
That's one of the things that I had been wondering myself for a long time, until seeing it for the first time in "real life" just the other day at the LA Auto Show. To my eye, it's perfect - it definitely looks small (substantially smaller than a Focus), but not so small as to be totally impractical. I am currently driving a Mazda Miata, and the MINI definitely looks shorter (more compact) than a Miata. The first thing that my wife said as we approached the MINI area was "it IS small !" Hope this helps. After seeing the car, I'm more enthusiastic about it than ever, which is saying quite a lot !