MINI Cooper S
For now, it’s the hottest MINI on sale. We find out if it’s our hot hatch king
MODELTESTED: MINI Cooper S PRICE: £20,635 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl, 189bhp
THE MINI Cooper S is the hottest model in the facelifted MINI range until the John Cooper Works (JCW) arrives, but it’s the least powerful car of our trio here, producing 189bhp from its 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. While the Cooper S is the cheapest of the three at £20,635, you’ll need to add plenty of options to match its rivals’ specifications.
Design & engineering
THIS latest MINI Cooper S isn’t much different from what came before it: new features here include revised LED lights and some more equipment inside. The Union flag rear LEDS are an acquired taste, but they are distinctive and set the new model apart from its predecessor.
Cooper S models are based on the BMW Group’s UKL1 platform, which uses Macpherson struts at the front and a multi-link set-up at the rear. Our test car was fitted with adaptive dampers (£375) that stiffen up when you switch from the default Mid mode to Sport. There’s also a Green driving mode that dulls the MINI’S responses in order to improve efficiency.
The interior has largely been left untouched for the facelifted MINI, aside from the new infotainment system and a couple of minor changes. Soft-touch materials are used in key places, and while there are still some cheaper plastics to be found, they are much better hidden than in the Ford and VW; the Cooper S is the most upmarket of the three cars.
However, the MINI isn’t as well equipped as its rivals, and you’ll need to pick pricey option packs to add key extras such as cruise control and parking sensors. It does come with Bluetooth, DAB, keyless go and 16-inch alloys, but to get the 18-inchers on the car you see in our pictures you’ll have to pay £1,260.
Driving
AS there have only been a few changes to the latest Cooper S, it remains great fun to drive. The MINI’S direct steering and grippy chassis mean barreling down a twisty road is great fun. It responds to your inputs just as you want it to, so you’re able to tighten or open your line around a corner using the throttle as well as the steering. In fact, it’s right up there with the Fiesta ST in terms of B-road thrills.
The MINI’S driving position is also great, which helps with comfort, but the well-developed damping is a big plus for the MINI as well; it gives enough compliance to keep the car composed without feeling unsettled on rough roads. The Cooper S is slightly more forgiving than the Ford, but isn’t as smooth as the Polo and ultimately is still quite firm – but we reckon it’s worth it for the superb handling.
The engine is less vocal than both rivals’ motors, but the MINI’S 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit is more characterful than the Polo’s, and smoother than the three-cylinder engine in the Ford. It’s down on power next to its rivals here, but only by a small amount and you won’t feel left behind in the British car. It doesn’t feel significantly slower on the road, but at the track the Cooper S did trail its rivals.
Despite the sunshine in our pictures, we carried out our track tests in mixed conditions, and the MINI took 7.4 seconds to accelerate from 0-60mph and 6.6 seconds to go through the gears from 30-70mph, the slowest here. While the Ford was faster in gear, the Cooper S beat the Polo’s 4.2-second 30-50mph time in fourth by one tenth. It was also faster than the Volkswagen from 50-70mph in fifth and sixth.
The MINI’S gearchange isn’t as positive and enjoyable as the Ford’s. However, it’s still much more engaging and fun than the DSG auto in the Polo.
Practicality
PRACTICALITY really isn’t the MINI’S strong point. Its 211-litre boot is only big enough for shopping journeys or a very lightly-packed trip for two, because it’s 100 litres smaller than the Fiesta’s volume.
Fold down the seats and there’s 731 litres in total, well behind both rivals. Still, use the back seats as storage space and there’s enough room for the MINI to accommodate two people regularly.
That’s all you’ll want to do, because the rear seats are very tight and there’s not enough legroom for adults to sit comfortably. It’s much more cramped than the five-door Polo and it’s also worse than the three-door Ford. There’s plenty of head and shoulder room up front, but visibility forward and back is worse in the Cooper S than in either of its rivals.
Ownership
ALTHOUGH the MINI scored only four out of five stars in its 2014 Euro NCAP safety test, it was tested under a different rating system to the others here.
This facelifted car also has much more safety equipment available, including autonomous emergency braking, which is an £800 option as part of the Driving Assistant Pack. That also adds traffic sign recognition and auto main beam headlights, plus adaptive cruise control.
MINI came in 14th place in our Driver Power 2018 dealer survey, beating Ford’s 20th place and VW’S 18th place rankings in this year’s poll.
Running costs
DESPITE its low kerbweight, the 2.0-litre MINI emits the most CO2, at 145g/km. This compares with 136g/km and 134g/km for the Ford and Volkswagen respectively, so the Cooper S sits three Benefit in Kind (BIK) tiers above the GTI and two above the ST, at 30 per cent.
As a result, the MINI will be the most expensive model to run for company car drivers, costing lower-rate taxpayers £1,223 per year. The Fiesta ST and Polo GTI will cost a standard-rate worker £1,189 and £1,148 respectively in tax contributions.