1. Exterior
Ever since the original MINI Hatch was reinvented, each new design has split the critics, while always attracting plenty of buyers. The Countryman has proved a huge success, defying the recession with a healthy increase in sales. Step forward the MINI Coupe, with its backwards-baseball cap profile, less steeply-raked windscreen and spoiler delivering a more aerodynamic car designed to provide the halo for the MINI range and prise buyers away from a Volkswagen Scirocco, Peugeot RCZ, Audi TT or even (according to MINI’s marketing team) a Porsche Cayman. It’s a little lower than a MINI Hatch and the enhanced boot space offered by sacrificing the two rear seats helps create a three-box style design of engine bay, cabin space and boot area.
2. Interior
Huge speedo, chrome toggle switches and steering wheel-mounted controls will all sound very familiar to MINI fans. A little like the exterior, it comes down to personal taste. The main thing you will notice is the absence of two rear seats which brings us nicely on to…
3. Practicality
The MINI hatch may not have the most useable rear seats in the world, but the MINI Coupe goes one step further – it doesn’t have any at all. The boot has become a whole lot more useable. The 280-litre space is easily accessed and able to cope with two people’s luggage for a weekend away. That luggage space can also be accessed via a hatch from the cabin. However, with the exception of the Cayman, all the rivals MINI has identified have more boot space (the TT has 290 litres, the RCZ offers 384 litres and the Scirocco 290 litres) as well as two extra seats. It does beat the Mazda MX-5’s 150 litres though.
4.Ride and handling
The MINI Hatch already offers a superb driving experience and the improved suspension set-up on the Coupe, will broaden the grin on any cornering Coupe driver. The steering takes a while to get used to, seeming to demand a firm grip before the car becomes familiar, so lively are its responses. Optional sports suspension and John Cooper Works suspension toughen things up a little more. MINI are keen to endorse the Coupe as an everyday car but if your everyday includes motorway slogs and all but the smoothest surfaces things are likely to get a bit noisy and bumpy.
5. Performance
The John Cooper Works version of the Coupe offers the punchiest and fastest performance of any MINI with its 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds and 149mph top speed delivering on the promise of greater driving thrills. This comes courtesy of a 208bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged engine offering maximum pulling power of 192lb/ft. The power is harnessed swiftly and smoothly through MINI’s six-speed manual gearbox, though motorway driving could leave you hankering for a slightly longer gear ratio between 5th and 6th. With so much power, the John Cooper Works can be unruly over poor road surfaces, sniffing out ruts and struggling for traction. Specify any other version and you can choose an automatic gearbox as an option. The Sport button noticeably sharpens responses to driving inputs. The same 1.6-litre petrol engine is also available in turbocharged form as the Cooper S. The S offers only slightly reduced performance with its 181bhp and 177lb/ft, 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds and top speed of 143mph. Not bad for a starting price which undercuts the JCW by around £4,000. The non-turbo charged version of the 1.6-litre engine powers the entry level Cooper to a slightly more prosaic nine second 0-62mph time and top speed of 127mph while the Cooper SD provides a diesel option sitting slap bang in the middle of the petrol units with its 7.9 second 0-62mph time and 134mph top speed.
6. Running costs
When we tested the John Cooper Works version at high speeds on German derestricted Autobahns we weren’t too surprised that our returns failed to match the car’s claimed 39.8 average. However we still got around 35mpg and when driving with more frugal intentions pushed returns up to 50mpg without much trouble. The two other petrol alternatives sit a little either side of the 50mpg mark, while the diesel rewards buyers with a claimed 65.7mpg. The diesel also offers the cheapest motoring when it comes to tax with CO2 emissions of 114g/km, the three petrols range from 127g/km to 165g/km. MINIs aren’t cheap and accessories can eat through your budget, but they are expected to hold their value well.
7. Reliability
MINI owners seem to get on well with their cars with the manufacturer voted 5th in the JD Power Survey 2011 and while the Coupe may be new it features many shared parts with its siblings. The car we drove seemed up to the carmaker’s usual high standards.
8. Safety
There are four airbags and a host of safety equipment under the Dynamic Stability Control system umbrella to help make sure they won’t be needed. This includes Anti-lock braking, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, Cornering Brake Control, Brake Assist and Hill Start Assist. Dynamic Traction Control and Electronic Differential Lock Control is standard on the John Cooper Works version and available as an option on the rest of the range.
9. Equipment
The entry-level Cooper comes with 15-inch alloy wheels, Park Distance Control with rear sensors, air-con, electrically adjustable heated exterior mirrors, DAB digital radio and the MINI Radio Boost CD audio system. The standard kit gets a little more generous as you go up through the range however, as with all MINI’s it is very easy to tot up an expensive options list without really trying. The Chili Pack and Media Pack added another £2,500 to the price of our test car with highlights including sat-nav, full Bluetooth, automatic air-con Bi-Xenon headlights and sports suspension
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