MINI have kindly provided us with a MINI Cooper S to live with for a week. 25th November: Day 3. Loving the lanes, or is it?

Delivery Miles: 2483
Miles today: 97
Total miles covered: 210
Average MPG (according to trip computer): 29.9 mpg (imperial)
Average Speed (according to trip computer): 30.9 mph
Pictures: Photos from the day
Forum discussion: Here

Some interesting developments occurred during day 3 of our MINI Cooper S experience. The weather was terrible, raining hard for half the day, and then overcast for much of the rest of the day, the sky’s only clearing just before sunset. So our plans for videos and photo shoots were pretty much scuppered from the outset. We did try and shoot some film, but it was a disaster, so that’s gone straight into the out take bin!

So instead I ventured out alone to drive the car a bit more like I would my own 2006 MINI Cooper S, taking in sections of local roads I would usually head for when I want a bit of fun country driving, roads those who have attended one of my “MINI2 Darkness Runs” will be familiar with. This is where it got interesting. Taking it more easy than usual due to the at times almost torrential rain and oodles of standing water on the road, I headed out into my regular big grin territory.

During the drive I was really impressed with the suspension and handling of the car, although not fitted with sports suspension the ride is still firm enough to satisfy most drivers, I cant see complaints from many owners that it’s too soft. In the wet and slippery conditions the car behaved very well, like I would expect a MINI. The engine pulls really well, and can really sing when you’re going up and down the gears and rev range, working the car through twisting, turning, undulating countryside. It was a real blast, as previously mentioned the car feels very sure footed, more so than my own 2006 S with Sports Suspension Plus.

There is without doubt more suspension travel, and smoother damping. This can at times lead to the new MINI feeling a little more vague than the old model, but you don’t get every rattle and shake coming through your hands, overall I found the little route I took just as pleasing as I would normally do, but less jarring and less tiring. During this drive was the first time I decided to use the Sport button for any period of time, and it certainly upped the smiles per mile. The handling felt more direct, and more connected, and the throttle response that much better. I had a lot of fun. It was only when I got back to base that things took a turn for the worse.

After returning I thought I’d take a few snaps of the now comparatively filthy Cooper S. Of note was that the apparently modified rear aerodynamics to reduce spray and muck on the back of the car appear to have negligible effect, I couldn’t see out of the rear most of the journey, and it was filthy as you’d expect when I got out to inspect things. What I wasn’t expecting was to find bits of trim hanging out of place, apparently broken, on both sides of the front wheels. The grey plastic wheel arch trim had at some point on my drive had popped out of place at the rear of the front wheel arches, on both sides. It appears to the untrained eye that the wheels maybe rebounded, hit the trim and knocked it out of place! This was a BIG surprise for me, because these are roads I tackle frequently in my own Cooper S without incident. Was it due to the softer suspension allowing more travel, when did it happen? I have no idea, there’s uneven and slightly jarring bits of road on the route, but as I’ve said I’ve never had a problem before, and I don’t recall any of the tens of MINIs on the Darkness Run knocking wheel arch trim lose on both sides either. Whatever happened, it was disappointing to find to say the least.

Anyway, I did my best to pop the clips out and put them back in place from behind using a pair of long nose pliers to squeeze out and re-use the two unbroken clips that had just popped out place. A fiddly, not to mention damp, job to say the least. The following morning, however, I went to double check the mileage and I found after a late night cruise around town to try and get some night time photographs one side has decided to pop itself out again. I think I’m going to give up attempting to get it back into place again. So a brilliant drive ended on a downer, maybe I was just unlucky, but it seems really odd that both sides should pop out like this after a “spirited”, but certainly not extreme jaunt along some of my favourite roads.

On the plus side, the heater vents are no longer whistling.