Post by racingteatray on Aug 28, 2018 21:02:43 GMT
So, my wife having had to hand back the Clio she’d had for a month, we’ve been on a two week Mini adventure courtesy of Avis at Bologna airport who were clearly trying to make up for the deeply dreary Crossland they gave me last time around. My class C “Peugeot 208 or similar” turned out to be a three month old Cooper D manual 3dr in a slightly odd colour somewhere between Battleship grey and taupe that my wife liked but I wasn’t sure about. It’s actually a metallic shade but you’d be forgiven for not realising.
It was decently run-in with around 7k kms on the clock when we got it, to which we added a further 1.5k over the two weeks.
This was actually my first experience of a new Mini of any sort (excluding my mother’s last gen Countryman) so I was very interested to see what it was like.
The long and short of it was that I absolutely loved it, despite some slight reservations on the styling.
The first surprise, once you get used to the rather upright letterbox-like windscreen, is just how mature and grown-up it feels on the road. On the autostrada it really feels remarkably like driving a proper premium quality hatch like an A3 or 1-series. Quiet, comfy, rock-solid stability, well-weighted controls and a general sense of sturdiness. Just shrunk to a handily small size. In this respect, it’s so far ahead of a Fiat 500 as to make the comparison seem frankly unfair. You really could drive one of these across Europe quite happily.
The engine helps. My views on diseasels are well-known but this one really isn’t half bad. In the Cooper D, you get a 1.5 litre 3-cylinder turbodiesel kicking out a creditable 116bhp. It’s less agricultural than your average small diesel, particularly VAG’s offerings. At idle, it thrums rather than clatters, sounding more like one of BMW’s 3.0 straight six turbodiesels than you’d ever credit (although it is of course half of one), which adds to the grown-up premium feel. It’s also remarkably economical. As mentioned, we did 1,500 kms (930 miles) in it during mixed motorway, rural and urban driving, during which time it used 80 litres (17.6 gallons) of the black stuff. So that’s a real world average of 53mpg. Impressive stuff. Better still, on the motorway run back to Bologna airport from my in-laws (some 180kms), it used just over 8 litres, which works out at over 60mpg. And I assure you I was not hanging around.
Under way, it’s never intrusive and, thanks to a snicky but rather long-geared six speed manual gearbox, it’s a relaxed and quiet companion on the motorway. Decently punchy too, happily knuckling it out with speeding Swiss registered Audis in the fast lane without any need to drop out of sixth. The easy swell of torque is always welcome. Away from the motorway, overtaking isn’t hard work (although you do need to work the gearbox) and even four-up, it will scamper up a steep Italian hillside without feeling laboured. Streets better in this respect than the Clio that preceded it.
Once on side roads, you notice two things primarily: first, that for a non-sportscar, this car really does define “chuckable” - it’s very responsive and nimble with very direct steering, and it handles in a way that encourages you to have a bit of fun. Second, the ride is a snadge firm. This one was on smallish alloys (not sure if 15” or 16” - didn’t check) and the ride was generally absorbent and fine, but it could thump and jiggle on scarred surfaces in a way which made me fear for sportier versions on bigger hoops. I happened to drive it back to back with a relative’s Citroen C4 one day and the difference was plain with the French car’s ride simply ironing away the imperfections on broken rural tarmac in a way the Mini had no answer to. Of course it didn’t handle like the Mini either...
Inside, the good news continues. At first glance, in relatively boggo Cooper spec, it’s all a bit Teutonically dark (black plastics, grey trim, black cloth seats) but the basic design is pleasing, interesting, well-executed and feels very well-made. It’s also user-friendly with most of the controls being intuitive (especially if you are used to a BMW). Everything clicks and clunks with a satisfyingly well-oiled feeling and all the major interfaces and switch gear feels suitably upmarket. At least as good as an A1. The frameless doors are a neat touch (and aid entry in tight spaces).
I found the driving position easy to get right but my wife at 5”3 was less convinced, saying she found it hard to get close enough to the pedals unless everything was rammed right forward. Thank God for a reach and rake adjustable wheel. She preferred the Clio she had rented before in this respect.
