Discussion
Hi there.
The Cooper D has not been launched in the UK yet. The official launch of it was at the Geneva motor show, but I think UK deliveries are expected to be starting early April, although I could be wrong. I don't know how much info you know about the car, but basically its a 1.6l unit sourced from PSA Peugeot-Citroen, it produces 110bhp and 177lb ft or torque, with a further 15lb ft avaliable using some kind of 'overboost' function.
It also does 0-62 in 9.9s. Which is a lot better than my ONE D which does it in 11.9 (88bhp)
Some other good features; The road tax is only £50 per year because of its low emissions, and its combined mpg figure is around 58mpg. So if your traveling a lot like you say its going to be quite handy.
Looking online it seems that the base price is £14,190. Don't be fooled by this though because, as with all MINIS, you have to spend a fair whack on options getting it to a half decent spec. People on MINI2.COM are coming up with figures around the £19.5k mark to get a highly specc'd one.
Finally take a look over on the specific Cooper D forum of MINI2.COM and have a look through some of the posts on there, loads of info and plenty of advice to be had.
Link: Cooper D FORUM
Hope this helps a bit!
James.
The Cooper D has not been launched in the UK yet. The official launch of it was at the Geneva motor show, but I think UK deliveries are expected to be starting early April, although I could be wrong. I don't know how much info you know about the car, but basically its a 1.6l unit sourced from PSA Peugeot-Citroen, it produces 110bhp and 177lb ft or torque, with a further 15lb ft avaliable using some kind of 'overboost' function.
It also does 0-62 in 9.9s. Which is a lot better than my ONE D which does it in 11.9 (88bhp)
Some other good features; The road tax is only £50 per year because of its low emissions, and its combined mpg figure is around 58mpg. So if your traveling a lot like you say its going to be quite handy.
Looking online it seems that the base price is £14,190. Don't be fooled by this though because, as with all MINIS, you have to spend a fair whack on options getting it to a half decent spec. People on MINI2.COM are coming up with figures around the £19.5k mark to get a highly specc'd one.
Finally take a look over on the specific Cooper D forum of MINI2.COM and have a look through some of the posts on there, loads of info and plenty of advice to be had.
Link: Cooper D FORUM
Hope this helps a bit!
James.
Vixta, glad you are enjoying your car! Get some pics up for us to see in the Photo thread. 
Riwiho - Road tax is so cheap because of the ultra low emissions this engine produces!! In comparison my 1.4 88bhp ONE D is £115...
I had a test drive of the Cooper D the other week and I posted my thoughts on mini2, but heres what I said just incase people are interested.
I did really like the car, the engine is a great improvement... but there was something missing that you get in the old car.
James.
Riwiho - Road tax is so cheap because of the ultra low emissions this engine produces!! In comparison my 1.4 88bhp ONE D is £115...
I had a test drive of the Cooper D the other week and I posted my thoughts on mini2, but heres what I said just incase people are interested.
I on MINI2 said:
Right folks, well I’ve just got back from my local dealer after having my window seals replaced, and test driving the Cooper D while they did the work. Which was a really nice offer by the dealer, so all credit to them! :smile:. So this is my take on the car...
The car in question was a pepper white D, with black bonnet stripes and 17” alloys. I have to say it does look quite cool. The larger front air intake at the font looks better than the petrol variants imo, it gives it more of an aggressive look at the front end. The fact that the tail pipe also is able to stick out rather than being concealed is a nice touch, something I wish my ONE D had.
Interior wise, I’m not familiar with all the various options of the R56, but it had the boost CD system (quality was quite good, but nothing compared to my H/K system) The seats were pretty supportive and the new centre console is great, but I’m not liking the absolutely huge speedometer, and the various fiddly buttons which are build into it. I think if I ever bought an R56 then I would have to spec the navigation unit to try and justify the huge space it takes up. The start button was a neat touch, but the car really does feel much more heavily influenced by BMW, for example the onboard computer system was identical to that of my friends 1 Series. This is not a bad thing, but I feel the 2nd gen MINI does not have as much character as the 1st gen, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it felt much more ‘clinical’. The interior does certainly look rather swish but little things annoyed me, such as the toggle switches, they didn’t feel as nice as the ones in my car and the gear knob, which has some kind of ridge on it, didn’t like that at all.
