THE great MINI ESCAPE
Words by Alessandro Marrone / Photos by Richard Montagner
One of the characteristics that make the Mini an agile grenade waiting to be detonated between corners, comes in the shape of its reduced wheelbase and the fact that once the front axle is kissing the apex, the whole car is ready to be launched towards the next bend.
One more time, I promise. In fact, from that moment in which I sketched a bit of understanding in the look of the photographer sitting next to me, several kilometers and a substantial amount of hairpin bends have passed. Mine was not pure disobedience, but a sort of scientific need focused on gathering all the information necessary to better understand whether or not the latest evolution of the Cooper S has maintained the unparalleled communication skills that make Minis among the most fun hot hatches you can find. It put on a few pounds – that’s undeniable – with dimensions substantially doubled compared to those small red bullets that were spanking far more performance-gifted rally cars of the 1960s, but this is a situation that does not see it on its own. Take for example the Porsche 911, or to remain on the subject of small hatchbacks, the FIAT 500. In our case we stop the scale at 1,315 kg, a few hundred more than the version with solid roof and a manual gearbox.
One of the characteristics that make the Mini an agile grenade waiting to be detonated between corners, comes in the shape of its reduced wheelbase and the fact that once the front axle is kissing the apex, the whole car is ready to be launched towards the next bend. In this case the engine of the Cooper S comes into play after a very little delay, with a torque of 280 Nm available at 1,350 rpm, but a power expressed mainly towards the upper half of the tachometer, which does not need to arrive to the red line to deliver its 192 horses. I’ll try to be more clear, moreover it is a 2-liter 4-cylinder and equipped with BMW’s technology that involves a Twin-Power Turbo supercharging that on paper guarantees a more linear delivery than a traditional single turbo engine would be able to do. The model I am testing is fitted with an automatic gearbox, a robotic 7-speed double clutch capable of managing gears perfectly thanks to the driving mode that you will select from the inevitable “pizza” in the center of the dash. It is a pity that our test specimen did not have paddles at the wheel, which do not come as standard and undoubtedly make driving in sequential mode more engaging and practical.
So I decide to let the Mini’s brains interpret my inputs to the throttle and once in Sport mode and start to climb the Colle della Maddalena as if I were being chased by a swarm of ravenous wasps. The roof, as on any self-respecting convertible, must be kept strictly open and thanks to the inclination of the windscreen and the rather high belt line, the passenger compartment remains well insulated, allowing us to literally be surrounded by snow walls piled up on the sides in order to connect this part of Italy and France. The road is wide, free of traffic and encourages me to keep an adequate pace to stress chassis and brakes, allowing me to understand the best bits of the 2.0cc of the Cooper S. Despite the shy pop corns coming out of the exhaust, the behavior of the Cabrio is what I was expecting it to be. Except for the fact that it has mandatory tires suitable for the season and the road surface, the Cooper S insinuates itself through the curves without the slightest hint of disarray, eliminating counter-steering that often grips a front-wheel drive with a fair amount of horses.
The fact of leaving the transmission in automatic mode allows me to keep my hands firmly on the steering wheel and face a road surface with conditions more suitable for a stage rally, rather than an escape from the city. On the straights you just have to sink the gas and the 4-cylinder quickly takes driving license withdrawal speeds, but the icing on the cake is that once close to the bend you play with the weights, setting the lines and often letting the difficult part to be managed by the laws of physics. I don’t feel that much extra weight compared to the R53 or the R56, but I feel a greater mechanical effort underneath me, with a chassis always ready to please the driver and brakes that after numerous hairpin bends up and down these mountain passes still manage to offer enough serenity to head to the Colle della Lombarda (then we found it was closed, ed). With an outside temperature of -6 degrees I decide that it is time to close the electric canvas roof, which does not penalize the exterior appearance of the car at all, but only that of the luggage compartment reduced to 160 liters and with an opposite opening mechanism you find on the traditional 3 or 5 doors.
The Cooper S is a chili-based dish, a delicious brunch that can make everyone agree and allows us to fully enjoy the sense of freedom offered by a car that smells of desire to travel, despite its size can mistakenly think that the city is its ideal habitat. This mini-great escape is exactly what I hoped for being able to experience when we left for the mountains. The snowy peak of the Maddalena is just one of the stages that make the ideal playground to give free rein to the 192 horses of the Cooper S. For those wishing to add a pinch of spicy sauce, there is the John Cooper Works version, which in addition to the aesthetic kit that sharpens bumpers, side skirts and the sound emitted at the back, reaches 231 horsepower, thus making the driving experience even more adrenaline-filled. The standard Cooper S does not lack in power, but you must learn to manage what is at your disposal. It is about being in the right gear, with the tachometer needle in the right place and with the promptness that our parents were used to put into play when they had their work at the wheel of golden days hot hatches.
The Cooper S Cabrio starts at around 32,000 euros, or 5,000 euros more than the 136 hp Cooper and the Cooper S with a solid roof. Then you’ll have the chance to roam en plein air and therefore to fully enjoy those moments when you will leave the car in Mid mode, or you will prefer the eco factor offered by Green mode, maintaining its effectiveness thanks to a reactive chassis that remains precise once the road embraces a series of curves like those faced during our test. It still is a sporty but civilized version of one of the most beloved little ones, in its specific case not so smaller, but only for the fact that it has just turned 60.
It is therefore not a question of numbers, although it takes 7.1 seconds to shoot from 0 to 100 kph and manages to touch 230 per hour, but rather that ability to excel in every situations, an aspect that has been proudly carrying on for generations through decades in which it has experienced not only a continuous evolution but a radical transformation. This aspect is in fact what best defines that remarkable filter between our inputs and the reactions of the mechanical compartment below us, not as vivid as on the first two generations, but equally effective. That’s why I can’t help but deceive the photographer and still look for some bends, almost in an attempt to see who will be the first to reveal their limits between me and the car. The Mini does not seem wanting to give up and despite a shy soundtrack, it keeps to ring one hairpin after another as if it were a much more expensive sports car with an engine double the size. The distance duel with its biggest and fiercest opponent is precisely that with the myth created on everyday roads by the Cooper or by the most spirited JCW, some sort of weaponry made for driving days like these. So I try to push the limit a little further, also trying to make use of a slippery asphalt due to road salt and sporadic patches of melted snow. It is imperturbable and with traction control off it never puts you in unpleasant situations, still leaving you the opportunity to act on the throttle and steering and return to the precise point of one of the many and exciting curves that cars like these prove to be still capable to give to us drivers. Today like 60 years ago, but with a pinch of technology and extra comfort to justify the extra kilos.
MINI COOPER S CABRIO
Layout – front-engined, front wheel drive
Engine – 4 cylinder 1.998cc – Twin-Power Turbo
Transmission – 7-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 192 hp @ 5.000-6.000 rpm
280 Nm @ 1.350-4.600 rpm
Weight – 1.315 kg
Acceleration – 7,1 sec.
Top Speed – 230 kph
Price – from € 24.500 – from € 34.100 as tested