Sunday 12th April 2020

Mini Cooper S (R56) | PH Used Review

The second generation Mini is finally the one thing it could never claim to be when new - a bargain

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Back then…

It wasn’t simply that the R56 Mini Cooper S Hatch, which hit the road in 2007, was a couple of inches longer than the R53 that came before it. No, there was something else about the new model, too. It looked more swollen somehow, as though it had a spent a very long winter over indulging on pie and cake.

Whereas the earlier version had proportions that were effortlessly ‘right’, the model that replaced it was more bulbous overall, with cartoonishly exaggerated details. Its rear lights, for instance, were far less delicate than the R53’s. It’s very easy these days to forget how less well-resolved the R56 looked when it was new, and for one very good reason: when in 2013 it was replaced by the version we’re familiar with now (the F56), the Mini shape didn’t merely swell by the same amount again – it went into full anaphylactic shock.

Compared to the current Mini, which seems to have inflated itself to ward off prey like a pufferfish, both earlier models look as dainty as one another. Back in 2007, though, we all thought Mini’s design department had lost its magic touch. In fact, the R56 grew the way it did at least in part due to new crash legislation, which meant the R53’s slimline proportions were lost for good.

Perhaps that’s why some reviewers at the time reckoned the R56 had gone soft. It wasn’t as fun to drive as the earlier model, they said, nor as characterful. But it certainly wasn’t heavier. In fact, the R56 was lighter by a few kilograms, despite its expanded waistline. Electric rather than hydraulic power assistance did dull the newer car’s steering somewhat, but the R56 still had the kind of quick and pointy rack that was the perfect accompaniment for its agile, endlessly adjustable chassis.

Turbo rather than supercharging was perhaps the most tangible revision from one generation to the next. Gone was the R53’s linear and progressive engine with its distinctive, whining soundtrack, lost to a new motor with punchy turbocharged torque and a strong mid-range, but also a more muted tone. In terms of straight-line performance, however, the newer model felt in a different league, even if the official figures of 175hp and 177lb ft (or 192lb ft on overboost) were not so different on paper.

Nowadays…

There’s something about the R56 – the view through the narrow but very upright windscreen, the shallow dashboard that means your nose is almost pressed up to the glass, the way your right foot addresses the BMW-style floor-hinged throttle pedal… It’s a delight simply to sit in. And when you start moving, you inevitably find yourself ducking and weaving through traffic with the agility of a dolphin darting around a pod of humpback whales, nipping into gaps and zipping around roundabouts. Even in town, the Cooper S is a huge amount of fun to drive.

On more open roads, you begin to appreciate exactly how brisk it feels in a straight line, and also how sweetly balanced the chassis is. You can lean hard and confidently on the front end, knowing that a quick lift will bring the rear into play. With every corner that flicks left or right beneath the wheels, you realise more and more that the chassis has been set up by people who understand what it is that makes a hot hatch fun to drive, rather than just quick around a lap or along a road.

But that’s a fit and healthy R56. An early car, now 13 years old, will be in need of a refresh if it’s to feel its best again. Replacement dampers and bushes will do the trick – reckon on £700 or so. A Cooper S won’t beat you up in terms of ride comfort, but nor will it soothe away the stresses and strains of a long day in the office. If you’re looking for a calm, settled and relaxing ride, you won’t find it here.

The current Mini Cooper S is a reasonably playful and rewarding thing to drive, but it’s much bigger and heavier than the R56, feeling altogether more grown-up. The older car is a nimbler and more entertaining machine, whether you’re hammering it along a winding B-road or dive-bombing juggernauts on roundabouts.

However, the R56 isn’t without its weaknesses. Irritating rattles can emanate from dashboards, manual gear levers can lose their precision (thanks to worn linkages; a simple fix) and engines can consume oil at a rate of a litre every 1,000 miles. None of which should concern you anything like as much as the fragile timing chain tensioner. This will create a brushing or rattling sound as it begins to fail, and if left unaddressed will ultimately lead to terminal engine failure.

