Instrumented Test
The denizens of the Mini publicity mill are fond of making go-kart allusions in describing their brand’s products, and those allusions have some foundation in fact. Consider our test car, the new four-door version of the Mini Hardtop, in 189-hp Cooper S tune. It has gunfighter reflexes, hardly a trace of body roll, transient responses reminiscent of a mongoose tormenting a cobra, and steering that’s both quick (2.5 turns lock-to-lock) and precise to several decimal places. The net-net is a car capable both of distinguishing itself at an autocross and of making its owner feel like Fernando Alonso at track days.
That’s all good. But sadly, there’s more to life than track events. And assessed as an everyday car, the Mini has less endearing dynamic traits. For example, the stiff suspension tuning that keeps cornering attitudes level and responses eager communicates any pavement irregularity bigger than a dime directly to the occupants. This effect is amplified by the low-profile Pirelli Cinturato P7 run-flat tires (size 205/40-18), which are fitted to avoid having to carry a spare. It adds up to ride quality that ranges from stiff to harsh—and transmits a fair amount of road noise in the process.
Output of the turbocharged 2.0-liter four is respectable, and allied with a six-speed automatic, it delivers brisk forward progress. Zero to 60 mph is achieved in 6.2 seconds, the quarter-mile in 14.8 at 95 mph. Brisk isn’t the same as breathtaking, but using the transmission’s paddle shifters to summon the best the engine has to give can add a little bit of fun.
A six-speed manual gearbox is also available, delivering positive engagements and a mechanical feel that seems to belong to an earlier era—in a good way. But the automatic gets the job of swapping cogs done more quickly.
The racy feel extends inside, at least as far as the seats, which are bolstered almost to a level of track readiness with outstanding lateral support regardless of g-loads (0.87 g on our skidpad). But like the Mini’s dynamic traits, this may be a bit much for everyday driving—the chairs are a little too confining, particularly during extended travels.
The upside of this four-door hatchback is that it makes for a far more useful Mini. Unlike the two-door Hardtop, there’s a credible back seat capable of accommodating a couple of adults. There’s not quite as much space as in, say, a Volkswagen GTI, but it adds an element of practicality to a rather hard-edged car.
Mini has made other concessions to practicality in its interiors recently, moving its window switches, for example, to a more conventional location, and the pizza-sized roundel in the center of the dash has become home for the nav unit, the audio system, and other secondary controls rather than the speedometer.
Mini pricing has been premium since the brand’s 2002 revival, and that continues to be true. With a base price of $25,950 with the manual, or $27,450 with the “Sport Automatic” transmission tested here, the four-door Cooper S Hardtop automatic costs about the same as a corresponding GTI. Fully Loaded, an option package on our test car that included navigation, adds $4500. But that wasn’t all. A number of other options brought the as-tested total to a resounding $35,900. That’s fully loaded indeed—too much for something this size, we say—and more than a comparably equipped GTI.
We keep mentioning the 10Best-winning GTI because it offers a small edge in engine performance, comparable agility, and more interior volume and also because the VW is easier to live with as a daily driver. On the other hand, if your objective is an autocross-ready weapon with a cheeky, iconoclastic persona that will always stand out from the herd, as well as a soupçon of practicality, well, here’s your ride.
