[Gabriel]

I would go for Focus . I never drove a Mini , just sat in one at the Auto Show . Very nice interior , rich looking , but also kind of small ( I am not a big guy and prefer compact cars ) . Almost no storage , glove box etc and a very small trunk . Years ago when I was shopping for a car , out of the Neon SRT4 , Mazda Protege Speed , Acura RSX and Focus SVT ,that I have considered at that time , the Focus 5 door had the most useful interior and options . Not so reliable like the japanese , but useful , decent look ( design ) , performance and lower insurance rates .