My son's 2015 Cooper Hardtop was rear ended and totaled last week- right before he leaves for college. Insurance payout was surprisingly generous, so he replaced it with a 2020 Cooper S 4-door.
The shorter doors of the 4-door would definitely be a deal killer for me, making entry and exit less than graceful. The 2 door moves the b-pillar back a couple of inches, which made all the difference in the world getting my derriere in and out.
Other than that, the newer car is smoother, faster, steadier on the highway, but mostly remarkably similar.
Old car:
New car:
Reminds me of a former (rather large) coworker that bought a 2 door Golf because it was easier to get in/out of then most 4 foot sedans because of the longer doors... Well according to him anyway
I still have fond memories driving a former coworkers early JCW. That thing was just maniacal
Oh, I should also add the bike rack on the old car was literally hours old, and we had spent half the precious day installing and modifying the hitch to attach it to.
Wait, how do the longer doors make entry easier? Long doors make it tough to get in and out in cramped parking lots.
it shortens the opening between the wheel and the B-pillar. Since the seat is almost all the way back, its now several inches behind the pillar. To get your knee up and in the footwell, there isn't enough space if you're sitting down at the same time.