|
Mini Cooper S – The "S" stands for "Sweeeet"
By Dan Modestino
Photos courtesy MINI.com & JohnCooperWorks.com
|
The rear engine “Cooper 500” racer car.
|
At fifteen, John Cooper left school to become an apprentice toolmaker and eventually an instrument maker during the later stages of World War II. Driven by a passion for cars and motor racing, he would team up with his old friend Eric Brandon to embark on a project that would change the course of their lives. Little did he know at the time, that he would be able to use the trades he acquired as an apprentice to immortalize his name with one simple automobile. It is amazing how significant a single instant, could have such a huge impact on the whole automotive industry. The birth of the “Cooper S.”
 What would have become of the Mini if John hadn’t come along with his racing heritage and supped it up? Would the Mini appear in the Monte Carlo Rallies and win consecutive championships from 1964 to 1967? One man’s passion, with the help of some friends turned this tiny economy car that could sit four adults into an automotive idol.
Today the passion is still alive for the Mini Cooper S with its adopted parents at BMW. While the Cooper S will always conjure the spirit of the classic Mini. BMW has resurrected the iconic automobile by splitting the DNA of the classic Cooper S with only the finest BMW genes. Now the car shouts out sport coop rather than subcompact economy.
 If you happen to be driving along and you see one of these cars form your rear view mirror, you’ll notice right away if it’s a Cooper S. The biggest give away on the exterior is the distinct Air Induction slot cut out of its bonnet styled hood just north of the Mini badge. Like one big nostril, its there to snort up as much oxygen as the supercharged Pentagon engine nestled under the hood can handle. The other distinction is the 17” wheels that give this small car that exaggerated caricature look. I for one like that look. Who doesn’t? It gives it that cute factor.
 Cute is not what you’ll think when you get your but whooped 0 to 100km/h by this car. The Cooper S with it’s supercharged 1.6-litre engine hooked to the 6-speed manual transmission, belches out 163hp @ 6000rpm (over 1hp/litre) and 155ft lbs of torque @ 4000rpm. This car can reel in 100km/h in slightly over 7 seconds making it one of the quickest sport coops in class. The only others that could pull a better time is the Acura RSX Type-S and the VW GTI Turbo, by about a half a second. It’s another story when you put the S up against the same cars on the quarter-mile track. The 1.6 Supercharged Cooper S scoots down the track at a respectable 15.5 seconds at 145km/h, only 2 tenths of a second and a little over 6 km/h slower than it’s nearest rival, the 1.8 Turbo GTI. I would have included some Honda figures in here if the Cooper and I hadn’t personally taught a certain white Prelude a lesson in what the “S” stands for in Cooper S. You know who you are and if you don’t, you’ll remember the license plate on the tester read “GET MINI”. That’s right, 206 km/h top speed! All on a closed circuit track of course.
 The ride in this compact car is exactly what you would expect out of a sports car of this size. On rough roads it can get choppy. The simple “Mass” rule always applies: long wheelbase and weight usually equals a smooth ride even over the roughest of roads, because there is enough mass to absorb vibration. However, larger heavier cars are not meant to be carving up the winding backcountry, just as the Cooper S wasn’t built to be setting the cruise control for a 6-hour drive. Nope, the owners of this type of automobile will be found on the windiest and curviest roads they can find. The Cooper S chews up the sharpest corners and spits them out with an intensity that would rival some exotic cars. This Indy-Kart-like handling is made possible by some 3800 welds in its body and the Multi-Link-style suspension found in the BMW 3 series. Another example of DNA extracted from BMW.
 With this type of handling, it was a relief to be sitting in seats that would hold you in place while carving some corners. Standard are the 6-way adjustable two-tone leatherette sport buckets, which give the Cooper’s interior that racy feel. These seats are firm and supportive, but I couldn’t report on the comfort level over long drives as I was only in the car for about an hour at a time.
Also standard is the leather wrapped steering wheel and it is nice and thick! I think it enhances the driving experience when there is some girth to the steering wheel, you know, it gives you something to sink your fingers into.
 I only have a few issues with the whole car. One is the plastic dash trim. I guess the designers are attempting to give it a “patina-like” look. For a car that is more than 30k out of pocket, you would hope it would have a dash that wasn’t so plastic looking. Something to get used to I guess.
Another minor interior issue that I would like to see some improvement on is the Speedo. With both cars (Mini and the Cooper S) I found that it was tricky to get a quick speed-reading off of. I like the location and that whole styling cue from the original, but I would like to see a more ergonomic stacked consol and speedometer. As I have suggested with the Basic Mini, that they angle the speedometer and the stacked center consol toward the driver. The newly designed Grand-Prix dash comes to mind as an example. Everything said, these issues are minor and I could live with these slight repugnance’s.
 There are long lists of options available for one of the smallest cars manufactured in the world. You’ll be glad to hear that safety is standard in the whole line of Mini’s. They have received a 4-star rating in frontal, side impact and resistance to roll over. Engineered crumple zones and the fact that it has the most rigid shell in its class on the planet gives this little car these kind of ratings. In some cases the Mini is more rigid than cars twice the size.
 Is the Mini Cooper S a practical automobile? Well, that all depends on what your passion is. For the money you could get into a number of vehicles, like the Subaru Impreza WRX, the Mazda Protégé, or the Acura RSX Type S. Each one of these automobiles gives great value for the ching, but only the Cooper S give you a ride that is not unlike a go-kart and everyone always has a blast go-karting. I would recommend spending the extra few thousand and get the Cooper S over the Basic Mini. I liked this car a lot and it would definitely be in my “dream car garage.” The only thing that would make it better is the John Cooper Works tuning kit, which bumps this puppy to 200 Horsies! GIDDI-UP!!!
|
