Audio controls have been moved from the center stack into the bottom half of the speedometer dial, and the heating and air conditioning controls have been compressed below it. These changes reduce the width of the center stack, which increases knee and leg room in the foot wells, answering a common complaint against the previous model.

For a car that has the smallest exterior of any four-passenger vehicle on the road, the Mini is surprisingly spacious inside. Even a six-foot, five-inch driver will be comfortable in the front seat; and the three manual levers, controlling height, rake, and front-rear position, allow both driver and passenger to find a comfortable position.

We found the seats comfortable for long-distance driving. The driving position is excellent. The few changes that were made to the seats for 2007, improving the shape and position of the bolsters, have only improved these characteristics.

Upholstery and trim was upgraded for 2007, as well, and the range of customizing possibilities expanded. At the one extreme, by electing sport seats with leather and contrasting cloth trim, along with metal accents and ambient lighting, the buyer can create a very trendy, fast-and-furious interior look. At the other extreme, by opting for very-English leather seats with contrasting piping, trim panels matching the piping color, and real wood accents, a more conservative buyer can evoke an upscale, almost Rolls-Royce appearance in the interior.

Heating and air-conditioning controls in the base model are straight-forward, but owners can also select the automatic climate control system, cleverly configured in the shape of the winged Mini logo, which maintains a constant temperature dialed in by the occupants.

The audio controls, now built into the speedometer dial, are almost too clever for their own good, sacrificing ease of use for design symmetry. For example, though the tuning knob is in the audio cluster, the volume knob is placed below the speedometer in the center stack, closer to the HVAC controls than to the audio controls.

External music systems such as an MP3 player can be connected to the audio system. A specific adapter for an Apple iPod is also available, and a Sirius satellite radio receiver is available as well, and its price includes a lifetime subscription. However, the integrated design of the audio controls in the speedometer dial will make it nearly impossible to fit any aftermarket sound system.

Cosmetically, the audio and HVAC controls are one feature that nearly every reviewer has criticized. Made obviously of plastic, with a matte-gray in finish, the controls could be described as refugees from a Buzz Lightyear remote control system. With their prominent positioning, they detract from the otherwise high-quality interior appointments.

A navigation system is optional, and if selected, replaces the central speedometer with a round screen of the same size, which has a central rectangular display screen surrounded by a digitally generated needle indicating vehicle speed around the perimeter.

BMW has carried forward from the previous model chrome toggle switches that look like something out of an aircraft or racecar cockpit. Positioned at the base of the center stack, these switches control the windows, auxiliary lights, and DSC system. Based on their positive acceptance in the previous model, the designers have duplicated them in a second panel of toggle switches above the center of the windshield to control interior lights and the sunroof, if fitted.

The toggles and other switch gear in the cockpit, and especially the light and turn signal stalks, have benefited from the BMW touch in the latest Mini, and are more pleasing to look at and offer a much more satisfying feel in use than before.

Though the rear seat wouldn't ever be considered comfortable for adults, and the access to it anything but convenient, changes in the contours of the rear seats have added about an inch of rear legroom, so that even adults can endure short rides back there.

With the large rear hatch, and separate folding rear seatbacks, the Mini is quite flexible in configuration, though its overall size limits luggage space with the rear seats up to a airline roll-aboard and a brief case. With the rear seats down, 24 cubic feet of cargo can be loaded aboard, more than enough for two passengers on a two-week trip, as we proved this summer.