2014 MINI Cooper Review

There is no better example of something being super cute and super fast as the Mini. Close your eyes and think about the Mini, and chances are that you'd be visualising it zipping down the street or bobbing and lurching down a stairway, all the while coming away unscathed like in the movies. It is always in a dynamic situation and is always leaving behind a trail of startled, but smiling witnesses. Remember the 'Italian Job'?

The Mini's famed compact, bug-eyed looks and its much talked about Go-Kart like ride quality are its addiction inducing features. It is funky and adorable without trying hard to please. That has been the legacy of the Mini for decades and that is the legacy that the MINI, after it was reborn under BMW, is trying to live up to.

The Mini's design is an all-time classic, intrinsically incapable of ageing even in the eyes of a novice to design. So, how do you reinvent perfection?

It must be a tough job to take on. Given the complexity of the modern automobile, to say that the car designer’s and the car engineer’s jobs are very complex is to put it mildly. It gets tougher when they have to work within the glorious confines of an iconic brand like the Mini.

A cautious, organic reinterpretation of the design and engineering is the only option if the classic Mini elements have to be retained. This has also become inevitable, to include modern sensitivities like improved safety, lower emissions and increased in-cabin tech into every new generation of the car. The MINI has already been through two generations after being first relaunched by BMW in 2001. The latest 2014 model is the third and it is due to be launched in India later this year.

Successive generations of the MINI have attempted to slowly push ahead with an increase in the dimensions so that more buyers will find it practical enough to own even as their primary car. Here too, the changes have to be weighed carefully not to affect the car's compact, stout British bull-dog stance that it is famous for. The new MINI is almost impossible to distinguish from the previous generation in terms of its dimensions. It is also possible that there are enough distractions to keep your eyes occupied that the increase in size doesn't strike you immediately. But the car's length has been increased by 98 mm, width by 44 mm, and it now also has a longer wheelbase (+ 28 mm) as compared to the predecessor model (varies mildly based on model).

Putting the new 3rd generation next to the outgoing model will reveal the size changes better, with the bonnet now seemingly longer. But the more obvious changes are to the front of the new MINI, especially in the CooperS, where a new pair of chrome-ringed air vents attempts to give it a more aggressive garb. Most other classic MINI elements like the bug-eyed headlamps, floating roof, round and pointy door mirrors and the three-slat bonnet grille have all been retained, but all of them have also seen modifications to include features and tech. So, there is the new daytime running lights, LED inserts, increased size and more chrome surrounds on more elements. The basic design is still very MINI, including the rear with its trapezoidal tail-lamp design and the overall simple, yet unmistakable stance.

Inside the MINI, the increased exterior dimensions have lead to an increase in cabin space, though it is still very clearly a small luxury car. All four seats get a new design with larger adjustment range at front and longer seat surface at rear (+ 23 millimetres); more shoulder room and foot space too. But just like one of the occupants during our test drive discovered, it is still cramped at the rear for an adult. However, luggage storage volume has increased by 51 litres to 211 litres.

The 2014 MINI's biggest improvement inside the cabin is in the quality of materials used and the distinct boost in finish, making it truly feel like a luxury car. Switches and knobs have been moved around and new funkier ones have been added like the bright red toggle switch for the ignition. Flick it down like you might in a nuclear submarine and the engine comes alive. The dashboard layout of the new MINI closely resembles the earlier models in its overall layout.

But, the clock sized circular gauge topping the centre stack now houses a digital screen and it can be paired with variations of the MINI connected infotainment system, including a touch-pad. The speedometer and the tachometer are now located right behind the steering wheel. Depending on the new MINI's model and the trim chosen, there are a lot of other safety and convenience tech too, features that are now fast becoming common in luxury cars. So, a pop-open head-up display, adaptive cruise control in the form of a driving assistant and parking camera assistance etc are available.

Despite its small size, being fuel-efficient was never the MINI's forte, focused as it was on being a disproportionately capable performer. How does this new one get around that limitation, while also being socially responsible? BMW engineers plonked three-pot engines that feature twin turbo charging and paired them with 6-speed gearboxes. While the 3-cylinder engines are intrinsically more fuel efficient, reducing the weight of the car and going turbo has enabled them to keep the power to weight ratio at levels that will preserve the new MINI's ability to continue delivering its signature improbable performance. So, while the new MINI Cooper is about 27 per cent more fuel efficient with the 3-cylinder engine, it also manages to do the 0 to 100 kmph dash in just 7.8 seconds and top speed is 210 kmph. That is just a second and a half more than the acceleration time of the 4-cylindered 3-Series. And when you look at the top speed of the MINI Cooper, you must remember that it is the same length as the Suzuki Swift.

We test drove the MINI Cooper with the 6-speed manual and the CooperS with the 6-speed automatic. BMW had organised the drive in Puerto Rico and the narrow roads and the very Goa like beach-side stretches offered the perfect opportunity for buzzing around in the MINI. Toggle the switch, crank the engine and the 3-cylinder mill just about gives it away with a bit of an odd-thrum, but inside the cabin and with its response, you realise that there is no three-pot mill quite like it. The 4-cylinder, two-litre engine in the CooperS is the stuff that is the more on expected lines for the brand. Both the engines that we test drove had that crucial 'running on Red Bull, instead of petrol' character to them, making them very capable of being the key part of an escapade.

The new MINI's ride quality is also very go-kart like. There have been additions to the suspension setup including Dynamic Damper Control with the option of choosing a comfort or sport setting. The ride continues to be stiff, but very sporty. Helping put all the power and torque on to the road is the electromechanical power steering which now gets torque steer compensation and is even more optimised for precise control. There is a whole complement of safety and assistance tech.

The new 2014 MINI Cooper is lighter, greener, and is loaded with more tech than ever before. The cabin has its share of drama with LED lights and the new dashboard layout. But, most of all it is still a MINI at heart. That is part that matters. It doesn't hurt to know that the cabin feels more upmarket and that the trips to the fuel pump will be fewer.

The new MINI Coopers will be launched later this year. Expect prices to start from Rs 28 lakh to about Rs 32 lakh.

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