MINI COOPER S
Jonathan Crouch On The Addictive Appeal Of The
MINI Cooper S
Yes, you can get a car absolutely right first time. BMWs MINI proved that at its launch and in potent Cooper S form, the point is proved again.
Were getting used to seeing MINIs on our roads these days, yet they still have the ability to turn heads. This version wont excite any more attention than its stablemates but it deserves to. It is, quite simply, the finest hot hatch GTi-style car you can buy. And at £15,495 (0r £17,935 as a Convertible), its price lies within the realms of affordability.
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In truth, neither hot hatch or GTi tags suit this car very well. As already suggested, the temptation to create boy racer looks has thankfully been avoided. Look closely however and there are plenty of Cooper S cues. The bonnet sits 40mm higher than other MINIs to accommodate the added air intake scoop, necessary to cool the supercharger that boosts power from the standard Coopers 115bhp to some 170 braked horses - in excess of 100bhp per litre for those who cant be bothered with the mental arithmetic.
Theres a rear roof-mounted spoiler, plus body-coloured re-modelled front and rear sport bumpers, styled to contribute both to engine cooling and air flow. More air is channelled under the bonnet through an integrated black honeycomb grille in the bumper and theres a similar grille at the rear with two chrome-plated tailpipes sitting in the middle of it. Final touches include a couple of chrome-plated side grilles incorporating white indicator lenses and stamped with the Cooper S and a chrome-plated fuel filler cap. A recent round of revisions also added an automatic gearbox option.
Not that any of this really matters. Whats important is that supercharged 1.6-litre engine, capable of catapulting the car from rest to sixty in 7.2s on the way to 138mph.
All of which would be useless were the basic car to be incapable of capitalising on all that power. But of course it is. If youve driven a standard
MINI, then youll already know about the excellence of the standard chassis: so good in fact that it would have been a waste not to further exploit the whole set-up. The Cooper S package does that brilliantly.
"Get thinking over reasons for owning one: if you drive it, youll want to."
Clamber underneath and youll spot BMWs Z-axle multi-link rear suspension, now made even more responsive with reinforced anti-roll bars on both axles and firmer springs that balance the increased engine output and lower the cars centre of gravity. This produces optimum road contact and cuts down on the kind of body roll you get when taking bends at speed. The excellent weight distribution (63% on the front wheels and 37% on the rear) also helps here. The first thing many will notice about the interior will still be the centrally mounted speedometer, although look closer and youll see a feature unique to the Cooper S a six speed gearbox.
Otherwise, the interior isnt far removed from the other MINI models and thats no bad thing. Access to the rear is still horrendous, although the laughable boot of the original Mini has been replaced by a more practical hatchback arrangement capable of carrying a decent amount of luggage. Some rather cheap silver-painted plastics are used in the interior, as the original aluminium fittings were ditched on the grounds of cost. Still, whats important is that under the skin, the Cooper S boasts all the post-millennial must-haves, including ABS, CBC (cornering brake control) and EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution).
In addition to this, BMWs lauded ASC+T (a combined traction control system) is included. Unfortunately, the DSC Dynamic Stability Control system is a pricey extra which should be standard. All right, so the MINIs chassis is very good but in this car, youll soon develop such confidence behind the wheel that ridiculous cornering appears on the agenda sooner than you may at first credit. It probably wont have escaped your attention that parent company
BMW dont have a great deal of experience in producing front-wheel drive cars.
In fact, their advertising seems to pour scorn on the benefits of directing power forwards. Moreover, other manufacturers have shown that producing a sweet-handling yet powerful front-wheel drive car can be something of a task. Not so here. This Cooper S was pounded round the fearsome Nurburgring until it was right: BMW, after all, arent renowned for creating dynamic duffers. So lets get in and drive. If youre trading up from a Cooper (in which case youll need to scrape together around £3,000 more), youll be gratified to find that the extra cash really does buy you a very different driving experience. For a start, theres that noise.
The exhaust system has been tailored specifically to produce a deep and meaty bass note and it does. As you power through the gears, theres additional music provided by the superchargers distinctive air intake rushing sound. In fact, its rather like the whine that original Minis used to have, which will make those who remember the very first Sixties Cooper S feel right at home. The MINI people reckon that you should be able to achieve a Combined fuel consumption figure of around 33mpg but I cant see how, assuming youre intending to drive the car in the manner intended (and if not, why bother with it in the first place?).
In a day of hard driving, I struggled to get more than 250 miles from a tankfull pretty horrendous for a small car, even a very fast one. Still, superchargers have always been thirsty beasts: ask anyone who runs a
Jaguar XJR. Standard equipment levels are reasonable, inclusive of a remote alarm system, alloy wheels, a leather steering wheel and sports seats. You have to pay extra for air conditioning though and for Xenon headlamps two features which rivals often include as standard. But who cares? This is one great little car, well worth the extra cash over its Cooper stablemate and though German in concept, British in origin.
Get thinking over reasons for owning one: if you drive it, youll want to.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: MINI Cooper S
PRICE: £15,495-£17,935 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 16
CO2 EMISSIONS: 202g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 138mph / 0-60mph 7.2s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 24.8mpg (urban) / 41.5mpg (extra urban) / 33.6mpg (combined)
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ASC+T, ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 3626/1925/1396mm
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