Settling the head versus the heart debate

There are only a few cars that can claim to have a ‘cuteness’ overload as their unique selling point. Historically and today, that can be said about just three cars – the Mini, the Fiat 500 and the Volkswagen Beetle. The ‘smile-on-face’ and top of mind recall for most would still be the MINI.

Since its inception the Mini’s story has always been about its diminutive proportions and disproportionate performance. Even people, who were very familiar with the UK’s narrow streets, knew pretty well that the Mini was only masquerading to be a practical compact car. Its size and design were always meant to surprise, not just to please those that seek pleasure from the mundane.

Like the Benelli above, the MINI today is also of mixed breed. It is an original British icon that is currently under German ownership. But, it is to BMW’s credit that it has managed to carry forward the legacy of this unique brand, by keeping every new model relevant for modern times and yet never taking away the charm of the original Mini from it. So, yes, the decision to buy a MINI is processed by the buyer’s heart.

Yet, just like the groaning rear passenger in the cramped rear seat, during our test drive of the new MINI 3-door in Puerto Rico a few months ago, would have agreed on, even the world’s cutest car needs to be practical more often than not. So, what is the solution, especially for us ‘space-seeking’ Indian car buyers? Go with your heart, but choose the MINI Cooper 5-door.

The newest generation of the MINI Cooper has over the last year rekindled the brand’s charm amongst a whole new set of buyers worldwide. In quick succession, MINI designers and engineers introduced the longer and more generously proportioned 5-door MINI right after the debut of the new generation Cooper.

The 5-door is the more natural choice for the Indian buyer. We just aren’t used to flipping the front seats forward and squeezing ourselves through to the rear seat. And yes, very often the rear seats will be used. Also, a bit more luggage space is always welcome, after all we tend to carry our world with us.

The 5-door MINI’s wheelbase is 72 millimetres longer and all of it, to the millimetre, has been leveraged to increase rear legroom. The MINI Cooper 5-door is also longer overall by 161mm and the headroom at the rear has been increased by 15mm as compared to the 3-door. What is interesting is that within the same overall width, interior elbow room has also been increased by 61mm as compared to the 3-door. So, three passengers at the rear should be doable. The luggage space in the boot is also about 67 litres more at 278 litres.

Despite the addition of the two doors, the design of the MINI Cooper remains true to the original. The proportions still hark back to the original’s, and the funky front styling is still eye-catching despite the addition of the new grille that gives it a sort of cutesy aggressive looks. The bug-eyed headlamps, racing stripes on the bonnet, the floating roof in contrast colour and the black periphery cladding give the Cooper 5-door the classic MINI characteristics. These features give the MINI its special squat, stocky and powerful on-road stance despite its small car size. There is a lot of LED in use in the headlamps and tail-lamps. The interior is about as funky and is expectedly unique, yet being very intuitive, and driver-focused. The cabin of the MINI is dominated by circular elements. And most of the classic interior design elements have been reinterpreted with a modern twist. The chunky steering wheel and the steering-mounted instrument cluster are perfectly positioned for the driver. The large, circular LED lined TFT display at the top of the centre console, which you see in the photo here, is an optional addition. But the standard version also has a smaller display that puts out all the key vehicle functions, infotainment feedback, navigation etc. The best features in the cabin were the sports leather seats and the engine ignition button which looks like a missile launch switch. The MINI Cooper D we test drove was a John Cooper Works special edition, so some of the features you see in the photos here may not be available in the standard variant.

A neat feature of the car is the circular drive mode selection toggle switch at the base of the gear stick – flick it left and you get into sports mode, flick it right and you can save fuel in green mode.

The Cooper D we test drove featured the now famous 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder diesel engine. In typical MINI fashion, the engineers have built an engine that surprises with its power delivery, while being a tiny motor in terms of its displacement. The three-pot oil-burner sports twin turbos that spool up and deliver a 116 hp of peak power and a peak torque of 270Nm from a low 1,750rpm. Acceleration is not mind-numbing, but at 9.5 seconds for the 0-100 kmph run, it is still ‘raised eye-brow’ worthy.

The ride quality of the MINI can be a bit unsettling on really bad patches of the roads and we are likely to face them frequently in our cities. But, with the suspension set up for dynamic handling, the MINI feel awesomely sure-footed even when you are throwing it silly into corners. In sports mode, the steering dynamics, the accelerator pedal response and the 6-speed automatic, steptronic gearbox’s performance are all varied to offer a sportier drive. The 5-door MINI Cooper D is in a segment of its own – practical and yet worthy of falling madly in love with. At ₹35 lakh plus (a little more, if you choose to get bespoke additions), you can get an entry luxury sedan for the price of the MINI. But you won’t put a smile on anyone’s lips including your own, every time you take the car out. Think about it.

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