Usability-wise, the boot is ok for the size of car (bigger than the one in our 500) but ultimately not huge (one large suitcase or two hand luggage-sized trolleys will fit but pretty much fill it) and access to the back seat is not easy thanks to the low roof-line. It’s also defiantly only a 4-seater. My wife said our 500 was much better in this respect.
Spec-wise, it had rear parking sensors which seemed a bit unnecessary (it might be big for a Mini and noticeably longer than a 500 but it’s still a very small car) and I’d have traded them for a better stereo - the (presumably standard) one fitted to this Cooper was not great sound-wise. The air-con (not climate) was however exceptionally effective - capable of cooling a well and truly sunbaked car (contrasting black roofs really are stupid) into something you can face sitting in in very short order. Much better in that respect than the aforementioned Clio which struggled to cool itself. Also the standard halogen headlights were pretty effective - as a small aside and perhaps I am out of touch having had xenons for years - but I think this is the first car I’ve ever driven with halogen lights which did that self-adjusting dip/rise of the lights when you switch them on.
Then there’s the styling. From the back I find it button-cute (mercifully this one didn’t have the naff Union Jack rear lights - they are optional in Europe unsurprisingly). The rear 3/4 is also good. It’s also fine dead-on from the front, but the front 3/4 view bothers me. The snout is just too big and bulbous - earlier versions of the “new” Mini were much better resolved in this respect. Not a deal-killer (and they do look much better on bigger alloys than the rather small ones this wore) but a pity nevertheless.
Having never really been terribly interested in Minis before, seeing them as slightly silly small cars for estate agents and overly fashionable people, I suddenly do now get them. This was the first genuinely small car I’ve ever driven which felt utterly at ease on a motorway and yet was also sparkling to drive off it (even fitted with a diesel lump), plus looked good and had a pleasingly styled, easy to use and well-made interior. It’s not perfect but I could quite happily have one. Provided you don’t need the space, it’s near ideal personal transport. A petrol manual Cooper 3dr I think (I know the 5dr has more space and a bigger boot but the loss of the frameless doors has been messily executed in a way that annoys me!). Not an S, because that doesn’t have the 3-pot and you wouldn’t be able to thrash it as much without losing your licence... British Racing Green please Santa with a pano roof and some tan leather seats...
Zbigniew Herbert
It was decently run-in with around 7k kms on the clock when we got it, to which we added a further 1.5k over the two weeks.
This was actually my first experience of a new Mini of any sort (excluding my mother’s last gen Countryman) so I was very interested to see what it was like.
The long and short of it was that I absolutely loved it, despite some slight reservations on the styling.
The first surprise, once you get used to the rather upright letterbox-like windscreen, is just how mature and grown-up it feels on the road. On the autostrada it really feels remarkably like driving a proper premium quality hatch like an A3 or 1-series. Quiet, comfy, rock-solid stability, well-weighted controls and a general sense of sturdiness. Just shrunk to a handily small size. In this respect, it’s so far ahead of a Fiat 500 as to make the comparison seem frankly unfair. You really could drive one of these across Europe quite happily.
The engine helps. My views on diseasels are well-known but this one really isn’t half bad. In the Cooper D, you get a 1.5 litre 3-cylinder turbodiesel kicking out a creditable 116bhp. It’s less agricultural than your average small diesel, particularly VAG’s offerings. At idle, it thrums rather than clatters, sounding more like one of BMW’s 3.0 straight six turbodiesels than you’d ever credit (although it is of course half of one), which adds to the grown-up premium feel. It’s also remarkably economical. As mentioned, we did 1,500 kms (930 miles) in it during mixed motorway, rural and urban driving, during which time it used 80 litres (17.6 gallons) of the black stuff. So that’s a real world average of 53mpg. Impressive stuff. Better still, on the motorway run back to Bologna airport from my in-laws (some 180kms), it used just over 8 litres, which works out at over 60mpg. And I assure you I was not hanging around.
