2006 Mini Cooper Review

Specifications

Until last week, I never really believed Justin when he said he would takethe base Mini over a Cooper S. It seemed preposterous to me that someone would rather give up around 50 horsepower for the sake of a little fuel efficiency. Fifty is a lot of power, whether you’re driving a Viper, an Excursion or a Silverado, but in a 2,600+ pound car it’s gotta be monumental. And look at the stats: nearly 2 seconds in the 0-60 time, a top end difference of nearly 14 mph and a 1-inch diameter and 0.8 inch width gain in tire size for just a few measly grand.

Well, turns out he’s not so crazy after all. But I guess there’s also a bit of an emotional element. I’ll let him explain.

Justin: It might be a little known fact, but the first vehicle I ever road tested was a MINI Cooper, which was just about two and a half years ago. Believe me, I had quite a number of fond memories with it and that wasn’t just because it marked a monumental first for me. In my mind, I had a preconceived notion of what to expect: zippy acceleration, a firm and slightly bouncy ride, and handling that was worth finding twisty roads for. Whereas most cars that I find myself hyping up before trying, the regular Cooper did not let me down, not even in the slightest. Since that time, I’ve driven many different MINIs. Sporty ones, ones with high-end gizmos and gadgets, ones with no roofs and so on so forth, yet I am still drawn to the base model out of all of these cars.

I think that the Cooper’s 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine is a sufficientamount of power for this car. With 115 horsepower, it allows you to really hammer the car around without it being too quick for its own good and it helps you learn the car without it overwhelming you. Besides, original MINIs were never about going fast in a straight line - how could you with an overhead valve engine that never had more than 1.3 liters in displacement? Besides, it’s zingy and energetic, the exact characteristics you want when you’re attacking a series of bends.

Jonathan: I would still take out the extra few thousand in loans to get that S badge on the fender and tailgate, but I completely see Justin’s point of view now. Having grotesquely overpowered cars at our disposal often leaves me feeling unfulfilled and oppressed by government regulation for being unable to exercise their full potential except on the rare occasions when track time or brief moments of reckless indiscretion are available. Get into a car scraping by with barely as much displacement as a carton of milk (the big kind), about as much power as a ceiling fan and so little grip you can still break traction in the dry on a downhill rolling start and you can tape the pedal to the floor for almost the whole week and feel like you are living so far over the edge of reason that Irvine Welsh stories start to look like Peter the Rabbit nursery rhymes. Suddenly speed limits don’t seem so suffocating; in fact, they start to seem rather generous, and sometimes scary. Well, the Mini Cooper wasn’t really white knuckle driving at the speed limit (unless you don’t brake for turns), but I rarely had to look down at the dinner plate on the dash to find out if I’d get a full serving of the applicable fines if spotted by an agent of the law. Whenever I did check, I was usually okay (i.e. within reasonable doubt), but I still felt like I was flying along on a Firebolt.

So now I can see why Justin likes the base powertrain in the MINI Cooperso much—it’s really hard to believe that it gives up 50 hp and almost 2 seconds to 60 mph on the S. Having not driven the S Cabrio since a couple of months ago, I still feel like it delivers that same feeling of acceleration and ability to dart into gaps thanks to an incredibly easy to please clutch/throttle combo. I can’t even imagine it with any other transmission, although if they had a CVT as good as Nissan’s new CVT in the Altima, I could see it working for Mini enthusiasts, assuming those enthusiasts are also looking for good fuel consumption along with their punchy performance. I’ve never been in a car that could deliver so much fun with 115 hp and 110 lb-ft of torque. Though it’s clearly not built for stoplight launches, every turn and lane change can be rewarding as you feel the car dipping its toes into the other lane or the chill of a full body plunge around a corner—the Mini is an icon of ‘feel’ over ’speed’. Mind you, with fairly skinny 15-inchers, a high-profile shape and soft winter treads, it’s easier to push the envelope than in an S, because every action is so transparent when you’re approaching limits, and the limits are simply a lot closer, as opposed to the S, in which you can simply corner and accelerate faster in most any situation.

Despite the noise and a bit of vibration (or maybe it was just the noise making my head vibrate) from a pretty straightforward powertrain, I accept that it is more a product of me pushing the car to its max constantly than a lack of refinement work from BMW engineers on the cabin insulation and engine note. When I finally did settle down a bit—what can I say, I’m excitable as it is, and the Mini is like a tuning fork vibrating at the same pitch—the ride on those high-profile 15s was probably worth the trade-off since I don’t really have any rallies to attend and the base Cooper can operate just around the edge of limits that I imagine enforcement agencies can tolerate.

