Affordable crossovers aren't exactly the land of excitement when it comes to performance.
Crosstrek: 152hp 2.0L
HR-V: 140hp 1.8L
CX-3: 146hp 2.0L
You need to step up to something from Europe (at 1.5-2x the price) for any kind of performance as far as I can think of.
The Mini and Not So Mini is almost comical.
The Modern Mini is goddamn awful.
Have either of you ever driven one?
You're entitled to your opinions; just curious if they're informed by experience. I've had this conversation with YW so I know the basis of his dislike.
The first gen of the newer mini was great...the ones after that I'm not a fan of.
Visually the R53 and R56 MINI's are not that much different, but the R56 is a much more sorted and reliable car from what I can tell. Carlo had an R53 and from what I know he spent his ownership chasing electrical gremlins. Our R56, other than having some bad coils at about 55k, has been quite uneventful.
I may be looking at this somewhat pedantically. I think the MINI hardtop/hatch are great cars. I think the other offerings which have swelled up like a 8 year old with the mumps are a betrayal of the brand. The four stretched Clubmans with barn door rears and other silly offerings can all go drive into a lake as far as I'm concerned.