The BMW MINI
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hen sitting
down to write about the BMW MINI, I’m aware that there are two ways to consider
this car. One, from a car perspective,
and the other from a Mini perspective.
Quite where one sits with regard to this ascertains how well one 
considers the MINI to be!
From a car
perspective, it’s a little bit cramped, especially in the back, but the drive
is superb.
From a Mini
perspective, the Mini enthusiast would bemoan that the drive is not quite so
crisp (it is perhaps only ninety five percent of the way there), that it
is too civilised and the styling is too disparate from “the real thing.” It is my considered technical opinion that
these individuals are missing the point.
The Drive
With a wheel at
each corner, the MINI provides keen drivers with great handling, combining good
grip and stability. It feels very alert,
very responsive, very... well similar to the original Mini, except there is one
significant advantage: the ride is much, much better. It’s firm, yes, but it’s not harsh. So whereas in the original Mini the car was
agile enough to dodge fag ends on the road, and you needed to, the new one
feels almost as alert but there’s no need.
In addition to
the chassis ability, BMW have given the MINI some funky electronic aids, so
that even if you do manage to overcook it, you shouldn’t lose the back
end. The MINI’s driving characteristics
are very much like the Ka, and it’s possible to get the MINI to approach being
out of shape in the same way - and then the electronics take over.
It’s a little bit like a big hand sweeps down and guides the car where
you want it, with none of the wrist-slapping kickback that a Mercedes A-Class.
The Donks
There are a
total of six engines available - five petrols and one diesel. Three are naturally aspirated 1·6 petrol
engines, producing 90 PS (the MINI One), 115 PS (the Cooper) and
132 PS (the Cooper Works). I’ve
yet to find a Cooper Works, so I can’t comment on the performance of this
engine, but the difference between the One and Cooper is not as significant as
one would expect given the difference in headline acceleration times. The One has a claimed acceleration time to 62
mph of around eleven seconds, whereas the Cooper takes under nine - but the
Cooper’s additional thump only seems to make itself felt above around 3,500 rpm
or so.
The Cooper S
has a 1·6 litre supercharged engine mated to a six speed manual
transmission. Although this has a whine
to it, which may or may not be to everybody’s taste, the Cooper S is quick. How quick?
Pick any forward gear - any of six - to make like a tree and leave. They’re huge fun, although the intake on the
bonnet is a bit of a giveaway so the potential for giant killing is a little
bit reduced. The only fly in the
ointment of the Cooper S is that it’s a bit thirsty (combined cycle of
around 33 mpg) but then, people don’t typically buy a Cooper S with fuel
consumption in mind.
Finally, the
1·4 litre turbodiesel. Firstly, it’s
quiet. Very quiet and refined, a
commendable achievement. It’s not quick,
being about as rapid as a standard 1·3 Ka to 62 mph. But it is economical, with a combined cycle
fuel consumption figure of close to 59 mpg, and it also retains all of the
other MINI’s superb handling. One slight
snag with this particular engine is that it needs 2,000 rpm before things start
cooking, whereas some larger engines work better lower down in the rev range,
but once on boost it goes very well. So,
c’mon Ford, this is what a Ka TDCi could do!
I love the
original Mini, especially the quicker versions, as you can read here, but the redesigned MINI is
every bit as good to drive in the twisty stuff for everybody except that final
one percent, but is much easier to live with for everybody else. And there’s a diesel! And they’re not that expensive, either.
So why do we
still have the Ka? Good question... watch this space...