I expected exactly what you wrote about the Volvo. I can't stand my parents Volvo. You guys know I am not a huge sticker about a lot of performance stuff, but the level of isolation, crappy power delivery, feel, and involvement was simply overwhelming. Even my wife noticed it.
Regarding the Cooper S, I really want to test drive one just so it is not in the back of my head and my wife's head without knowing what it is really like. The car (to me and her) is incredibly cute and actually has some very good traits as a driver's car, but while she said she wouldn't mind a stiff suspension and a whiney engine I think I rather hear that from here after she's driven one.
The way she wants one (loaded to the gills and with LSD) it comes to almost 28K MSRP (
). It will have to be a while even if we both like it.