I got to drive the car for 30mins and courtesy of some rather good local roads I was able to put the car through its paces. The new 1.6L unit is a cracker; there is no doubt about that. From reading the various reviews I went there expecting it to feel quite a lot faster than my ONE D, and it did. However when I got back in my own car, it did not feel as slow as I had expected, which was rather nice. The new engine delivers its power more progressively than the ONE D, and the overboost gives it even more oomph when you put your foot down. Mind you this is to be expected as the new unit generates 110bhp and 260 Nm on overboost (opposed to the 88 bhp / 190 Nm of my ONE D) I would say based on my driving experience of the 1st gen Cooper that this new diesel would be faster in the real world. Having to work the gears is something I am used to, already owning a diesel, but I though it made the car fun to drive. If you keep the car in the right rev range i.e approx 2500 rpm its quite a potent machine, I was surprised by its ability to increase speed pretty rapidly when using 4th gear @ 50mph. Noise wise, it was very quiet out on the open road, but at one point with the window down setting off from a traffic light it was quite noisy, more so I think it would be fair to say than my ONE D, which does not really have the same ‘clattery sound’ as the French diesel units do. But that it something I would be prepared to live with given the huge improvement over the old 1.4 unit.
A few more pics of it...
Personally though I still love my car. I jumped back into it and it was a pleasure to drive back home, and the speedometer seemed to be tiny in comparison to that of the R56. Based on pure looks I’d take my car, performance wise it would have to be the Cooper D. I think the ONE D with a proper re-map taking the power to somewhere in the region of 110bhp would be my perfect solution!
My car out in the sun on the drive back home...
Still the Cooper D is a great car and it thoroughly deserves all the praise that it has been getting.
The car in question was a pepper white D, with black bonnet stripes and 17” alloys. I have to say it does look quite cool. The larger front air intake at the font looks better than the petrol variants imo, it gives it more of an aggressive look at the front end. The fact that the tail pipe also is able to stick out rather than being concealed is a nice touch, something I wish my ONE D had.
Interior wise, I’m not familiar with all the various options of the R56, but it had the boost CD system (quality was quite good, but nothing compared to my H/K system) The seats were pretty supportive and the new centre console is great, but I’m not liking the absolutely huge speedometer, and the various fiddly buttons which are build into it. I think if I ever bought an R56 then I would have to spec the navigation unit to try and justify the huge space it takes up. The start button was a neat touch, but the car really does feel much more heavily influenced by BMW, for example the onboard computer system was identical to that of my friends 1 Series. This is not a bad thing, but I feel the 2nd gen MINI does not have as much character as the 1st gen, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it felt much more ‘clinical’. The interior does certainly look rather swish but little things annoyed me, such as the toggle switches, they didn’t feel as nice as the ones in my car and the gear knob, which has some kind of ridge on it, didn’t like that at all.
I got to drive the car for 30mins and courtesy of some rather good local roads I was able to put the car through its paces. The new 1.6L unit is a cracker; there is no doubt about that. From reading the various reviews I went there expecting it to feel quite a lot faster than my ONE D, and it did. However when I got back in my own car, it did not feel as slow as I had expected, which was rather nice. The new engine delivers its power more progressively than the ONE D, and the overboost gives it even more oomph when you put your foot down. Mind you this is to be expected as the new unit generates 110bhp and 260 Nm on overboost (opposed to the 88 bhp / 190 Nm of my ONE D) I would say based on my driving experience of the 1st gen Cooper that this new diesel would be faster in the real world. Having to work the gears is something I am used to, already owning a diesel, but I though it made the car fun to drive. If you keep the car in the right rev range i.e approx 2500 rpm its quite a potent machine, I was surprised by its ability to increase speed pretty rapidly when using 4th gear @ 50mph. Noise wise, it was very quiet out on the open road, but at one point with the window down setting off from a traffic light it was quite noisy, more so I think it would be fair to say than my ONE D, which does not really have the same ‘clattery sound’ as the French diesel units do. But that it something I would be prepared to live with given the huge improvement over the old 1.4 unit.
