The important news is that the new engine
is a cracker. It res up to a busy idle but there’s none of the lumpiness you
might expect given its relative lack of cylinders. Indeed, it revs cleanly and
more keenly than most of its small- capacity rivals, and the exhaust note
hardens beyond about 4,000rpm into a good impression of a six-cylinder snarl.
The new Cooper is noticeably quicker than the last one, and on paper it’s
pretty much jumped from warm to borderline hot, with a 7.9sec 0- 62mph time
eclipsing the old car’s figure by 1.2sec.
OK, it’s not quite as exciting as those
numbers suggest. Red line missions are discouraged by the way the engine starts
to feels progressively tighter above 6,000rpm, and the extreme width of its
torque band (a peak 162lb ft from 1,250 to 4,000rpm) means it’s best kept in
its fat mid-range, while you enjoy the (non-augmented) soundtrack.
The
cabin retains the old Mini's retro-inspired styling, but features plenty of new
tech
Suspension settings are more contentious
Puerto Rico turns out not to be the Caribbean driving paradise we were hoping
for, but the island’s narrow, bumpy roads give a good impression of a poorly
maintained British B-road. And on them our Cooper – siting on upgraded 17-inch
wheels (up from 15s), but without run- at tyres – feels very firm. At lower
speeds it’s uncomfortably firm, but adding velocity allows the chassis to
breathe and gain some much-needed pliancy.
Grip levels are noticeably higher than
before, and the new electric power steering system is quicker to react than the
old car’s and has slightly firmer assistance. At first this Mini feels like it
might be a bi t over-tyred, but trust builds as you go quicker and discover the
back end – and the multi-link axle that sits there – helping you out, with a
nice, exploitable balance between front and rear. Turn everything off and the
Cooper can still be persuaded to tighten its line progressively on a lifted
throttle.
Mini's
rear lights look rather cartoonish thanks to their oversized proportions
The Cooper S, meanwhile, is pretty much as
expected: slightly faster (0-62 in 6.8sec) and slightly harder. The 189bhp
four-cylinder engine lacks the compelling soundtrack of the three-pot, but
pulls far harder and with minimal lag. Our test car has the optional six-speed
torque-converter auto gearbox, which is claimed to boost both economy and
straight-line performance, but sluggish changes do little to endear it over the
crisp manual ’box.
You can tell that the Cooper S is carrying
slightly more weight than the Cooper. Officially it’s 75kg heavier, and almost
all of that difference comes from its bigger engine. The S sits on firmer
springs and grippier rubber, and the handling balance feels pretty much
identical to the Cooper’s. Ride quality isn’t noticeably worse on the upgraded
17-inch wheels, either. Find an empty bit of road–something of a rarity in
Puerto Rico – and the S feels properly quick in a way the Cooper doesn’t.
Indeed, in slower corners it’s powerful enough to feel its lack of a proper
limited-slip diff as the front scrabbles for traction. But it’s certainly a
strong base for the inevitable John Cooper Works and JCW GP versions to build
on.
A
211-litre boot is much larger than on the outgoing Mini, which could only
manage 160 litres
As always, the Mini is going to sell in
vast numbers to those attracted by its cutesy styling and its potential to be
individualised through the vast options list. But don’t assume that means it
lacks substance. Behind the hype, this is still a proper little drivers’ car.