Keeping the oil topped up will help, but the design of the tensioner simply wasn’t adequate. Mini redesigned it from 2011 onwards, but if you’re considering an earlier car you’ll want to know the upgraded part has been fitted. Post-2011 cars were fitted with the improved and fractionally more powerful N18 engine, and this is the version you should seek out should your budget allow (look for the large plastic engine cover). The earlier, frailer engine was the N14 (which didn’t have the engine cover).

Should you?

If you want a fun little hot hatch with strong performance and a great cabin, you won’t do much better for the money. You will have to do your homework (this PH Buying Guide would be a good start) to mitigate the risk of buying a car with an engine that’s about to disintegrate. However, there are so many Cooper Ss to choose from (50 in the PH classifieds at the time of writing) that you can be picky. Choose a post-2011 car if you can, or insist on the timing chain tensioner having been upgraded if not.

R56s start at a little over £2,000, for which you’ll be looking at a 2007 car with around 100,000 miles on the clock. Don’t expect a Cooper S like that to feel as fit as the day it left the factory, although if you’re after a station car or a trackday project, you needn’t spend more.

Stretch to £4,000 and you’ll pick up a 2009 car with only 60,000 miles, although if you want a post-2011 facelift model you’ll have to spend closer to £6,000. Top money is £10,000, which buys a very low mileage and highly specified car from a main dealer.

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SPECIFICATION - MINI COOPER S (R56)
Engine: 1,598cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual or auto, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 175/184@5,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 192@1,600-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 7.1 secs
Top speed: 140mph
Weight: 1,215kg
MPG: 40.9 combined
CO2: 136g/km
Price new: £15,995
Price now: from £2,200

[JRaj]

The R56, did not have the character of the R53s supercharger whine and had no significant gains (if any) in performance.

It also looked all 'soft' inside and out.

[r4_rick]

Cute, fast and fun, but would advise any prospective buyers to avoid pre 2011 models the, Peugeot ???, engine in those has almost as many internet internet horror stories as the non mezger 996/7 engines...And I know through the pain of funding a new engine and turbo on my son’s car. Not worth taking the risk on the N11 engine.

[rapide]

My wife had one. It was mildly amusing to drive until the engine lunched itself at 70k miles. Maindealer car, tip top service record, no rattles. Buy with caution

[andrew]

great little fun car

[Jamie VTS]

Dreadful car. Had one for 3 months, engine replaced under warranty. Most unreliable heap of st I’ve ever had the misfortune of driving.

If you’re considering spending £6k+ on one of these over a mk7 fiesta ST, you must be mad. The fiesta is better in every way.

ETA for the 800 miles I was able to drive, when it worked properly (which was rare), it was good fun to drive. But the fiesta is still imo far better.

Edited by Jamie VTS on Sunday 12th April 09:05

[ae2006]

I'm repeating myself, but i think it is necessary:

Avoid the N14 Engine like the plague (the pre-facelift engine)

This thing has SO many issues that i don't know where to start. My favourite one is that the stock engine does knock (BMW calls it "super-knocking") every time you hit full throttle because oil collects in the intake manifold and gets burned. There is still no working fix for this.
Other problems include:

- HPFP failing (a 900€ part from BMW, a lot cheaper for the samer part from Peugeot)
- Timing chains wear (a lot), no really, i almost suggest changing them like cambelts
- Oil leaks around the turbo (oil feed line, water/oil cooler, absolut horrible work of 4h+, there is just no space)
- leaking blow by valves
- oil consumption (1L/1000km)

Ask me how i know...

Fun to drive, not fun to own

Edited by ae2006 on Sunday 12th April 09:05

[Limpet]

We had a 2012 R57 (convertible version).

Great fun to drive, and didn’t miss a beat in 30,000 miles. Punchy, good on fuel and handled well. Never had any oil consumption issues. Half a litre or so between services.

