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First Drive: 2002 Mini Cooper & Cooper S
The Little Car that Can...and Will
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By Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com
Date posted: 03-21-2002
Those searching for The Next Big Thing will want to listen up. It should be noted,
however, that if you're really skilled at ferreting out The Next Big Thing, much
of this information will be old news.
The Mini Cooper hits U.S. showrooms in late March 2002 (and no, I see no need
to point out the irony of The Next Big Thing being called a "Mini").
If you've been following the turbulent history of the Mini, you already know about
the Rover Group buyout by BMW several years back, followed by a subsequent Rover
Group offloading that saw the Land Rover brand snapped up by Ford Motor Company.
BMW decided to keep the Mini division when it let go of Rover because the automaker
saw a need for an entry-level product offering in its otherwise premium lineup.
However, ask a Mini executive where the Cooper fits into the larger scheme of
things, and he'll tell you that Mini is also a premium brand, it just happens
to cost less than $20,000.
We first reported on the Mini
Cooper last summer after the car had been released in Europe, but we recently
got our hands on the U.S. version, while contributor David Booth drove the upcoming
Cooper S in Spain.
Glancing through the Mini's standard equipment list, one quickly realizes that
the "small premium car segment" characterization by Mini PR people isn't misplaced.
For a starting price of $16,850 (including destination charge), a strippo Mini
Cooper still features as standard equipment air-conditioning, micron air filtration,
remote trunk release, one-touch power windows, power mirrors, power door locks,
three-point seatbelts at all four seating locations, a Harman Kardon AM/FM/CD
audio system and a rear window wiper. And these are just the obvious items you'll
notice upon entering the Cooper's surprisingly spacious cabin (an entry made that
much easier by large doors that open 80 degrees).
Besides those much-used convenience features, the Mini Cooper is stuffed full
of the latest safety acronyms. Standard on every Cooper are four-wheel disc brakes
with ABS, EBD (electronic brake distribution) and CBC (cornering brake control).
Both EBD and CBC greatly increase the car's braking ability when loaded with cargo
or when slowing while in a turn. Front and side airbags, along with BMW's own
HPS-2 (Advanced Head Protection System), are also standard. Throw in a flat tire
monitor system and a body shell that is 50 percent more rigid than the current
3 Series', and you have a small car with, well, premium car safety features. No
official crash testing of the Mini has yet occurred, but one need only look at
other recent BMW products, such as the X5, and the subsequent crash test scores
they receive to get an idea of how serious the company is about occupant protection.
But you shouldn't have to crash a vehicle to fully appreciate it, and thus the
Cooper is designed to provide thrills even under the most ordinary of circumstances.
The original Mini, first developed in 1959, took full advantage of its front engine/front-wheel-drive
design by providing maximum interior volume in a tiny exterior shell. In addition
to situating the entire drivetrain ahead of the passenger compartment, the first
Mini also pushed the wheels out to the far extremes of each corner (cab forward
before the term existed). This not only benefited passenger space, but also gave
the car incredible stability under extreme handling conditions. So nimble was
the Mini Cooper that it won the Monte Carlo rally in 1964, 1965 and 1966.
The 2002 version retains the car's longstanding tradition of interior volume and
stable handling. Front and rear headroom beat the Volkswagen Golf, as does maximum
luggage capacity at 25 cubic feet with the 50/50 spit-folding rear seats folded
down. This is despite being one of the shortest vehicles sold in America. And
with the wheels at each corner, McPherson struts up front and BMW's patented multilink
independent suspension in back, the car feels rally-ready right out of the box.
Fifteen-inch alloy wheels are standard on the Cooper, with 16-inch rims available
as a factory option and 17-inch wheels available as a dealer option. We drove
a base Cooper with 15-inch wheels as well as a Sport package-equipped model with
16-inch run-flat tires. Both cars were extremely responsive to steering input,
though the run-flat tires were somewhat harsh when traversing all but the smoothest
of driving surfaces. Rumor has it that an SCCA group in the Northeast already
sourced a Mini from Europe and used it to clean up at local events. After our
brief time with the Cooper, we believe it.