Under way, it’s never intrusive and, thanks to a snicky but rather long-geared six speed manual gearbox, it’s a relaxed and quiet companion on the motorway. Decently punchy too, happily knuckling it out with speeding Swiss registered Audis in the fast lane without any need to drop out of sixth. The easy swell of torque is always welcome. Away from the motorway, overtaking isn’t hard work (although you do need to work the gearbox) and even four-up, it will scamper up a steep Italian hillside without feeling laboured. Streets better in this respect than the Clio that preceded it.
Once on side roads, you notice two things primarily: first, that for a non-sportscar, this car really does define “chuckable” - it’s very responsive and nimble with very direct steering, and it handles in a way that encourages you to have a bit of fun. Second, the ride is a snadge firm. This one was on smallish alloys (not sure if 15” or 16” - didn’t check) and the ride was generally absorbent and fine, but it could thump and jiggle on scarred surfaces in a way which made me fear for sportier versions on bigger hoops. I happened to drive it back to back with a relative’s Citroen C4 one day and the difference was plain with the French car’s ride simply ironing away the imperfections on broken rural tarmac in a way the Mini had no answer to. Of course it didn’t handle like the Mini either...
Inside, the good news continues. At first glance, in relatively boggo Cooper spec, it’s all a bit Teutonically dark (black plastics, grey trim, black cloth seats) but the basic design is pleasing, interesting, well-executed and feels very well-made. It’s also user-friendly with most of the controls being intuitive (especially if you are used to a BMW). Everything clicks and clunks with a satisfyingly well-oiled feeling and all the major interfaces and switch gear feels suitably upmarket. At least as good as an A1. The frameless doors are a neat touch (and aid entry in tight spaces).
I found the driving position easy to get right but my wife at 5”3 was less convinced, saying she found it hard to get close enough to the pedals unless everything was rammed right forward. Thank God for a reach and rake adjustable wheel. She preferred the Clio she had rented before in this respect.
Usability-wise, the boot is ok for the size of car (bigger than the one in our 500) but ultimately not huge (one large suitcase or two hand luggage-sized trolleys will fit but pretty much fill it) and access to the back seat is not easy thanks to the low roof-line. It’s also defiantly only a 4-seater. My wife said our 500 was much better in this respect.
Spec-wise, it had rear parking sensors which seemed a bit unnecessary (it might be big for a Mini and noticeably longer than a 500 but it’s still a very small car) and I’d have traded them for a better stereo - the (presumably standard) one fitted to this Cooper was not great sound-wise. The air-con (not climate) was however exceptionally effective - capable of cooling a well and truly sunbaked car (contrasting black roofs really are stupid) into something you can face sitting in in very short order. Much better in that respect than the aforementioned Clio which struggled to cool itself. Also the standard halogen headlights were pretty effective - as a small aside and perhaps I am out of touch having had xenons for years - but I think this is the first car I’ve ever driven with halogen lights which did that self-adjusting dip/rise of the lights when you switch them on.
Then there’s the styling. From the back I find it button-cute (mercifully this one didn’t have the naff Union Jack rear lights - they are optional in Europe unsurprisingly). The rear 3/4 is also good. It’s also fine dead-on from the front, but the front 3/4 view bothers me. The snout is just too big and bulbous - earlier versions of the “new” Mini were much better resolved in this respect. Not a deal-killer (and they do look much better on bigger alloys than the rather small ones this wore) but a pity nevertheless.
Having never really been terribly interested in Minis before, seeing them as slightly silly small cars for estate agents and overly fashionable people, I suddenly do now get them. This was the first genuinely small car I’ve ever driven which felt utterly at ease on a motorway and yet was also sparkling to drive off it (even fitted with a diesel lump), plus looked good and had a pleasingly styled, easy to use and well-made interior. It’s not perfect but I could quite happily have one. Provided you don’t need the space, it’s near ideal personal transport. A petrol manual Cooper 3dr I think (I know the 5dr has more space and a bigger boot but the loss of the frameless doors has been messily executed in a way that annoys me!). Not an S, because that doesn’t have the 3-pot and you wouldn’t be able to thrash it as much without losing your licence... British Racing Green please Santa with a pano roof and some tan leather seats...
Zbigniew Herbert