It did have a few rattles inside though, pretty much from day 1.

Edited by Limpet on Sunday 12th April 09:09

[tonyshepp]

I had a 2013 cooper S in grey, loved it but felt that the seat wasn’t long enough for my legs on a long journey. Still it was quick and hardly used any petrol. I wish I’d still I’ll got it as it was great fun on the twisties, I drove it from Chesterfield to Macclesfield over the Cat and Fiddle weekdays for a year.. great fun.

[ubbs]

How does one identify the N18 externally from the N14?

[darkblueturbo]

I was looking for an Abarth 500 a couple of years ago and was devestated to find how mushy the gear change was when I test drive them.
So I tried a Cooper S R56 at a local sales place on a bit of a whim and was blown away by how naughty it felt driving through town. I knew I had to have one.
Had it for a very happy year until we decided that rear doors were needed for the kids so went a different way. But I loved its character and fun feeling.
Also, don’t let anyone tell you how evil run flats are - for me they added to the fun, especially mid corner skips over bumps. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea (the wife is much happier with our 130 that replaced it) but if you want a bags of fun car for relatively little cash I can’t recommend it enough.

[JimexPL]

ubbs said:

How does one identify the N18 externally from the N14?

You can't, and the N18 came out for the 2011 model year, which is actually mid 2010.
If you do an hpi type check on a car though it will normally show 184hp in the model name.

People confuse the engine change with the 2011 facelift changes (detail changes to the interior, bumpers and lights).

[motaboy]

I’m coming up to 4 years with my R56 S now and they are great little cars IMO. They can handle a motorway slog just as well as a B road blast or a track day and make a great all rounder. 16in wheels and top end tyres mean a much more composed ride on uk roads as they can skip about on cheap rubber and larger wheels.

It’s true the N14 engine can be an issue, my timing chain started going 4 months after buying it, but it was pretty obvious from the noise and it was about £500 to fix iirc which isn’t a great deal now they’re such cheap cars. I’ve since done 35k trouble-free miles.

The other thing to mention is the range of upgrades available, with a good stage 1 remap it’ll show a clean pair of heels to a lot of other more expensive hot hatchery. If you’re careful in choosing the car and budget for the timing chain you’ll have a lot of fun in one of these.

[cerb4.5lee]

The fact that my 2017 F56 MINI Cooper S has the B48 BMW engine in it was what really attracted me to it. All I ever read is bad news regarding the engine in the earlier versions. The earlier versions are a lot more fun to drive from what I read though. The F56 feels like a baby BMW in many ways and much less MINI from what I can gather.

[Mike1990]

These run more than the quoted ‘book’ figures. Evo Magazine ran one for a while, they put it on the RR and it made near 200bhp.

[tonyb1968]

ubbs said:

How does one identify the N18 externally from the N14?

Coil packs are the biggest givaway, N14 ones are vertical to the engine and N18 ones are at 45 degree angles, if you click on the guide it shows you a picture, also the breather pipe is in a different place.

[vikingaero]

ae2006 said:

I'm repeating myself, but i think it is necessary:

Avoid the N14 Engine like the plague (the pre-facelift engine)

This thing has SO many issues that i don't know where to start. My favourite one is that the stock engine does knock (BMW calls it "super-knocking") every time you hit full throttle because oil collects in the intake manifold and gets burned. There is still no working fix for this.
Other problems include:

- HPFP failing (a 900€ part from BMW, a lot cheaper for the samer part from Peugeot)
- Timing chains wear (a lot), no really, i almost suggest changing them like cambelts
- Oil leaks around the turbo (oil feed line, water/oil cooler, absolut horrible work of 4h+, there is just no space)
- leaking blow by valves
- oil consumption (1L/1000km)

Ask me how i know...

