, reliable, fun, easy to maintain, catches people's eye, has all the features I need and want, just enough storage space for me, is fast and fun to drive, has a manual transmission.

dislikeFilled Christopher D.

Very poor ride quality. The vehicle has run flat tires so the ride is too hard and the replacement for them are really expensive. Also there is no dealer in my city so we have to take it 3 hours away for the nearest dealer and repairs are expensive.

dislikeFilled Bethany B.

It is not a good vehicle if you regularly have passengers because the back seat is so small and hard to climb in unless you are small. In addition to small passenger space there is also the high cost of maintenance and repairs compounded by expensive parts.

Ranks #7 Small Cars by Owners

The 2006 MINI Cooper has an average owner rating of 4.28 out of 5 which ranks it #7 of 22 other Small Cars.

1
car
5
2
car
4.52
7
car
4.26

Ranks #7 Small Cars by Fuel Economy

The 2006 MINI Cooper has a combined MPG of 35 which ranks it #7 of 22 other Small Cars.

1
Tie
car
44 MPG
1
Tie
car
44 MPG
7
car
34 MPG

Is The 2006 MINI Cooper A Good Car?

Yes, but it has some issues. It breaks down often. Does not start all the time. Its red and has a top down.
G K.
It has been reliable for myself. Same parts break after been fixed by the mechanics several times but that is because the work they did was faulty.
Timothy J.

How Reliable Is The 2006 MINI Cooper?

The car is very reliable, but it does have a few problems. Such as, the car does not start all the time.
G K.
No it is had basic wear and tear problems. Brakes needed to be upgraded and basic maintenance was needed.
Timothy J.

Is The 2006 MINI Cooper A Good Value?

It costs $23,400. It is a good value sometimes. However, it does have some issues. It breaks down a lot.
G K.
It is very much worth what I spent. And I added upgrades myself and spent even more. It is my dream car.
Timothy J.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the 2006 MINI Cooper S aux input location?

Answer: The 2006 MINI Cooper S aux input location is found by watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VsPhwJzN6s You will come into issues with the sound. The source could be from the stereo's speakers or a phone...

Answers are provided by third parties. We do not guarantee accuracy of responses

Safety & Reliability

NHTSA Logo
NHTSA Crash Test

Overall

Front

Rollover

Side

*National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
IIHS Logo
IIHS Crash Test

Moderate Overlap Front

Side

Roof Strength

Not Rated

Driver-side Overlap Front

Not Rated
*Insurance Institute for Highway Safety