Thanks everyone, with a couple thousand miles on the mini I feel like I can give a decent report. The jump in power was definitely a nice change. The 172hp and 194 ft/lb rating is nice, although I find myself driving way too fast all the time. I've only had it up to 110mph, which was 4th gear on the highway. Gas mileage is slightly better than I was getting in the aveo, but overall probably about the same.
The car is grippy as all hell. I took some twisties at about 80mph (signs said 25) and had a friend trying to keep up in a dodge caliber. He made it to near 70 but started sliding and almost hit the wall.

Overall, the car puts a grin on my face that I can't wipe off. It has more speed than I need, although with a good tune I can increase acceleration a lot, it grips almost as good as a porsche (literally, according to independent tests on a skidpad). I love it!

Here's a picture of my car next to a classic mini at Cars and Coffee. Photo Album - Imgur