Mini Cooper 5-Door | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Mini Cooper 5-Door | Test Drive

10 February 2020 Redazione News, Tested

ANTICONFORMINIST

Words by Andrea Balti / Photos by Bartolomeo Lazzarini

The British brand that in 2019 turned 60 does not just identify the image of a car manufacturer that has now enjoyed new life under the caring wing of BMW for almost two decades. That of Mini is a story that identifies entire generations of motorists and a real lifestyle, that of enclosing your world in a car with reduced dimensions, but still capable of extricating itself in the traffic of big cities, in search of that road that is also able to highlight dynamic qualities that have earned it various successes also in the world of rallies. When you choose a Mini, you are not just buying a car with great qualities, but a way of life that despite the German post-acquisition impact at the beginning of the new millennium, has allowed to evolve in terms of design and mechanics, leaving intact the feeling of being at the wheel of a more special object than all those around you.

There is no doubt about the excellent urban qualities of a Mini, especially thanks to the greater turning radius introduced with the F55/F56 series. Instead, what differentiates it more than the first and second series and especially the older generations are the overall dimensions. That’s why we decided to get behind the wheel of the most nonconformist of them all, leaving the even more unusual Countryman aside for a moment. We are talking about the 5-door variant of the Cooper, a completely new model that marks a clear departure from the more typical Mini design, which has always seen the iconic Cooper with only three doors. Whether you see it as a modern days product, where we also need to optimize our toothbrush, the reality is that the 5-door bodywork does not distort the front and rear views, but only the side profile, where as logical it increases the length, but at the same time brings with it more space for rear occupants and luggage. With a few simple lines, almost as if the designers had literally dragged the roof and pillars further back, the Cooper 5-door also makes access to the rear seats easier, where three people can be accommodated without excessive contortion.

We said that in the city, despite the extra centimeters (+16 in length and +7.2 of wheelbase) that bring this model to 4 meters, the ability to sneak between intersections, road works and narrow streets with double-row cars on both sides, it remains appropriate to the cinematographic imprint offered to us by “The Italian Job”, where a group of agile Minis perform an exceptional theft in the heart of Turin (there is also a 2003 remake, with the new Mini generation, ed.). What we want to understand is whether the driving dynamics capable of rewarding even the most performance-inclined customers has remained intact, or should have come down to sacrifices in the name of practicality. We could have got behind the wheel of the certainly better performing Cooper S or even JCW versions, but having to deal with such an important mission, the mother of all the Minis was the preferred choice for the task.

In the case of the Cooper we are in fact in front of an engine that is confirmed to be smaller than in the past, a 1.5cc 3-cylinder Twin-Power Turbo with 136 horsepower (which are, however, 21 more than the naturally aspirated of the first gen Cooper R53 from the early 2000s). Despite its small size, it can also deliver a torque of 220 Nm, available almost immediately and up to 4,200 rpm. Although the Cooper allows you to select between its different driving modes (Sport, Green and Mid) that aptly change the response of the throttle and the steering, thus making the attitude of the car more or less dynamic, it is no longer eager to swallow revs firing from one curve to another, but rather to limit consumption, emissions and offer that panache that is enough to untangle you in overtaking maneuvers and face motorway sections without stopping at the petrol pump every five minutes. The weight, which is always low and which stops the scale under 1,200 kg, is another strong points in favor of this maxi-Mini, which after several hours of driving makes you forget about the extra centimeters behind your neck.

Once we have left the urban centers and toll roads with extreme ease, it is time to select Sport mode and see if the Cooper with only 3 cylinders is still able to draw a smile on our face. The steering wheel is precise, just like the 6-speed manual gearbox, but there is still the possibility to choose for the automatic Steptronic (always with 6 gears), while the care for the interior is what you would expect from a BMW, with the traditional Mini design that is maintained, together with the large “pizza” (as it was called), an 8-inch digital screen, complete with satellite navigator, radio and maximum connectivity for smartphones and tablets, sitting in the middle of the dashboard. Union Jack fanatics will be happy to find the shapes of the flag in the caps of the rear lights and behind the headrests, while the fact that the rear passengers have not yet asked you for a break to stretch their legs confirms how much space is gained in here for better possibility of use in daily life, or in case of out of city road trip like ours.

In Sport the Cooper’s claws will not be those of a leopard ready to pounce on its prey, but will make the response of throttle and steering more dynamic, intervening at least virtually on your approach when driving its 136 horsepower. Acting like a bandit, the Cooper takes 8.3 seconds to shoot from 0 to 100 kph and slightly exceeds the 200 per hour, but in most of the time – 3 or 5 doors that it is – you will find yourself preferring a more relaxed driving, showing how what is actually the most substantial change becomes in all respects an added value, especially if you need to take advantage of the seats behind more than a couple of times a year. Observing its three quarters it is impossible not to be constantly attracted by that sort of protuberance at the back, but although I myself had some doubts about what to really think ‘bout this particular model, after having traveled several kilometers in any kind of circumstance, I was reassured to such an extent that the particular suit of the 5-door does not penalize its drivability and instead makes the Mini world attractive for an even wider audience. I can therefore safely say that this is a more mature choice, a bit like the engine downsize reserved for the Cooper itself. The 5 doors are not an option, it is a different model, it costs almost € 1,000 more than the 3-door version and starts from € 19,000 with the entry level One, € 23,900 for the Cooper like this of our test and exceeds € 35,000 for the Cooper S 60 Years Plus Edition. It is a choice that does not affect that particular bond that a Mini is able to establish with its owner and if returning from a relaxing trip on the mountains you decide to head to Turin for a big Italian robbery, you will also have more space for extra gold bars.