By Jez Spinks
BMW has changed every single body panel, spruced up the cabin, and installed brand new engines for its second-generation Mini reincarnation.
Not that you’d know it. The company hasn’t dared mess with the car’s crucial, winning formula. So you’d have to have a keen eye to pick the ‘old’ new Mini with the new new Mini.
Cool styling plus fun handling has equalled huge sales success across the globe since BMW re-invented the Mini five years ago, so this time around BMW has focused on refinement for a car that is on course to reach one million sales in 2007.
We detailed last week the key changes to the new-generation Mini, but while the pictures revealed how BMW had retained the car’s cute’n’cool styling despite all-new sheetmetal, we couldn’t reveal until now whether the technical changes would keep true to the Mini’s trademark handling.
The twisting roads of Barcelona, the Spanish city chosen for the car’s international launch, provided as positive an answer as you can get within the restricted timeframe and location.
And you don’t have to drive far, or fast, to notice an immediate, obvious difference between old and new. The supercharger whine of the previous model’s 1.6-litre Chrysler-engined Cooper S – which could be described as either characterful or annoying, depending on your acoustical tastes – is replaced by a more common but smoother four-cylinder beat from the new BMW-Peugeot 1.6-litre turbo.
Installing the new German-French unit sees the Mini’s power and torque rise by 10kW and 20Nm respectively to 128kW and 240Nm, although the torque figure jumps again to 260Nm with an Overboost function that’s triggered by the driver flattening the throttle in situations such as overtaking.
More significantly, both this engine and the naturally aspirated, 88kW/160Nm 1.6 slotted into the base Cooper (not available to test) reduce fuel consumption. The Cooper S’s thirst drops from 8.4 litres per 100km to 6.9, the Cooper’s from 6.8 to 5.8.
Straightline performance doesn’t advance as impressively, with the newest Mini’s 0-100km/h acceleration time only a tenth quicker (7.1 seconds) than the old model, but the power delivery is beautifully linear and strong. And turbo lag is remarkably absent, giving the driver near-instant throttle response.
Peak torque is impressively flat from 1600 to 5000rpm, where the Mini feels at its most urgent – and most exploitable through its carried-over six-speed manual gearbox. (A six-speed automatic is optional, but was not available to test.)
A slicker, shorter-throw transmission would have been another welcome change for the new Mini mkII, but it remains a pleasant-to-use manual with nicely spaced gear ratios, and it will continue to satisfy the majority of drivers.
And so will the handling.
BMW makes plenty of references in its press material about retaining the Mini’s ‘go-kart’ characteristics, and the Mini’s wheelbase, turning circle and front and rear tracks are all virtually unchanged, but some of its technical changes – aimed more at improving driver comfort than driver exhiliration – could have been cause for concern.
The new power steering system, however, remains wonderfully direct despite a change from electro-hydraulic to fully electric set-up, which is designed to provide lighter weighting around town while becoming heavier at faster speeds. Just don’t expect kart-like levels of steering feedback.
BMW has also introduced a new, lighter rear suspension, and has set out to try and cushion the previous Mini’s bone-jarring ride, but the Mini remains as enthusiastic to turn into corners as ever, once again almost begging you to man-handle it.
On the limit, the Mini resorts to understeer, or front-end push, but – as is characteristic of a short wheelbase, compact machine – enthusiastic drivers will be able to use the throttle to their advantage.
We drove two versions of the Cooper S: one fitted with 16-inch tyres and regular suspension, the other with 17-inch tyres and Sports suspension – both optional separately for either Cooper model.
The bigger-tyred, sportier-riding Mini offered an incremental handling improvement, but regardless of wheel sizes or suspension settings, the Cooper S is a safe and fun car to drive – even with electronic driver aids (stability and traction control) switched off.
Run-flat tyres, as with all BMWs, are standard on all Minis, which already offer a natural firmness to the ride owing to their stiffer sidewalls.
What is harder to assess on foreign roads is whether the Mini’s ride quality – always a bugbear, thanks largely to the short suspension travel - has improved.
BMW had four different test routes mapped out in Barcelona, none sufficiently ruinous for a thorough check, but the bumps and potholes we did encounter suggest the car is unlikely to be purchased by Australians who have pencilled in ‘pampering ride’ at the top of their new-car must-haves list.
All future Mini buyers, however, can take comfort from the fact that BMW has addressed criticisms of the old model’s interior quality. There’s a familiar look to the new cabin, but the improvement in trim and switchgear quality is noticeable.
The retro-inspired central speedo remains, but is even larger than before, now incorporating the audio and optional satellite navigation. Previously, selecting sat-nav saw the speedo downsized and moved to join the rev counter behind the steering wheel.
In an interior that’s circle-obsessed more than ever before, even the keyfob is round – slotting into a hole before you press a, yes, round Start button is kick the engine into life.
Some toggle switches are now positioned above the rear-view mirror, helping to narrow the centre console and create a little extra footwell space for driver and front passenger.
The seats offer good comfort and seem to be made of very durable material, although lateral support should be better for a car as chuckable as the Mini. Blame the fact that this car is homologated basically as is for all markets – including those addicted to fast food.
While the Mini’s front and rear overhangs extend slightly, increasing overall length by 59mm, no change in wheelbase means BMW engineers are not the only people with no room to manoeuvre regarding rear-seat space.
The back seat remains a squeezy affair for two adults, despite new, rear-scalloped front seats generating some extra knee room.
There’s also a fraction more boot space – up 10 litres to 160 courtesy of a different lining – but Mini fans in need of genuine practicality will have to wait for the wagon version that could be launched as early as the end of next year.
Both the Cooper and Cooper S Minis will arrive in Australia in the second quarter of 2007.
For a car that’s already considered quite expensive for its size and class, the good news is that price rises are expected to be fairly minor – as is the case in Europe.
But now the Mini offers refinement that is anything but retro, expect this car to continue to be as popular as the classic it sets out to replicate.
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