I know you already rank this as one of the top cars you’d consider purchasing, but did you discover any new ways to love the original new Mini over the weekend?

Justin: No different than you mentioned before, with the exception of newpower folding mirrors, which are fun to toy with at stop lights. Otherwise, it delivers the same joys that it always has, namely finesse in the bends and that effervescent enthusiasm just about everywhere else. Granted, having driven quite a few vehicles in between, and the majority of the vehicles that the MINI and its supercharged siblings compete with, there are a couple of things that I would like to seen done with the updated model… coming soon. I was wishing the cute Hyper Blue machine to have a little less wind noise, but that’s a bit hard when it’s got the profile of a refrigerator on a dolly. The engine’s also a little on the high-strung side because it’s only has five gear ratios to work with instead of six.

But really, I wouldn’t want anything else changed. You can keep your spoilers, and your large alloy wheels; I think the 15s look well-proportioned on a car of this size, and the chrome smattered around the exterior makes it look intelligent and classy without looking too fussy.

Jonathan: Okay this is really starting to sound like MINI lovefest, and Ihate to continue with all this adoration, but after really starting to get the hang of the Mini, it absolutely charms the pants right off of me… um, not literally, though. One thing I was thinking about as I shot into one of a multitude of pint-sized gaps, simultaneously revving it into the 5s, was the contrast it is with something like the BMW 335i Coupe I drove recently. While the Bimmer is clearly faster—a lot faster—the Mini is endless FUN, a rewarding experience around every corner, and you rarely get to a point where you nearly soil yourself because you have so far exceeded the speed limit that even you are offended. I hate to admit it, but it’s proof that you don’t need to go fast to have a great time driving, and it can make any commute an event, although more often than not that event was an imaginary timed stage in a rally taking place exclusively in my own personal reality—not the most acceptable behavior on public roads. Although even when I slowed down to a pace acceptable to my girlfriend, the Mini was still a joy to steer and shift through its paces from light to light and even around the occasional corner without losing momentum.

It’s also surprisingly comfortable, with firm, contoured chairs, ridiculouslyoversized gauges and plenty of fun buttons and switches to play with. How can you argue with that row of switches at the base of the center stack—it totally made me feel like a jet pilot. It’s retro done right, with high-quality, visually appealing plastics and design and solid surroundings that lend a sense of comfort despite its small size.

Justin: Jet Pilot? I don’t quite think that was MINI’s intentions, but I can see where you’re coming from in that you sit low and everything from miles around seems to come at you up close and in person, presented in high-definition wide screen. I prefer the go-kart analogy (Jonathan: yeah, like we’ve never heard that one before—but I suppose when something is so true, it’s bound to get repeated, so go ahead, Justin). Like a go-kart you feel snug and tight in the interior. Roll the windows down and open the panoramic roof and you get a bit more wind in your hair to increase the effect, though it’s not as open and wild as a go-kart. Yeah, there are some vibrations but that makes you feel connected to it. You hear the engine whine and it makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. You feel the high effort of the heavy steering through your fingertips, and it thereby makes you tingle. And like a go-kart, if you grab it by the scruff of its neck and toss it about, you can even get the little guy to lift-off oversteer, which will really put a grin on your face.

Despite it being large enough that I could use it to eat dinner off of, the big centralspeedometer is a must for me in the MINI. If you specify the Chrono package the speedo moves to the steering column alongside the revs, and that big speedo just becomes an oversized oil pressure gauge and larger fuel readout. Though the quality of build is better than any other subcompact car on the market - it ought to be at this price - I could easily see parent company BMW improving on it. I also hope that this next time around they come up with a mechanism for the seat-back tilt that’s not as ill-conceived, and that they remember to put the hood latch release on the proper side of the car. Still, other than that, I don’t have any complaints… which quite frankly is rare from me.

Though 2007 just passed and this particular shape MINI stopped being produced last year, it’s going to be sitting on dealership lots for at least another two months until the brand new car arrives. If you aren’t completely sold on the next-generation new MINI the current Cooper Convertible will still be on sale until the new car loses its roof for 2008. I really am going to miss the current MINI, but unlike most replacements that get bigger, fatter, and less sharp to drive, I’m not mourning because I’ve heard some very good things about the new one.

Jonathan: As it is, the Mini Cooper led the compact luxury revolution in North America, with many standard features that would look right at home on its parent BMW’s motherships. I think we both agree that the MINI is heroic in its ability to turn day-to-day traffic slaying and road trip odysseys into epic feats and journeys. It is a story, and a car, for the ages and the times.