Road Test: Mini Cooper S 2015

We drive the Mini Cooper S 2015 in South Africa

At a time when downsizing engine capacity is rife, comes a cheeky move with the Mini Cooper S by reversing the trend and offering more muscle under the hood. Even the car has gained a few centimetres between axles which further conflicts the very definition of what Mini is. Necessary changes because relying on looks, tradition and funky customisation is proving more difficult against the increased stature and sophistication held by its rivals.

The Mini’s engine is the car’s second greatest point of evolution. Starting life as a Peugeot-derived 1.6-litre supercharged engine, Mini swapped out the whining crank-harvested boost for a turbo charger but retained the displacement. For this model, eager to streamline its drivetrain options and strengthen the bond between brands, BMW has insisted that the Mini Cooper S run the ubiquitous 2.0-litre turbo charged four. Now the Mini Cooper S has always had a great engine so the increase in displacement is hardly the game changer it might be in another car, in fact bigger engines can mean less character – too broad and flexible and not enough redline stuff.

From the onset it’s clear this is not the case. Besides packing more punch in the mid-range it equally relishes a thorough thrashing all the way to 67000rpm. The soundtrack is equally delicious – when the car skips and jostles across bumps, the tyres gouging chunks of tarmac one moment and then slipping, calling upon ESC, translating into this aggressive skirmish of noise that would not seem out of place in a bona-fide all-wheel drive rally car. To replicate heel-and-toe shifting Mini has included a software blip on downshifts. One more reason to buy the manual.

On a straight piece of tarmac 147kW makes the Mini feel about as rapid as a Golf V GTi and considering this motor makes 180kW in a BMW 328i there’s evidently room for more. Knock knock JCW. Power is positioned between the outgoing 135kW Cooper S and the soon-to-be-replaced JCW at 155kW. Torque is up 20Nm.  Getting from 0-100km/h takes 6.8 seconds but the auto will do it a tenth quicker.

Mini describe the everyday driving mode as ‘Typical Mini Fun’ but like all proper hot hatches you have to bring the party to the car, agreeing with the advertising billboard that caused such an outrage when it suggested owners ‘Drive It Like They Stole It.’

There’s an enormous chasm between driving it below 3000rpm and dangling a juicy steak by its snout. Do the latter and the steering wheel will weight up in your palms with little steering corrections as the front tyres scrabble for grip, its body jolting sideways with an incisive combo of punches to your kidneys. There are no scary tendencies; suddenly lifting off the throttle mid-corner won’t induce snappy oversteer and even the traction control has plenty of leniency.

There’s an even cheesier driving mode called ‘Maximum Go-Kart Feel’ which shortens throttle response and if the more audible woosh is an accurate indicator makes the engine boost a little harder.

With the Mini Cooper S proving itself to have found a new realm of road-holding sophistication that’s only marginally firmer than a 3-Series but more chuckable in the bends the interior is where most of the changes separate new from old. Despite substantial improvements the design is distinctly Mini from the large circular display and toggle switches to the circular door handles. Speed and rpm move to a familiar and safer position behind the wheel while that once peculiar joystick is replaced by the iDrive system. Some funky mood lighting accompanies your drive and customisation remains a big selling point well demonstrated by our test unit which added R90 000 to the price.

However don’t let the added exterior dimensions lead you into believing that the Mini is now a family car because even with added boot space and more rear legroom the Mini Cooper S is not a car you want to be putting people in the back of too often. When not attacking corners driver comfort has matured, but it’s not perfect. There’s no position where the armrest doesn’t interfere with either the gears or the handbrake and the iDrive system is so far back you have to look away from the road to see what you’re pressing.

The quandary that Mini found itself in with its latest model was finding a balance that would allow it to grow up and move ahead with innovation but retain all those playful elements that saw people choose it over a bigger and more powerful hatch. Currently BMW is launching its first front-wheel drive model but the Mini has been perfecting that recipe for years.

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