Seven days and more than 1,500 miles has given me a real chance to get a feel for the new MINI Cooper. I have some niggles, and I found some pleasing little extra’s which made the new MINI seem a little bit more refined than other small cars on the market today. But what about that key issue: what is is like driving the new MINI Cooper?

As expressed in our earlier report from the media launch in Italy, the MINI Cooper is a cracking car. Since then many more reviews and views have been published on BMW’s new baby and not all of the remarks have been so good. Seats are breaking, gear ratio’s are out of step, the engine’s not powerful enough, the engine noise is too harsh, the interior is tacky. The one thing that seems consistent in all the reviews I have seen is inconsistency! One review says the gear change is choppy, another says it is very positive, one report says the engine is gutless, another says it’s great. Well now was time for me to form some of my own honest opinions of the new MINI Cooper, and to drive it ‘like a Mini should be driven’.

One of my first destinations was the country lanes of Bedfordshire. I know the roads just south of Milton Keynes like the back of my hand, and I have had some of my favourite ‘Mini moments’ driving around that area. What better place to start a week long test of the new MINI? I was impressed. The Cooper I was driving had both ASC+T and Sports Suspension Plus fitted, I figured this would be closest thing the new MINI could offer to my classic mini’s more than firm ride. Some people have expressed displeasure at the harshness of the ride of this particular suspension set up, but I thought it was fine. Despite feeling very firm and low, the damping was surprisingly good and small bumps and potholes caused no problems at all. The only time the suspension felt ‘hard’ rather than firm was when tackling temporary speed bumps, that give you a jolt whatever car you drive.

At 6′ tall I set the adjustable height of the seat to its lowest position, I also set the steering column pretty far down to get myself most comfortable and in control. This car had leather seats with adjustable height, lumbar supports, headrest and back for the driver, in the driving seat I found them very comfortable, although not particularly huggy, you sit on these seats rather than in them. I did have comments from passengers though that the passenger seat did not offer enough in the way of side supports, as while the driver has a wheel to hold onto, they have nothing. In contrast everyone found the rear seats both comfortable and supportive it was just a pity about the lack of leg, and more to the point foot room in the back. Roll on the sports seats is all I can say.

Tackling the lanes of Bedfordshire (and then crawling through the town and villages) I really started to enjoy myself. The handling capabilities of this car are superb. I was taking tight bends that in my modified mini are really 40mph bends at best at about 60mph and not once did I feel truly ‘on the edge’, it just made me smile. The combined stability and traction control is switchable, when deactivated an orange warning light on the rev counter glows to warn you have to do the hard work yourself. In earlier reports I had said that the ASC+T made only a small difference, well now I eat my words. On twisty country lanes, and when launching the car from a standing start you can really feel the technology at work. Wheels don’t spin when you would expect they would, particularly in the wet and you can feel the car correct itself when you take a bend a little too enthusiastically. At first this can seem a little peculiar, especially the cornering corrections, but once you are used to it it actually gives you more confidence to throw the car around a little more. With the control options switched off, the driving experience is a little more hands on, but just as much fun and it certainly feels good.

I also found the gear shift to be spot on, with the exception of engaging reverse. Some people have raised concerns over the step between second and third gear, but I thought the ratios were just right, as did Abi, the only other person who had a chance to drive the car that week. The changes felt to me to be very similar to my ‘89 Peugeot 205 GTI, and with a little bit of net research I have found that the ratios are almost identical on the two cars. The only change I would make would be to have fifth a little further from fourth gear, to make it more of an overdrive. That said 70mph in 5th is just over 3,100rpm and 85mph is a touch below 4,000rpm, so it’s not uncomfortable for motorway cruising.

This week also offered me the chance for some night driving, as well as driving in terrible British wet weather. For night driving I was very impressed with the standard halogen headlight set up of the Cooper, I would have to think hard about the Xenon light option, and I think I would like to see both in action before making a decision. For the we weather, I felt that the fastest wiper speed was a little too slow for very hard rain, you could fix this with a good dose of rain repellent, but MINI could fix this with a slightly faster high-speed setting. In the wet the traction control was also far more noticeable, especially when taking a roundabout at speed, or pulling away from a standing start quickly.

During the week we tackled two long journeys. We took a trip to the south coast from Milton Keynes and back one evening, and at the weekend we drove the MINI to Manchester, the Peak District, and back. I found the car to be very capable and comfortable at motorway cruising speeds. There is also more than enough pull at around the 70mph mark to get you out of any tight situations for example when lorries and vans all decide to overtake on the same small stretch of motorway. The engine does get noticeably louder, and more potent at around 4,000 rpm mark, so to cruise between 85-90mph could be a little too loud for some, but you can always turn the stereo up. For front seat passengers the long journeys were very comfortable, but our rear seat passenger on the trip to Manchester and back certainly got a little twitchy being closed in such a small space for so long.

In summary I would have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my week behind the wheel of a new MINI Cooper, and while many die-hard Classic Mini fans say that is just another small hatchback with the Mini name stuck onto it, I have to disagree. This car is a lot of fun to drive. Was this press MINI Cooper worth £15,000? I would say so, the longer I spent behind the wheel the more I wondered if the ‘S’ can really be that much better for everyday driving, but I am sure as soon as I drive one of those my views will change again.