The new MINI Cooper is better in every way than its predecessor, it’s more powerful yet more efficient, handles and rides better. Worth the huge price tag?
I have in all honesty gone off MINI of late. They remind me of small underground, renegade company everyone loved, who makes it big and then sells out to a large corporation for a large sum of money, and in the process loses their focus, their core principles and what made them who they were in the first place. And crucially most of their original fans.
I am exaggerating of course and in MINIs case, an excess of superlative models which drifted so far from the original design brief you’d be hard-pressed to call them MINIs. They have taken what was, and still is, a winning remake of a cult classic and turned the entire range into, exactly that, a range. A very large complicated range of cars.
Let us remind ourselves that MINI is owned by BMW, and like their competition are in a race to cater to every market, whether real or imagined. Plugging holes in the market is the name of the game, and if there are no holes, then invent them. MINI is an important market to plug, but was there ever a need for the Coupe, Roadster or Paceman?
Not according to the paying punters who in the end have had their say, by not signing on the dotted line so to speak, and in a recent report, MINI is set to cull off many of these bloated, flabby and distracted models from the their line-up. Rejoice!
Instead they will focus on key models, or ‘Super Hero’ models as they refer to them, presumably the ones that are making the cash, namely the three and five versions of the Cooper and the bigger Countryman. In various versions of standard, ‘S’, convertible and JCW specification.
This is an all-new MINI? Doesn’t look like it!
The new MINI was released in 2000 (hard to believe it’s already 14 years old) and was obviously an easy spot over the original. Now in version three of being ‘The New MINI’ you’d be hard pressed to spot which model is which.
Mark 3 is not all-new, but rather builds on the raft on changes that were made to the mark 2. It is 98 mm longer, 44 mm wider, and 7 mm taller than the outgoing model, with a 28 mm longer wheelbase and an increase in track width of 42 mm in the front and 34 mm at the back.
It’s obviously still instantaneously recognisable as a MINI, that much is certain, with a few subtle changes highlighting the ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t change it’ formula which has put the new MINI at the top of list for anyone who wants to stand out.
The trademark front-end is now more dependent on which model you choose, and in my case having driven the Cooper S derivative, is defined by the signature oval grille and bonnet scoop, the later still for show. Again, in true MINI fashion much of the front of your MINI (and indeed the whole car) can be customised to the enth degree, with the option of full LED headlights featuring ‘daytime driving rings’, LED indicator lights and/or foglights, LED rear lights as well – combine with body/roof paint work options, wheel styles, go faster stripes, side mirror variations – the MINI options list truly is yardstick of how deep your pockets are (more about that later), rather than how creative you can be.
And for those of us who aren’t in ‘bling’ factor?
Well, fortunately there are two distinct characters to the new MINI Cooper, and indeed those who buy them. For the majority, their MINI is a fashion accessory, a boulevard cruiser, a reason to show off. And for the up-and-coming, if you drive a MINI, you’ve arrived.
On the other hand though, there is another reason to buy a MINI, and that’s because nothing else quite drives like it. It’s hard to not make mention of ‘go-kart’ handling, especially when even MINI themselves refer to it as such in their marketing bumf, for good reason I suppose, because it is the most accurate adjective.
There is sense of occasion when driving a MINI, a heightened anticipation of fun, a feeling of youth. I’ve never driven one and not been smiling, and in this, the newest Cooper nothing has changed, except it has. Every aspect of the car has been reworked, tweaked and made just that little bit better. So much so that you’re left wondering how they’ll possibly improve on it in the future. No doubt they will.
So, tell us how it feels to drive!
The turbocharged four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine of the previous generation ‘S’ model has been ditched and upsized to a healthy 1998cc of TwinPower turbocharged goodness. Unusual in the day and age of engine downsizing. Borrowed from parent company BMW it is the first engine to power the MINI which is exclusively taken from BMW – the first generation was powered by a joint venture with Chrysler and the second from a similar arrangement with Peugeot.
Power is up to 141kW and torque (with overboost) peaks at 300Nm enabling the MINI to hit the ton in a claimed 6.7 seconds – a test I didn’t attempt myself but which is wholly believable. In fact I would suggest it feels quicker to 100km/h.
The test unit I had was fitted with the optional automatic which had me reeling in horror upon first inspection. You can imagine the shock when I grabbed expectantly, for a paddle behind the steering wheel to find nothing, nought, zip. An automatic MINI Cooper S with no option of any manual control whatsoever. Why MINI, why?
There is the option to manually select ratios via the gear lever, but in all honesty it doesn’t feel natural nor does it fall easily to hand. Considering ‘flappy paddles’ are standard on almost all automatics cars these days, even lumbering SUVs which in no way need them, the expectation is there, and in hot-hatch such as the MINI Cooper S, it is desperately needed.
The automatic, torque-converter is not bad, don’t get me wrong. And in the bump and grind of traffic, I was thankful, but at every other point of my journey, when the traffic thins and the road narrows up and presents a few switchbacks, I hated it. I often found it wanting and in the wrong gear, changing down mid-corner turn in, and when in the optional ‘Sport’ mode, clunkily so.
Speaking of sport mode, you have three settings to suite your taste and mood, namely standard, sport and green. Like the names suggest, sport adds a sense of urgency to everything, the steering, throttle response and infects the exhaust with the most remarkable snap crackle and pop sound track, combined with an infectious turbo-induction noise. I’m not sure if it’s engineered or not, but my word it sounds good.
‘Standard’ is, well, standard and ‘Green’ is MINIs attempt to help you save some of the earth’s resources. In a MINI Cooper S though, it’s a little redundant.
Okay, let’s wrap this up.
The new, new MINI is better in every way than its predecessor, it’s more powerful yet more efficient, handles and rides better and the interior is way more upmarket than in the previous model. Everything is more or less in the same position. The massive oversized circular display still takes centre stage but thankfully now, speedo, tachometer and all other driving orientated bits are in front of the driver.
You still get plenty of silly retro switchgear like before. Like the start switch which makes you feel like you’re arming a bomb. The rest is mostly still unfathomable.
And then we get to the elephant in the room. MINI options.
The base price for a MINI Cooper S I drove is R352 500.00. That’s edging towards GTi territory by the way and the MINI is a tiny car in comparison. However, the options on the car I drove pushed the price up to an eye watering R474 680.00! That is a heck of a lot of money.
For those image conscious who buy a MINI because they’ve arrived, price is not the problem here but for those who are looking for a true drivers car in MINI tradition, almost half a million Rand is simply too much. My advice, get the bog-standard 1.5 litre 3-cylinder turbo, it makes 100kW, and that is just enough.