Little Engine, Little Car. A Match Made in Heaven?

The MINI One first time around was an interesting little motor. Basically it was figured out very early on after it’s release to market that the 1.6 litre version of the MINI One was basically a MINI Cooper with an “un tweaked” ECU and more basic trim. Although never as popular as the Cooper, probably purely as a result of lower performance figures and the lack of the heritage appeal the Cooper badge carries, the MINI One was a popular choice. This was no doubt enhanced by the fact for a relatively small outlay you could have the engine management poked about to give performance equal to or better than the more expensive Cooper.

First time around the MINI One and MINI Cooper came first, the S we all had to wait for. For the second generation the base model is one of the last (alongside the Cooper Diesel) to come to market.

The MINI One is £1,400 less than the Cooper in the UK, and just over £2,500 less than the Cooper D that we tested on the same day, over the same roads. This time around you’re treated to a 1.4 litre petrol engine producing 95hp (5 hp up on the old 1.6 litre in the first generation) and 103 lb-ft of torque. The One also has a 6 speed gearbox, which helps produce the reasonably frugal fuel consumption figures, claimed at just under 50 mpg on the combined cycle.

The gear ratios, and pretty much everything else for that matter, is technically identical to the MINI Cooper. Fuel consumption, C02 figures, the whole lot is pretty much like for like with the 1.6 litre MINI Cooper. And it’s when we started looking closely at the figures we were left with a feeling of “why?”. Why not spend the extra on the Cooper, get more bang for your buck, and not even suffer in terms of fuel consumption or emissions based vehicle tax?

The same feeling continued as we embarked on our test jaunt. The MINI One feels slower than the figures suggest, maybe it’s because we were still feeling slightly over excited by our impressions of the Cooper Diesel, which feels better than figures might suggest. The One felt laggy, and a little like a MINI dragging it’s heels. But, and really it’s a big but, the six speed 1.4 litre MINI One does feel a better overall package than the 1.6 litre MINI One it’s replacing in the model line up. And really that’s the point, while, to us at least, it just doesn’t stack up against the other MINIs in the range, it does hold it own when compared like for like with the first generation. Sixth gear is surprisingly useable, and once you get your head around the fact you’re going nowhere fast in this particular MINI, it does just fine.

The engine really is where this car falls down compared to the other models in the range. The Cooper engine is a good one, the S engine fantastic, and the Diesel a very good performer. The One felt a little hessitent to get going, and a little trashy when being pushed. Sure, it’s a more affordable way into the world of MINI, and insurance may be more competitive for younger drivers, but when you could put a few extra pennies aside and get the Cooper, or even better an S or Diesel, we’re not convinced of the lure of the One this time around. It’s not that it’s a bad engine, it’s simply the other offerings in the MINI range are just too good to compete with.

Now you’ve seen what our first impressions of the MINI One are, you can salivate over photos of the MINI One in our MINI One Gallery, and join the debate in our MINI One forum.