Fun to drive, not fun to own

Edited by ae2006 on Sunday 12th April 09:05

I think this sums up my ownership of my Clubman S N14. It was a frustrating car, but brilliant when it worked. It was just a constant string of problems with the engine. Oil leak fixed, it would leak from somewhere else. Constant coolant leak issues from various places - coolant tank, thermostat housing etc etc. The Pug engine and French components really did uphold the their reputation of built from cheese. I used to have a 3 week cycle of visiting my Romanian mechanic and throwing money at him (his lap dances weren't that good though).

[Deep Thought]

Deep Thought said:

JimexPL said:

ubbs said:

How does one identify the N18 externally from the N14?

You can't, and the N18 came out for the 2011 model year, which is actually mid 2010.
If you do an hpi type check on a car though it will normally show 184hp in the model name.

People confuse the engine change with the 2011 facelift changes (detail changes to the interior, bumpers and lights).

Or let Autotrader do it for you...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?sort=relev...

The BHP of the car is displayed....

[JimexPL]

Having run one for a few years, the best mod you can do to them is fit 16” alloys with decent tyres.

The 17” that most have significantly compromise the ride and handling balance.

Edited by JimexPL on Sunday 12th April 11:09

[Drekly]

Agree with observations at the beginning, I remember taking our R53 for a service when the R56 had first come out and thinking the headlights looked uglier, it was a bit bloated and ride height jacked up. But now, compared to the F56, it looks svelte, and the happy balance in size for the three generations.
My low mileage 2013 N18 Cooper S is still going well, nearly a year into ownership. Avoided the JCW as most seem to be N14s until the very last year of manufacture (N18 JCWs well over 10 grand at the time), and you can find the odd Cooper S with the JCW aero kit if the looks of the normal one are too plain.
Binned the evil runflats in first month of ownership, had it remapped late last summer and its quick enough now, brakes uprated much more recently and will seek a fruitier exhaust once the lockdown ends. Its really a weekend only B road toy. The ride is jittery on particularly bumpy roads, that's probably my main gripe.

I've driven a couple of F56s, a 2016 JCW and a 2019 Cooper S flappy paddle jobby - with the Sport Pack styling - and thought they were a better car overall (factor in build and ride quality - if you avoid 18s - , engine) but lack a bit of fizz, feel and fun as standard compared to the R56.

[tonyb1968]

vikingaero said:

ae2006 said:

I'm repeating myself, but i think it is necessary:

Avoid the N14 Engine like the plague (the pre-facelift engine)

This thing has SO many issues that i don't know where to start. My favourite one is that the stock engine does knock (BMW calls it "super-knocking") every time you hit full throttle because oil collects in the intake manifold and gets burned. There is still no working fix for this.
Other problems include:

- HPFP failing (a 900€ part from BMW, a lot cheaper for the samer part from Peugeot)
- Timing chains wear (a lot), no really, i almost suggest changing them like cambelts
- Oil leaks around the turbo (oil feed line, water/oil cooler, absolut horrible work of 4h+, there is just no space)
- leaking blow by valves
- oil consumption (1L/1000km)

Ask me how i know...

Fun to drive, not fun to own

Edited by ae2006 on Sunday 12th April 09:05

I think this sums up my ownership of my Clubman S N14. It was a frustrating car, but brilliant when it worked. It was just a constant string of problems with the engine. Oil leak fixed, it would leak from somewhere else. Constant coolant leak issues from various places - coolant tank, thermostat housing etc etc. The Pug engine and French components really did uphold the their reputation of built from cheese. I used to have a 3 week cycle of visiting my Romanian mechanic and throwing money at him (his lap dances weren't that good though).

Most of the issues with these engines are not Peugeot related but BMW related, timing chains/tensioners and guides are BMW parts, HPFP is a BMW part, coolant issues would be down to the cheap parts BMW wanted, if you don't believe me, just look at the next engine that was designed by BMW alone, the N20, lasted 3 years before they replaced it as it was that bad (huge back lash for poor guides and chain issues, note Peugeot don't normally use timing chains, BMW do), suffered most of the issues these did, no doubt the Development team couldn't blame Peugeot the next time around and probably sacked.