WATCHING YOUR BRAND – NEW CAR get carried away on a flatbed is never a good thing, but thats exactly what happened one rainy morning at GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, Michigan. Our Mini had recently begun sporadically stumbling and stalling, but we didnt address it immediately, thinking that the issue might correct itself. No such luck.

Art director Matt Tierney arrived at the raceway after a trek across the state from Ann Arbor and alerted us that the turbo four – cylinder engines gremlins were getting worse. Sure enough, later that day the Mini refused to start. When we finally got it started, it was running so poorly that we couldnt trust it to make the two – hour trip home. It was towed to a dealership near Detroit, which found a cracked thermostat housing causing a coolant leak.

That coolant leak has been fixed, and were happy to report that the Mini is now running fine. Unfortunately, now that everything is good under the hood, some of the chrome trim on the outside of the car has begun to peel and fall off. Happily, we have been informed that there will be a warranty fix for this in the near future. Mini cites a supplier problem on early – build cars and promises that updated moldings will be made available.These service and quality issues, while troublesome, have yet to keep us out of the biggest Minis drivers seat for any length of time, but were getting pretty tired of having to drive an hour to drop off the vehicle at the Mini dealership for unscheduled repairs.

Nissan Juke S V

mASTER OF IMPOSSIBLE constructions M. C. Escher must have designed the Juke. Hes the only person who could have made this crossover appear so diminutive outside, feel airy inside, and look like the strangely appealing offspring of a bulldog and a bullfrog.

“I think that most people who dislike the Jukes exterior in pictures would change their tune —as I did —when they see it in person,” says assistant editor David Zenlea. He says the Jukes proportions turn a smallish car, which looks like another overdone crossover on paper, into a usable vehicle with cute – yet – masculine character.

Still, a vehicle with only 10.5 cubic feet of cargo space beneath its hatch doesnt seem very usable, does it? Even with the back seats folded, theres just 35.9 cubic feet, not a whole lot of space for a crossover. But in Escher tradition, practicality is not as simple as numbers and figures. Senior web editor Phil Floraday proved this when he recently took the Juke to pick up four bags of grain he needed for brewing beer. “I fit all four 55 – pound bags in the cargo area, and I was able to leave the rear seats upright. This thing is pretty awesome,” remarks Floraday.

Just like an Escher creation, the Juke is well thought out, intricate, and never stops surprising. It manages to do everything well without sacrificing much. How? We dont know, but we like it.