Mini unveils new Cooper and Cooper S at LA Auto Show

Mini unveiled its Mini Cooper earlier this week, but this is the first time we've had a glimpse of it stateside.

What's there to say about the Mini? Well, it's not so mini anymore -- it grows by 4.5 inches, 1.7 inches wider, and about half an inch taller. This adds three cubic feet of cargo room, but it also adds distance between the common idea of a Mini and what we see here. Compared to an early Mini, it looks bloated. Compared to an original Mini, it looks like it's eaten all the cakes. Austrian artist Erwin Wurm sculpted the "Fat Car" based on what a Porsche 911 Cabriolet would look if liberally injected with Stay Puft marshmallows. Park a new Mini next to anything else south of a Countryman and Wurm's Porker might hold water.

But not all is odious: the new Mini also gets a three-cylinder engine, something parent BMW has threatened for a while, that promises 134 hp and better fuel economy figures -- not yet announced -- than the outgoing four. The S gets 189 hp from a torquey turbo engine with up to 207 lb-ft of torque. Mini Driving Modes add Sport and Green variations to the transmission and optional adaptive dampers.

The interior also gets changes: no longer is the speedo mounted on the center roundel the size of a DiGiorno's pizza whose coherent function is utterly dubious. It gets a spot permanently affixed in front of the driver. Window and door locks also move to the doors, like on almost every other car sold. Quirks aren't quirks if they serve merely to obfuscate.

The LA Auto Show has long served as a spotlight for "green" cars, and a popular place to unveil new hybrid and electric vehicles. We'll have photos, video and complete coverage of all the manufacturer reveals and top news from this year's LA Auto Show right here, so check back often.

By Blake Z. Rong