Mention “MINI” to anybody who loves cars, and adjectives
such as “fun to drive”, “unconventional” and “stylish” will be used to describe
the three-door hatchback. What’s amazing, however, is that these are the same
words used to describe the original Mini, which was launched in 1959.
Whether in Tokyo
or Toa Payoh, this crossover is one of the most comfortable vehicles for four
people to travel in
The “lowercase” Mini is a far cry from the modern
“uppercase” MINI introduced by the brand’s parent company, BMW, in 2001. The
simple and down-to-earth hatchback that die-hard fans love has been replaced by
a much bigger and far more technologically advanced “haute” hatch, which offers
equally chic buyers plenty of options for customisation.
But no matter how alienated they might feel, Mini
traditionalists will have to admit (perhaps privately) that the German carmaker
is doing something right. For while the original Mini “only” racked up sales of
5.4 million units, BMW has already sold 2.6 million of the first- and
second-generation MINI.
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The third-generation MINI, whose Cooper variant we
test-drove in sunny Puerto Rico (see the sidebar Paradise Island) and reviewed
in our April 2014 issue, has impressed us with its improved quality over its
predecessor. But the MINI model we’ve been eagerly anticipating is the latest
Cooper S gracing these pages, for until the new John Cooper Works (JCW) comes
along, this is the sportiest hatch in the third-generation MINI range.
If you were hoping that this means the new Cooper S will be
smaller than the old one, you’re going to be disappointed. Like the regular
Cooper, the Cooper S has grown – its overall length increased by an astonishing
121mm and its wheelbase extended by 28mm for added cabin space.
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Engine
The Cooper S also has a 44mm wider stance, which should give
it more stability while cornering. However, this hatchback is great at hiding
its size, because the enlarged dimensions are only obvious when the new car is
parked alongside the previous one. And despite its bigger proportions, the
latest model is claimed to be 5kg lighter than the previous model.
Spotting the differences between the new Cooper S and its
predecessor (see sidebar Look Alike? Not Quite!) isn’t easy either. Visually,
both cars still share the same styling cues. But if you look long/close enough,
you’ll notice that the new car has a wider grille and a slimmer (but still
non-functional) bonnet scoop.
The most audacious changes to the Cooper S are found in the
cockpit, which has gone from quirky and unintuitive to – gasp! – conventional
and driver friendly. First-time drivers of the older Cooper S models would find
their initial feelings of excitement soon turning into irritation, because the
power window controls, for instance, are toggle switches on the lower centre
console instead of on the door panels.
There won’t be any gnashing of teeth in the new Cooper S.
Inside, the window controls are, logically, placed on the door panel, and
they’ve also been changed to regular rocker switches instead of unusual
toggles. Adjusting your wing mirrors (which are wider than before) is now done
via a directional pad rather than a little joystick. The Big Ben-size
speedometer in the middle of the dashboard has also disappeared – the now
normal-sized speedo and the tachometer currently reside behind the steering
wheel, which is where they should have been all along!