What we did question was the lack of a CVT automatic model to test during the
press introduction. Mini folks claim that enthusiast interest in the car has kept
initial Cooper orders focused on the five-speed manual transmission, and even
after the first year's production run, they expect the split to be roughly 60/40
in favor of the CVT. We question that ratio in a country that currently is 93/7
in favor of automatics, and insist that even if it holds true, the majority of
buyers are still opting for the CVT, so why not let us drive it? Cynical
automotive journalist types (not us, mind you, but the cynical ones) would
suggest that the Cooper's 115 horsepower 1.6-liter engine isn't up to the task
of motivating the Mini at an American-friendly pace — at least not when equipped
with the CVT. Would the company really keep us from driving a car just because
they fear headlines of "PT Cruiser, Part II"? Indeed, the 90-horsepower Mini One
that is meant only for the European market is apparently not selling up to expectations,
with a large percentage of buyers opting for the more powerful Cooper (perhaps
those Europeans are picking up our bad habits and opting for power over fuel efficiency?).
While the car's performance when equipped with a CVT remains a mystery, we can
comment on the five-speed manual version. One-hundred-fifteen horsepower doesn't
sound like much in a world of 170-horsepower Ford SVT Focus hatchbacks and 175-horsepower
Nissan Sentra SE-Rs, but the Mini's curb weight of 2,300 pounds keeps it from
feeling overly lethargic. We drove two different models at the introduction and
came away with mixed emotions. Our first impression, with a relatively loaded
Cooper, was that the car simply needed more power, particularly at lower rpm.
Above 4,000 rpm the engine is refreshingly smooth for a vehicle in this price
range (there's that "premium" thing again), and it shifts as fluidly as any BMW
product, with a satisfying "snick" as the shifter finds each gear.
Strangely, our second model, a stripper with only automatic climate control, felt
far more sprightly, leading us to question either the first test car's engine
performance or our own sense of acceleration. At this point, we're not ready to
make a final call on how well (or poorly) the Cooper performs in terms of pure
acceleration. But with our lack of seat time in a CVT-equipped model, that's probably
a wise position to take. We can only suggest you drive either version extensively
before signing on the dotted line. The Mini PR folks assured us that dealers would
have CVT models to offer for test-drives when the Mini goes on sale. We heartily
suggest you take them up on it.
But regardless of straight-line performance, we must emphasize the sheer value
a Mini Cooper or Cooper S represents. Items like subtle leatherette interior trim,
high-tech electrohydraulic power steering and vintage metallic toggle switches
mounted in the center console are all unique in this price range. For those with
the money and desire, the Mini can be transformed into a full-fledged luxury car
with optional items like leather seating, rain-sensing wipers, heated seats, a
navigation system, park distance control, a panoramic sunroof, dynamic stability
control and xenon headlights. Even the Volkswagen Golf, a longtime leader in terms
of premium treatments in an economy-car package, will have trouble meeting the
Mini challenge.
Expect initial demand to be quite high. Surveys by the Mini Group showed that
only 2 percent of the American public is familiar with the original Mini (despite
the fact that more than 5.3 million units were sold worldwide between the years
1959 and 2000). This country's lack of vintage Mini appreciation hasn't kept the
70 U.S. dealerships from being flooded with calls about the car in recent months
following its appearance on the auto show circuit. Only 100,000 vehicles will
be built at the Oxford, England, plant in the first year of production, with a
little over 20,000 headed for the U.S. That should guarantee a large discrepancy
between supply and demand in the foreseeable future.
Not really a problem, however, as short supply is one of the key elements in attaining
"The Next Big Thing" status.
