New five-door Mini Cooper S gets 204hp
Stretched variant still the ugly duckling - but keeps the 2.0-litre four-pot and 'spirited handling' ethos
While we await the arrival of the new JCW with a sense of considerable anticipation (partly because the fast supermini segment is now bereft of alternatives), in the meantime Mini is busying itself by launching the rest of the Cooper lineup, which includes the new five-door hatchback. This is of middling interest for two reasons: firstly, there will again be an S version and we’re inclined to champion any new car equipped with something as poignantly old-fashioned as a 2.0-litre petrol engine, and secondly, this is almost certainly the last generation of five-door combustion-engined Mini you will ever see. So if you’ve ever been tempted in the past by the bigger derivative, now is very definitely the time to take the plunge.
Or not, as the case may be. In truth, the inescapable drawback of the five-door Cooper has always been integral to its very reason for being - specifically, the rear doors and their impact on the Mini’s otherwise cleverly reconciled styling. As you can see, the manufacturer has definitely not solved this problem, but at least there’s no mistaking the practical benefits of building a Cooper with a wheelbase that’s 72mm longer than the three-door: there is genuinely the space for five (at a push) and, thanks to a body that’s 172mm longer, there’s space behind for a 275-litre boot (925 litres if you fold the seats down). In other words, as before, this is the Mini for when you have kids, but don’t want an SUV.
Credit to its maker then (and, by extension, its buyers) that the idea of a sportier S version has persisted. Most young parents, you’d imagine, will be content with the 156hp three-pot that powers the entry-level version, given it spirits the five-door to 62mph in 8 seconds and onto 134mph. But for the Mini faithful, the S is still available with 204hp and 221lb ft of torque and - via the now standard automatic gearbox - gets you to just beyond the national limit in 6.8 seconds ahead of a top speed of 150mph. Not quite fast enough to overhaul a VW Polo GTI, although definitely not a million miles behind either. And you can even have the interior in sporty JCW Trim for (something like) the full hot hatch effect.
It won’t exactly drive like a hot hatch, of course - although Mini is still promising ‘suspension and damping system tuned for spirited handling’ and there is the option of making the chassis adaptive if you're hoping ‘for particularly sporty driving’. Additionally, the manufacturer has increased the tyre diameter to 625mm, but also seen to it that the optional 17- and 18-inch rims are now wider at 215mm ‘to emphasise the typical Mini go-kart feeling’. So while it might still not necessarily look like a Mini you’d want to drive fast, the five-door Cooper S is built in Oxford with the job in mind. Assuming that you’re happy to part with £28,450 for the pleasure, of course. Expect deliveries later in the summer - and more news on the JCW when we have it.
Worst thing though is no manual gearbox. It's scary how difficult it is to buy a new manual gearbox hot hatch now. We only have the Focus, Civic and soon to be released GR Yaris. There's a few more warm hatches such as the Mazda2, but that's about it. I will never buy an automatic petrol car, I just don't like them. Still, I'll always be able to find something as there are just about enough out there to keep me going until I finally switch to electric, or whatever else the future brings.
The S looks really dull too.
Admittedly, it’s a front, back and interior job but it seems to me that the key purpose here is to take cost out through material quality reduction, the use of sw and screens instead of physical switches and a simplification of the range.
It’s the Chinese built electric car that is a new platform (albeit shared with the Chinese branded Ora Funky Cat).
BMW need to work harder to preserve Mini, an update of the best selling 10 year old platform simply will not do.
Oh and one other thing. The five door has always looked like an Austin Maxi.
te Just another bizarre decision.
And whoever signed off on that massive, circular screen should be thrown in an oubliette.
Plus I'd rather have an electric mini than an automatic one.
What an inexplicably, unnecessarily crappy thing.
Admittedly, it’s a front, back and interior job but it seems to me that the key purpose here is to take cost out through material quality reduction, the use of sw and screens instead of physical switches and a simplification of the range.
It’s the Chinese built electric car that is a new platform (albeit shared with the Chinese branded Ora Funky Cat).
BMW need to work harder to preserve Mini, an update of the best selling 10 year old platform simply will not do.
Oh and one other thing. The five door has always looked like an Austin Maxi.
You could confuse a stupid person - I refer to the Clubfoot as the Maxi, following BMW's suggestion to the Rover guys, who PTSL...
At least the C & A-pillar angles are the right way round - AD014 looked like it had been crash-tested and was dragging its arse along the ground.
I bet Frank Stephenson is shaking his head at the latest iteration, however - his was the best version.
Funny how one appreciates things more when they're gone.
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