A few more pics of it...
Personally though I still love my car. I jumped back into it and it was a pleasure to drive back home, and the speedometer seemed to be tiny in comparison to that of the R56. Based on pure looks I’d take my car, performance wise it would have to be the Cooper D. I think the ONE D with a proper re-map taking the power to somewhere in the region of 110bhp would be my perfect solution!
My car out in the sun on the drive back home...
Still the Cooper D is a great car and it thoroughly deserves all the praise that it has been getting.
I did really like the car, the engine is a great improvement... but there was something missing that you get in the old car.
James.
No I agree!!
The lack of a 'proper' exaust pipe (which sticks out)means that on the ONE D an Aero Kit is a no-no because they all come with a recess for the exaust!
People have fitted them, but it involves modifing the pipe so that it sticks out, and then fitting a chrome tail cap.
James.
The lack of a 'proper' exaust pipe (which sticks out)means that on the ONE D an Aero Kit is a no-no because they all come with a recess for the exaust!
People have fitted them, but it involves modifing the pipe so that it sticks out, and then fitting a chrome tail cap.
James.
Hi Ollie 
Yeh I'm R99 on MINI2.
The orginal launch D's were all the same spec yeh, as per the pics I posted.
Around about now though I would imagine dealers will be speccing their own demo Cooper D's, which in a couple of months could make a very cool second hand purchase, as they will most likely be loaded with all the toys and no doubt be aero kitted too.
Hows your R56 going?
James.
Yeh I'm R99 on MINI2. The orginal launch D's were all the same spec yeh, as per the pics I posted.
Around about now though I would imagine dealers will be speccing their own demo Cooper D's, which in a couple of months could make a very cool second hand purchase, as they will most likely be loaded with all the toys and no doubt be aero kitted too.
Hows your R56 going?
James.
Our is going very well thanks 
Had the 'ruler twang' but that has just dissapeared :S:S Other than that, its a mega car. Dads very interested in trying the Cooper D, but hes not to well at the moment, so within the next few weeks maybe. The R56 is miles better than our R50 Cooper, that seemed to have problem after problem after problem :@ Anything from condensating lights to throwing its coolant evrywhere, and everything in between 
Had the 'ruler twang' but that has just dissapeared :S:S Other than that, its a mega car. Dads very interested in trying the Cooper D, but hes not to well at the moment, so within the next few weeks maybe. The R56 is miles better than our R50 Cooper, that seemed to have problem after problem after problem :@ Anything from condensating lights to throwing its coolant evrywhere, and everything in between I will soon be changing jobs and the new position comes with a car allowance. I'm keen to get something economical, cheap to tax, but fun and quickish. On paper, the Cooper D seems to tick all the boxes.
I'm very grateful to Jolly for the excellent write-up of your test drive. Has anyone else tried one? Bought one? How are they to live with? I'll be doing some city driving and some longer motorway business trips - how do they behave over long distances on the motorway?
A test drive is arranged for next week, but there's nothing like long term first hand experience to tell what a car is really like to live with. So... any advice / views?
Many thanks
Wrighty
I'm very grateful to Jolly for the excellent write-up of your test drive. Has anyone else tried one? Bought one? How are they to live with? I'll be doing some city driving and some longer motorway business trips - how do they behave over long distances on the motorway?
