[Jonathanm5]

I have been reading as many reviews or the 2007 Cooper as I can, including Mini2's.

Although they all seem to think it's good, Its interesting that I have not read a reviewer who has raved about the driving experience compared to the current model. It seems to be summed up in the latest which I read on a local South African web site, but was actually written for the Independant in London.

No-one has said it is bad - but if I read between the lines its lost that "zing". Am I just reading it wrong?

http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3370064&fSectionId=830&fSetId =381
By John Simister

Zandvoort, Netherland - The Mini is defined very closely by the way it looks. You couldn't create a brand-new Mini and have it looking like a Nissan Micra; it must look like a Mini or it wouldn't be one.

That could make life difficult for BMW, because one day it might need to replace its fantastically successful Mini, of which 831 412 have been sold, with a new one. In fact, that day will be in September.

Or, for South Africa, sometime in the first quarter of 2007.

The current Mini is a remake of an automotive icon but such has been its success that it has become an icon in itself. The new one must build on that following while staying true to the original Issigonis look.

And it does. I've just been driving some pre-production prototypes at the Zandvoort race circuit near Amsterdam (scene of the famous Cosworth DFV engine's first-time-out victory in Jim Clark's Lotus 49, 1967 Dutch Grand Prix) and I'm delighted to report that its Mini-ness is fully intact.

The new-generation car has all the appeal of the current one but updated for a changing world and new emissions and safety regulations.

But why change the current car? Well, it was introduced five years ago and BMW wants the Mini (built in Cowley, England) to stay on top of its game.

At first the changes seem no more than a mid-life facelift. Look more closely and you'll see that every exterior panel has changed a little, that the car is 60mm longer and that its waistline has risen by about 20mm.

The bonnet is still a big one-piece panel that includes the front wings but now leaves the headlights and the front wheelarches in place when it opens.

With the bonnet open, you can see the most important change: a new engine. The old one, cheaply made in Brazil by a BMW-DaimlerChrysler joint venture, has been replaced by another joint-venture unit with the highest of high technology and co-developed with Peugeot - which will use it in future 207 models.

The Mini versions are made at the Hams Hall factory near Birmingham and will start off as a 90kW unit with Valvetronic variable valve opening (so no conventional throttle) for the Cooper and a 130kW turbocharged, direct-injection version for the Cooper S. Both displace 1.6 litres and gain about 4kW (and a lot more usable low-end pulling power) over their same-size predecessors.

A smaller engine is likely to follow for the next entry-level Mini One, although the current version and convertibles will continue for a while.

First through a slalom...

The new engines are also more economical and the cars slightly lighter than the current models thanks to greater use of aluminium.

Time for a run. My test car still wears some disguise to cover the detail changes, especially inside where the fascia and centre console are partly hidden under plastic sheeting. But I can still see the central speedometer though it has grown to the size of a small dinner plate and contains the audio system information and switches in its lower third.

Heater controls are arranged in the shape of a Mini badge and some reshaping of the seats has released some welcome extra space in the back. Insert the "smart" key - it contains all the driver's preferences, including radio station, press the starter button, and we're off.

First there's a slalom and turning test among cones, in which the Mini - it's a turbocharged Cooper S - proves tidy and agile....and then to the track

There's a new electric power-steering system which [B]has a fractional response lag [/b]when I'm flicking through tight turns, but it's accurate and feels convincingly solid.

And now to the track. The key difference between this new Cooper S and the old one, when driving, is the turbocharger. [B]The previous S had a supercharger, whose whine made the car sound like an original Mini and which I rather liked[/b]. It gave a near-instant, and accurately controllable, response to the accelerator, even at low speed, but was not great for fuel efficiency.[B]The new turbo engine feels softer in its response[/b], especially from low speed where you have to wait for the boost to build.Once you've adapted to that, the engine proves impressive with its muscular power delivery. Even quite tight corners are better in third gear, using torque rather than revving hard in second. [BI miss the instant response of the old car, though, an attribute central to a Mini's personality.[/b]
[B]Also, the new Mini is less keen to flick its tail out when provoked through a corner.[/b] This attribute helped give the old car its chuckable-Mini feel but some people found it worrying. The new one flies round corners with great zeal but forces its front tyres to work harder, so [B]there's less of a feeling of subtle and intimate car/driver interaction as steering is played against accelerator[/b].

All this might feel quite different when we try the new Mini on the road. We'll be back with a full report. - The Independent, London

Published on the web by Motoring on August 1, 2006.
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© Motoring 2006. All rights reserved.

[Griffon]

Maybe your right, but I can't help but think your looking at the negatives too much. For every section you highlight as a negative there is a sentance that counters that to the positive.

[Paul]

I think the character has changed, but is not any worse for it, just different.

The new engine feels much better than the current one overall if you ask me, and I've spent a lot of time enjoying the current engine very much. The new engine to me felt stronger from the outset, not laggy at all. Especially when even the supercharged version can feel a little sluggish, especially when it's very hot.

I did mention it felt less easy to throw and get the back out etc. than the current MINI, but that could be a good thing, and may also be a case of relearning. The car felt more stable and solid than the current S, but at the same time very familiar.

Suck and see when you can. Like I say, it's different. The Original S had the massive advantage of being the first, nothing to compare it against, the new model has a lot to live up to.

[AidenL]

Torque is always good - the current S does have a tendancy to bog down at low speeds - if thats imporoved on, with a more linera progressive low speed acceleration, it can only be good

I agree with Paul - a week ago I wasn't keen on the R56 - a week is a long time, and my opinion has now changed - like I said before, the R56 is the future for MINI, and I very much doubt that it will be a worse car overall than the current model - there may be a few aspects of it individuals don't like, but there may be others that you will love

[mister.t]

As they admitted, they only tested the car on the track, but I think that all the things that you point out as 'negatives' will make the Mini easier to live with everyday on the road.