MINI Cooper S: Small Performance Car Comparison 2014

MINI Cooper S

Execution of intended purpose
The MINI Cooper S is emphatically small, readily identifiable through its retro looks, and has little intention of delivering anything less than an enjoyable experience.

It is tight inside, but you expect that. Although there are absolutely no complaints about the way it takes care of front-seat passengers, as a three-door, access to the rear seat requires some twisting and contorting. There’s also precious little luggage space in the beautifully trimmed but tiny 211-litre two-level boot.

There’s no spare wheel — just a roadside repair kit.

The outrageous central display actually contributes to a functional control/driver interface, while the crescent/full moon grouping for tacho/speedo is viewed directly and clearly through the upper half of the steering wheel. Despite the quirkiness, it all works well.

The sculpted front seats are supportive, and it’s quite easy to see out, even with the thick A, B and C pillars.

On the road, the Cooper S, like the others in this comparison, is hardly cathedral-like in its silence. Most of it is tyre noise from the 205/45-series radials, which look huge on a car this small.

Fit, finish and finesse
Considering the complexity of the MINI’s body contours and shapes, it was impressive to note the consistency of both paint application and panel gaps.

The tint matching between plastic and metal painted surfaces was excellent and, although there were some signs of primer inside the guards and under the bonnet, the quality of the paint finish was by and large impressive.

Inside, the MINI again showed a flair for a tight fit. This again impressed our judges who marvelled at how snug the trim met itself across the many shapes, contours and textures found united in such a small space.

Those warm feelings aside, the MINI’s extensive use of low-grade black plastics across the interior’s door cards, centre console and other secondary surfaces were second only in commonality to those of the Subaru WRX. This came as quite a contrast to the neat switchgear, first-rate upholstery and swanky gloss-finished trim garnishes.

Transporting to the circuit (where it returned a 6.5L/100km fuel consumption average, 0.6 above the ADR Combined claim) the MINI felt darty and responsive. Sport mode includes a rev-match function on downshift to further strengthen its case.

But that’s where it ended.

“There’s just understeer everywhere,” commented Youlden, as he struggled to post a disappointing best laptime of 1:03.01.

“It’s responsive and sounds good, but does nothing outstanding. The détente to reverse is weak, so you are never sure if you’ve snagged the right downshift.

“Braking is okay [despite the rear becoming visibly lively into the hairpin], but it needs more front tyre to limit the push [understeer] and increase traction.”

That last comment, along with others on ride and tyre noise, indicated that the MINI’s perhaps best ordered without the run-flat rubber (as tested).

Suitable integration of technology
The MINI Cooper S blitzed this part of the test owing largely to the fact it’s the newest generation car on test.

It featured a massive central screen and 'dancing' LED displays. The audio system’s quality and digital radio receiver also impressed our tech-savvy judges.

The MINI’s large, high-resolution centre screen was home to one of the best satnav systems on test. The BMW-like iDrive controller was simple to use, even offering a touchpad controller to input instructions.

On top of the MINI's charming interior layout (all circles and classic toggle switches) was what has to be the easiest smart phone integration of the lot. The Cooper S was by far the easiest to pair via Bluetooth.

Factor in head-up display (the only car in our test to offer this), excellent climate control with digital temperature displays, and the coolest engine start switch of the lot, and the MINI was without doubt the tech-head's car of choice.

Value for money
Let’s not pretend the MINI, in its base three-door Cooper S form, is a commodious hatchback. Dimensionally, it could hardly be otherwise. It is by far the smallest, and lightest, car here and is best thought of as a 2+2, and not a five-passenger hatch.

Although the options list is long enough to encircle the Earth, and can jack-up the price enormously, at $36,950 (plus ORCs) the base Cooper S sits alongside the entry Renault Megane RS as the cheapest way into the segment.

But, as outlined in the original MINI manifesto, when the first new-generation model was introduced in 2002, the little retro car is all about personalisation. Nobody is expected to buy a bare-bones model and, it seems, nobody does.

While the base Cooper S comes standard with things like 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate-control, cloth/leather combination sports seats, keyless entry, idle stop-start and satnav, start adding options to pile on the luxe and you’ll also pile on the dollars.

Options on our test car, which included LED headlights, run-flat tyres, a reversing camera and head-up display, lifted the car’s price by $5480. And if you wanted, there were plenty more to go.

The MINI comes with a five-year/70,000km capped-price servicing plan and is covered by a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty that includes roadside assist.

The residuals are pretty impressive: A one-year-old MINI Cooper S is rated at 86 per cent of its new price on the private-sale market.