ÏI ortlanb ffibseruer Page B6 p o r t U m IO © s e rv e r Äui© R .e v ie w March 21. 2007 News and reviews on new motor vehicles Evolutionary on the Outside ~ Revolutionary on the Inside by K athleen C arr The BMW Mini Cooper is a throwback to its ancestor of the same name, mimicking its appear­ ance and performance. The original Mini w a s launched in I9 5 9 ataco s, of $786. and not much changed until 1974 when BMW purchased the English carmaker. BMW ’ssuc- cessful launch of the Mini Cooper in 2002 quickly made it the most recognized car on the road. The 2007 Mini Cooper is expected to maintain the brand's reputation for excellent resale value, retaining an anticipated 61 percent of its value after 36 months. The Mini Cooper hatchbacks are redesigned for 2007, gaining slightly more power and marginally larger dimensions. Though forced to redesign the car to meet the Eu­ ropean safety standards. BMW designers were reluctant to risk messing w ith a successful formula. Unless parked side-by-side it would be hard to distinguish the 2007 model front its predecessors. Nev­ ertheless. though the same chassis has been used, there is not a single exterior panel that is common be­ tween the two cars. The front of the 2007 Mini had to be restyled to conform to the rigid European restrictions on exte­ rior panel shapes for pedestrian safety, as well as to adapt to the shaped of the new engine. The hatchback is two inches longer, w ith a slightly longer nose and taller hood. H ow ever, the designers didn't want to loose the iconic bull­ dog image of the new Mini, and the remainder of the car had to be re­ styled as well. Describing the new model Mini Cooper, the designers called it “evo­ lutionary on the outside, revolu- tionary on the inside." The interior still has a sporty look to it, though now a bit less extreme, with the enlarged round speedometer in the center of the dash, and the tachom­ eter mounted on and moving with the tilt-adjustable steering column to remind owners of the classic Mini heritage and campy style. Though the rear seat wouldn’t ever be argued to be overly comfort­ able for adults, changes in the con­ tours of the rear seats have added about an inch of rear legroom, so that even adults can endure a short ride in the back seat. With the large rear hatch and separate folding rear seatbacks, the Mini isquite flexible in configuration, though its overall size limits luggage space, but still allows enough to accommodate two travel­ ers luggage for a 2-week vacation. If you crave uniqueness then you will love the factory capabilities of tailoring a Mini Cooper with your own flair, loaded with Englishcharm and German engineering. The 2007 Mini Cooper is fun. SPECIFICATIONS: 1.6-1 iter, 16-valve inline 4-cy Under, 118-hp engine; 6-speed manual transmis­ sion; 32 MPG-City, 40 MPG-Highway; $ 2 7 ,0 0 0 MSRP. S ports Portland Observer All Stars 5A Mens Basketball All League First Team All League 6A Men’s Basketball All League First Team All League Ameer Shamsud-din Jamar Johnson Paul McCoy MarioGill Kevin Reynolds Connor Kavanaugh Benson Benson Grant Wilson Lincoln Lincoln Jefferson Alum Stands Out 6’2 6’2 6’l 6’0 6’3 6*0 Junior Junior Junior Junior Senior Senior C oach of the Y e a r - David Adelman. Lincoln HS P la v e ro f the Y ear - Paul McCoy, G rant HS Antwon Wooten Richard Townsend Gant Anthony Golden Cameron Jackson Sean Gaines Sam Glasgow Otho Lesure Jefferson Jefferson Madison Roosevelt Madison Cleveland Roosevelt Senior Senior Junior Junior Junior Senior Junior 6’3 6’5 6T 6*0 6’4 6'3 6’3 Coach o f,h e Y ear - Robert Key, R oose ve ltH S Player of the Year-Cameron Jackson-Roosevelt HS Second Team All League Warren King Brandon Jones David McNair Mike Moser Sean Brownhill Conor Johnson Lincoln Grant Franklin Grant Franklin Lincoln 6’4 5’10 6’3 6’6 6’2 6'2 Senior Senior Sophomore Sophomore Senior Senior Janita Badon Nyesha Sims Tryisha Blake Shawndcz Santiago Amanda Anderson Lissie Parr 5’6 5’8 5’8 5’8 5’9 5’4 Junior Junior Sophomore Junior Freshman Senior Coach o f,h e Y e a r - Mike Bontemps, 7