First drive: MINI Cooper S
Tom Stewart :: 07 November 2006 :: Filed under Hatchback, Mini, Europe & UK,
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New MINI, same old style?
Do not adjust your browser. This really is the new MINI Cooper S v.2. As we discovered at the Paris motor show in September, every exterior panel along with the entire interior is new, despite the deeply familiar overall vibe. Likewise, there’s an all-new engine, much more sophisticated than the Chrysler-sourced lump of old, punchier to the tune of 5bhp and (more for reasons of fuel frugality than power) fed by turbocharger rather than supercharger forced induction…
Welcome to Barcelona, MINI-style
Whatever the dynamic merits of New MINI the Second, there’s no dodging the seriously samey styling on first acquaintance. It’s similar enough, in fact, to have new (New) MINIs darting about Barcelona in search of old (New) MINIs, just so hacks could play Spot the Difference during the recent press launch. Journalistic diversions aside, the real test for the latest MINI will of course be punter perception. Is it fresh enough to turn heads, get buyers into showrooms and plant bums on demo-car seats?
Well, sure enough we weren’t far into the evening’s press conference before the similarity twixt old and new was officially acknowledged and then swiftly and predictably followed by the immortal line, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.' But BMW has a point. In the past five years, 800,000 MINIs have been built at ‘Plant Oxford.’ Of those, over 200,000 have found homes in the UK. That’s twice as many as originally planned. People, we therefore deduce, like the MINI pretty much as it is. And with a whole raft of finely tuned improvements embracing the suspension, steering, brakes, transmissions and equipment, BMW’s plan is clear enough: More (much more) of the same.
Still, along with the conservative, carry-over design approach comes a consistent dynamic theme. If anything, the Cooper model’s ability to entertain has only been enhanced. Inside, the wheel now adjusts for rake and reach, but more importantly the driving position feels intrinsically right – at least for someone who wants to drive rather than merely potter about. The seat is low, the dash and waistline quite high and the wheel’s right there, upright and straight ahead. This sounds implausible but, aesthetics aside, it’s a bit like sitting in the driving seat of a Porsche 911.
On the move, there’s grunt aplenty. With nary a hint of turbo lag the new PSA/BMW co-designed 175hp motor pulls cleanly from as low as 2,000rpm and becomes ever more bullish as the 6,500rpm redline is approached. The new mill also revs smoothly and freely and sounds crisp. That’s a bit of a bonus compared with the agricultural and frankly pretty uninspiring lump in the previous model.
Granted, slightly faster superminis exist. But with 7.1-click zero-to-62mph sprinting capability and a Vmax of 140mph, it looks quick enough on paper and feels it, too. Other dynamic upsides include a fairly slick six-speed gearbox, strong brakes and a new electronic power steering rack which, though not quite up to the venerable kart-tastic cliché, is a respectable effort for this sort of system in terms of feel and response.
Ride comfort is fine, too, being just on the comfortable side of ‘quite sporting’, while grip is impressive to boot. Squealing through a fast, lumpy bend can induce the occasional small skip. But the Cooper S is swift to recover its composure. The ‘fun to drive’ label is tarnished and exhausted thanks its ubiquity in sales brochures for almost every car model from virtually every manufacturer. And mercifully, it’s absent from the new MINI’s blurb. Instead, BMW PR bunnies have plumped for ‘grin-inducing.’ From a driver’s perspective, we certainly wouldn’t argue with that.
Rear seat passengers, however, will not be quite so smiley. Although the new car’s packaging, comfort and practicality have been fettled, there’s still stuff-all rear legroom, at least not for anyone who’s survived double-digits outside the womb. Although dimensionally a little larger, the new MINI essentially remains a 2+2. Bootspace is a precious commodity, too. Many manufacturers boast about how many sets of golf clubs their cars can carry, but with the MINI we’re still talking tennis rackets. As in, ‘I wonder if I can load two tennis rackets without split/folding the rear seats.” It’s also worth noting that the new, slightly fussy interior appears to have been the subject of some cost cutting. As before, it’s ‘designed to the hilt’, but in conjunction with some iffy plastics, the overall interior impression is inconsistent. Unambiguously more up-market than previous car it is not. That said, most superminis would kill to have the MINI’s mild material maladies.
Which just leaves the ultimate question of the life, the universe and all things Cooper S. Is the new car actually any better than the old? No doubt about it, yes. But not by much. Go in expecting quantum leaps and the new Mini Cooper S will spit you out, disappointed. Best, therefore, to view the latest MINI for what it is. A major revamp rather than an all-new model.
And should you be among those who reckon that it’s still a slightly bloated, retro fashion trinket, so be it. The fact is, the latest Cooper S, just as the outgoing model, has real dynamic depth. MINI sales execs won’t be loosing sleep, either. They’ll offload every S they can get their hands on.
The boring bit:
MINI Cooper S
Price: £15,995
Capacity: 1,598cc 4cyl 16v turbo
Power: 175bhp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 177lb/ft (192lb/ft on ‘overboost’) @ 1,700-4,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual (paddle-shift 6-sp auto optional)
0-62mph: 7.1secs
Max speed: 140mph
Fuel consumption: 40.9mpg combined
CO2: 164g/km
On sale in UK: 18th Nov ‘06
Posted 13 November 2006, by Andrzej Bania
The last Mini was a complete lemon - could this one be a peach ?