Winners
of RTM's Most Vivacious Personality award have to offer entry-level car buyers
an incredible amount of features and technology at a nice, low price. Winners
of the Most Likely to be Remembered Award must be designed to be unforgettable
from the first time you encounter them. And to win RTM's Most Likely to Succeed
Award, a car or truck must be the most things to the most people possible-requiring
everything from grocery-getting potential to good performance to a heightened
"cool" factor to take the coveted trophy home. At
no time in the past has single car beat out the year's competition in all three
of these categories. In fact, at no time has a car won more than two categories
in the same year. Well, this year, we have such a car. And isn't it ironic that
the largest sum of accolades we've ever disbursed goes to none other than the
smallest car sold in America? Indeed, the overachieving nature of the MINI
Cooper is enough to makes you reconsider just how much size matters after
all.
| Most
Likely to Succeed - Car of the Year
Unlike
some of RTM's other awards that celebrate one aspect of an automobile or one type
of automobile, the Most Likely to Succeed Award is all-encompassing. It's not
just about style or performance or ruggedness. Furthermore, any type of vehicle
can win it, so long as it does everything well. In the past, mostly sedans and
luxury cars have struck the right balance to land the prestigious ML2S trophy.
This year, however, it goes to the multi-talented, 12-foot-long MINI
Cooper. The
MINI Cooper's enigmatic design combines BMW technologies (including a world-class
rear suspension, a responsive front-wheel-drive powertrain, six air bags and a
host of stability-enhancing electronics) with awe-inspiring packaging efficiency
to create a car that manages to be safe, practical and fun at the same time. Placing
the wheels at the corners facilitates terrific handling while carving out an uncanny
amount of passenger and cargo space inside. We
could go on, but the Cooper's story is too long to tell in the space of this article.
Just know this: the MINI Cooper is much, much more than an exercise in style.
It drives beauitifully, looks great, is built well, appeals to both men and women,
fits groceries in the back, offers excellent crash protection and has a playful,
visual charm that few cars in history can touch. And the fact that it does so
much while taking up so little space makes it that much more phenomenal. Will
it succeed? You bet. Hence, it is RTM's Most Likely to Succeed Winner for 2003.
Now, as the MINI people would say, let's motor.
Most
Vivacious Personality - Entry-Level
Just
like your best friend in high school, the MINI Cooper knows how to put a smile
on your face. There is an approachability to it, a friendly, lovable quality-something
almost human. You want to name it, talk to it, play with it. And its appeal is
univeral, no one doesn't like it. And if anyone isn't won over just by looking
at it, they are after driving it. Somehow, the Cooper manages to drive with both
pep and authority at the same time. Most Vivacious Personality was an easy win
for MINI.
Most
Likely to be Remembered - Classic
Automobile
designers dream of designing cars that will be remembered generations from now.
Often, they look to the past for themes that have stood the test of time and apply
them to their newest creations. Such success stories include the PT Cruiser, Thunderbird,
350Z. That said, there's no guarantee that a car will become a classic just because
it's inspired by a classic. The car has to look more today than yesterday, else
it will forever live in the shadow of the original.
The MINI Cooper
achieves all that. Its "face" and overall proportions evoke the playful,
efficient design elements of the 1956 original, while frameless windows, carefully
placed body seams and larger-than-they-need-to-be wheels bring the look into the
new millennium. It's still bright-eyed. It's still smiling. And it's still unforgettable.
The Most Likely to be Remembered Award is an subjective category, based almost
solely on visual impact. And the MINI is a little car that makes a big impact
indeed.
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