On the other hand, the cabin features but one small, yet significant, upgrade - a new leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel
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| On the inside, one small, yet significant upgrade is a new leather-wrapped three-spoke steering wheel with an optional multifunction control system. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
with an optional (for $450) multifunction control system. I find that steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise control buttons come in very handy, but when the buttons are too small, they hinder my usage of them. The audio controls were quite snugly placed beside each other and were often hard to press. Okay, this is a girl thing, but my finger nails aren't exactly short... yet again they're not that long either. I found that pressing the buttons were a pain in the fingers, but I was still able to use them and benefited from their convenience. Just because the interior technically only received one major upgrade, other than the deeper door bins, new overhead map lights and repositioning of the overhead clock, doesn't mean the interior trim options for the 2005 model year don't exceed last year's.
Chrome instrument bezels, or body-colour dash panels and a chrono gauge cluster which includes analog readouts for fuel level,
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| The 115-hp 1.6 liter, 16-valve, SOHC 4-cylinder engine carries over to the 2005 Cooper. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
coolant temperature, oil pressure and oil temperature, are all options to spice up the spacious interior. Other choices such as a navigation system, Harman Kardon sound system and a variety of wheel and upholstery combinations further add to the list of (almost) endless customization possibilities. The Cooper's engine carries over into the 2005 model year - a 1.6 litre, 16-valve, SOHC four producing 115 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 110 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. The naturally aspirated engine still delivers quite the kick at mid-range revs and takes off at about 6,000 rpm, its peak performance level, with the standard five-speed manual.