A test drive is arranged for next week, but there's nothing like long term first hand experience to tell what a car is really like to live with. So... any advice / views?
Many thanks
Wrighty
wrighty78 said:
I will soon be changing jobs and the new position comes with a car allowance. I'm keen to get something economical, cheap to tax, but fun and quickish. On paper, the Cooper D seems to tick all the boxes.
I'm very grateful to Jolly for the excellent write-up of your test drive. Has anyone else tried one? Bought one? How are they to live with? I'll be doing some city driving and some longer motorway business trips - how do they behave over long distances on the motorway?
A test drive is arranged for next week, but there's nothing like long term first hand experience to tell what a car is really like to live with. So... any advice / views?
Many thanks
Wrighty
it's worth noting that they'll be adding the stop-start thingy so that'll further reduce emissions and improve economy. it's getting up toward 70mpg claimed now (64 sounds familiar).I'm very grateful to Jolly for the excellent write-up of your test drive. Has anyone else tried one? Bought one? How are they to live with? I'll be doing some city driving and some longer motorway business trips - how do they behave over long distances on the motorway?
A test drive is arranged for next week, but there's nothing like long term first hand experience to tell what a car is really like to live with. So... any advice / views?
Many thanks
Wrighty
the only other thing i'd consider was the grande punto sporting but that's got nowhere near the economy. it's just not the same thing though is it..?!
i think you HAVE to go for the cooperD.
it's a shame it hasn't got a little more oomph though.
Thanks baSkey!
baSkey said:
it's worth noting that they'll be adding the stop-start thingy so that'll further reduce emissions and improve economy. it's getting up toward 70mpg claimed now (64 sounds familiar).
Given my recent car history, it's going seem strange driving past so many petrol stations without needing to stop... baSkey said:
the only other thing i'd consider was the grande punto sporting but that's got nowhere near the economy. it's just not the same thing though is it..?!
i think you HAVE to go for the cooperD.
The Punto is a good (though unexpected) suggestion, but no, not really the same thing. The Cooper D certainly seems favourite at the moment... although I might also try the Beemer 120d. i think you HAVE to go for the cooperD.
baSkey said:
it's a shame it hasn't got a little more oomph though.
Is there much scope to tweak the Cooper D engine? Is there a DMS-type upgrade available?oh... and another thing: what's the view on the MINI automatic transmissions? Any good? Anyone tried one in a Cooper D - does it suit the car?
As noted above, I'll be using it mainly for city and motorway driving (and keeping the Z4 Coupe for fun) so an auto is quite an attracive option.
As noted above, I'll be using it mainly for city and motorway driving (and keeping the Z4 Coupe for fun) so an auto is quite an attracive option.
Edited by wrighty78 on Tuesday 17th July 09:07
wrighty78 said:
oh... and another thing: what's the view on the MINI automatic transmissions? Any good? Anyone tried one in a Cooper D - does it suit the car?
As noted above, I'll be using it mainly for city and motorway driving (and keeping the Z4 Coupe for fun) so an auto is quite an attracive option.
not too sure.As noted above, I'll be using it mainly for city and motorway driving (and keeping the Z4 Coupe for fun) so an auto is quite an attracive option.
Edited by wrighty78 on Tuesday 17th July 09:07
the old CVt was crap and crippled the PENTA economy. the aisin (proper auto) in the (r53) cooperS is supposed to be adequate. i do not know what gearboxes are available in the cooper D (r53).
if you're looking at cars as dear as the 120d then that opens up more possibilities (golf GT 170 tdi??). the 120d probably has all the everyday performance you'd need though (they're actually pretty brisk cars in reality). and dms and the like can get something like 206bhp out of that motor (the alpina D3 is essentially a warmed 320d of course).
the dooperd will be cheapest to run and is arguably more characterful. and to be honest in terms of cabin space not much smaller. it still has a sh1te boot though!
Gassing Station | New MINIs | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff