[Paul]

MINI2 Drives the New MINI Cooper

^^^



Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer.

[~Marcus~]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

MINI2 Drives the New MINI Cooper

^^^



Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer.

Great review!

Where were the refinement improvements was there less wind / road noise and vibrations?
How comfortable were the seats in comparison with the current Sports seats?
Was the steering as direct and pointy as it is now?

Thanks

[Paul]

In terms of trim and suspension it's the same as the Cooper S so didn't go into that so much as I've been over the car in terms of design and interior detailing/comfort a lot in the S reviews, but basically road noise is down, wind noise is down, engine noise is down, seats are more comfortable, more supportive and generally better than the current ones.

[Juno]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

... road noise is down, wind noise is down, engine noise is down, seats are more comfortable, more supportive and generally better than the current ones.

Excellent!

I guess your test car had 16" wheels along with the sports suspension? (The images are clearly BMW photoshops, and not the car you actually drove!)

Thanks Paul,



Pete

[Paul]

Oof, yep, 16" with sports suspension and runflats (of course).

Didn't take any pics as we didn't really have too much time to drive and didn't want to waste it trying to get decent photos.

[Rakey]

did it have the sports button?

What was the exhaust note like on the Cooper?

[Paul]

The Cooper didn't have a sport button, and the general tone was more muted inside than the S, but from outside it sounds nice and sporty, better than the current I think.

[pchilton]

Paul,

Just to be clear - is the Sports suspension on the Cooper the same setup as the Sports suspension on the MCS? If so, how would you rate the ride in comparison to the MCS you drove with 17 inch wheels and non-sports suspension?

Thanks!

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

The Cooper didn't have a sport button...

Have I missed another announcement?

As far as I know the Cooper isn't available with the Sport Button, is it?

[Joema]

According to my local dealer, there is only about a week or so left to order the current MINI in the US, so I'm hoping to get some further convincing to hold out for the new one. I like the styling better of the current MINI, but from your excellent reviews and what I've read elsewhere, I'm starting to like the new model more and more. Since you've had a firsthand experience with the car, I'd be curious to hear what you have to say regarding corners you feel BMW may have cut to produce this new car. I'm impressed with what I've read about the better safety features and fuel efficiency with the new engine, but it seems that a main objective, just by appearance, was to cut costs. For example, the center console appears very cheap along with the radio controls. It seems I'm not alone in this thought and am wondering if BMW is taking notes. I once owned an 05 Cooper but it spend way too much time in the shop for how short I've owned it that I had to let it go. My 79 MGB was more reliable! I do miss the MINI though and would like to purchase another but only if it's screwed together better than the last one I had was.

[Paul]

Quote: Originally Posted by pchilton (original)

Paul,

Just to be clear - is the Sports suspension on the Cooper the same setup as the Sports suspension on the MCS? If so, how would you rate the ride in comparison to the MCS you drove with 17 inch wheels and non-sports suspension?

Thanks!

The Sports suspension on the Cooper is the same as the Sports Suspension on the S. Personally I think it was better with the 16" on the Cooper, and I overheared another journalist asking the product manager why/how the Cooper felt better (in handling) than the S, and he said the only difference in the setup was the wheels/tyres. This confirms what the head of suspension/chassis design told me on the S launch, that the MINI is once again optimised for 16" wheel/tyre combinations.

[pchilton]

Thanks Paul. I hope you get another opportunity to spend more time behind the wheel of a Cooper soon, there have been so many reviews of the MCS but your brief - albeit welcome - review of the Cooper is the only one I've seen so far.

[Paul]

Well, there was a fair bunch of journos out there with me, so we can/should expect reviews of the Cooper soon. It's a shame there's not more to do with the Cooper. To be honest, I'm usually very lucky in that I drive solo on launch events, doing photos etc. all for myself, which means I can drive twice as far as many others on the events, however this time as with most others I was paired up. This means half the driving I would have liked to have done, only about 100 km!

[Paul]

Quote: Originally Posted by Joema (original)

According to my local dealer, there is only about a week or so left to order the current MINI in the US, so I'm hoping to get some further convincing to hold out for the new one. I like the styling better of the current MINI, but from your excellent reviews and what I've read elsewhere, I'm starting to like the new model more and more. Since you've had a firsthand experience with the car, I'd be curious to hear what you have to say regarding corners you feel BMW may have cut to produce this new car. I'm impressed with what I've read about the better safety features and fuel efficiency with the new engine, but it seems that a main objective, just by appearance, was to cut costs. For example, the center console appears very cheap along with the radio controls. It seems I'm not alone in this thought and am wondering if BMW is taking notes. I once owned an 05 Cooper but it spend way too much time in the shop for how short I've owned it that I had to let it go. My 79 MGB was more reliable! I do miss the MINI though and would like to purchase another but only if it's screwed together better than the last one I had was.

Overall it feels much better put together, more solid, and better quality than the current model. Don't get me wrong, I love the current car and between my wife and myself we've owned a few (too many), but maybe this puts me in a good position to judge, and I think it's very nice in terms of fabrics, materials, fit and finish.

A lot seems to be being made of "cost cutting", but this is what any manufacturer wants to do, produce the best they can for the least they can. For example, the new engine with PSA Group is better, more advanced, yet costs less because they want however many million+ a year, and MINI want 200K, so the economies of scale mean we get more sophistication for less. By "simplifying" some aspects of the car, they make it more modular, less time consuming and less expensive to produce. But that can also mean less separate components bolted together at the factory, more quality control, and less surfaces and items to put together.

On the exterior, I don't really see the "cost cutting" others do so much either. The lights stay put now, but the bonnet is as least as complex as it is now, in fact it now has to mate around two lights and against the a-panels, scuttle area, bumper, grille and side arches, where as before, with integrated lights and arches, it was one big unit that only had to match up front and back. So in some ways it's more complex. The repeaters also (if you see the bare panels) are still punced out of the material, not cut into the side, so it's the same as before.

The '06 MINI is probably the best in terms of reliability and quality of the current generation, probably due to a combination of experience and the many evolutionary changes BMW has made to the way the car is put together (and also I bet it costs less per unit now to produce). The new model should (hopefully) reflect this experience, although obviously being a new car the production experience may not count for so much.

The centre console and radio/heating controls are my main bug-bear, but to be honest overall the interior feels much nicer, much better quality and less liable to rattle and creak than the current design.

[SteveBrass]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scrogg (original)

Have I missed another announcement?

As far as I know the Cooper isn't available with the Sport Button, is it?

Confused as well.

It wasn't an option when I specced my r56 cooper, but its is an option on the italian on line configurator.

Another mystery like the copper spoiler?

[Paul]

Doesn't, didn't, it's not an option as far as I'm aware (the sports button).

[SteveBrass]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

Doesn't, didn't, it's not an option as far as I'm aware (the sports button).

and on the French configurator too (bouton mode sport).

Obviously a market specific option (if these configurators are correct).

Wonder how retro fittable it would be.

[Paul]

Pass. It's strange as I've been on international and UK specific events so it's sometimes confusing as what's what, eg Sports Button being standard UK for the Cooper S, optional just about everywhere else.

[SteveBrass]

Well, it's all part of the fun of driving a Mini.

Just 20 days to go................

[Mini Moose, Norway]

Hi, Paul..
I can also confirm that the Sport-button is an option in Norway on the Cooper (around 170 euros), as I have (of course) ordered it...Looking forward to experience it, but from what I reckon, this will give the slightly vague steering (vaguer than before?) some more response...?

Mm...