2002 Mini Cooper S
By D. John Booth
If, like us, you think that the Mini is the Next Big Thing (and yes, the pun is
as bad as Editor in Chief Brauer thinks it is), then it isn't so much a decision
of whether or not to buy the Mini, but which version — the basic Cooper or
the sportier Cooper S.
On paper, at least, the decision should be easy, especially for those of us who
still think we're boy racers at heart. Though only minor styling touches differentiate
the two models, such as chrome side louvers, twin exhaust pipes, larger wheels,
and a hood scoop, it is this last item that signals the major difference between
the Cooper and Cooper S. Unlike many such appendages adorning the hoods of sports
cars, the Cooper S' scoop is functional, force-feeding air to an intercooler,
a sort of air-to-air radiator that cools the incoming air for greater density
and more power.
The reason that the Cooper S needs the intercooler is because its diminutive 1.6-liter
single overhead camshaft four has grown a supercharger. Belt-driven and amazingly
compact, the roots-type blower increases horsepower from 115 to 163 and ups maximum
torque from 105 pound-feet to 156. That's good enough, says the company, to propel
the Cooper S to 62 miles per hour in just 7.4 seconds, distinctly quicker than
the 9.2 seconds the company claims for the garden-variety Cooper.
And the supercharger certainly does make its presence known at low speeds, as
the Cooper S' engine pulls from much lower rpm than the normally aspirated version.
Although there's still a flat spot until 2,000 rpm, low-end torque is greatly
improved, requiring less shifting of the gearbox (with six speeds on the S) to
maintain forward momentum. Because the engine isn't always clawing for revs, it
feels a little less strained, and the cabin is calmer for it. Nonetheless, the
performance improvement didn't feel as potent as the big jump in numbers would
seem to indicate. Perhaps it's because the S version weighs almost 200 pounds
more than the base version.
Harnessing the increased power is a sportier suspension and wider tires than on
the Cooper. Not only have the spring rates for the front McPherson struts and
rear multi-arm independent suspension been increased, but the S wears antiroll
bars on both axles, whereas the base version only gets a stabilizer bar on the
front. Tire size is up substantially, as well, from 175/65R15 to 195/55R15.
Since our original test revealed little to complain about in the handling department,
it'll come as no surprise that the Cooper S offers even more of the "go-kart"
corners-as-if-on-rails sensation we found on the base Cooper. The steering, with
electromechanical assist, is as direct and communicative as ever, and body roll
is almost completely banished. Mini offers an optional 17-inch wheel/tire package
that upgrades the tires to 205/45R17s, but they should be considered a cosmetic
advantage to anyone not planning on taking her Cooper racing.
The flip side to the S' superior cornering ability is a ride that is noticeably
stiffer than the Cooper's. Not all of the blame goes to the stiffer suspenders,
though. Part of the blame lies with the low-profile run-flat Dunlops specified
by Germany. Their tire design necessitates a stiffer sidewall than a conventional
tire's, so it's inevitable that the ride quality suffers. It's worth noting that
BMW claims that the Cooper can drive as much as 90 miles on a flat tire (as long
as speeds don't exceed 50 miles per hour) and that trying to fit a spare would
eat up the cargo space that is already at a premium.
But given a choice of the two models, we'd probably opt for the base 115 hp version.
Yes, we're surprised, too, but the S' suspension is just too hard for everyday
use.
Incredibly, both editors who have driven our test Minis selected almost identical
equipment levels. We'd option the base Cooper out with the CVT tranny ($1,250);
the Sport package ($1,250) that includes the larger wheels, sport seats and a
rear spoiler; and just because we like the symmetry of having both speedo and
tachometer on the steering column, we'd spend the $1,600 for the nav system. Last,
but not least, we'd get the white "bonnet" stripes to accent the electric blue
paint, just like the poster car that hangs in our office.
That totals up to $20,400. Not bad for a car that will never fail to put a smile
on your face.
See all the Ratings: 2002 MINI Cooper 2dr Hatchback (1.6L 4cyl 5M) Road Test Scoreboard
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