Overview Subcompact go-kart with two extra doors
Pros Sporty and a blast to drive; manual transmission is a gem
Cons Rear-seat usability is suspect at best; pricey with options
Value for money Fair
What would I change? Add more rear legroom
How would I spec it? As is
I wonder, with an upcoming generation, if the concept of a manual transmission will be as foreign to young drivers as a carbureted engine is now. Taken to a slightly further extreme, say, maybe one more generation (who will all be whisked hither and yon in their autonomous vehicles), whether the thought of actually driving a car will be considered as quaint as the stories my grandfather told me of riding in a horse and carriage as a young boy.
This is not a nebulous line of reasoning on my part, it’s an urging to those who have not yet experienced the pleasure derived from zipping around in a six-speed-equipped Mini Cooper S to get out and do so before it’s too late. No, the Mini won’t provide the same bucket list sense of accomplishment as, say, blasting along the autobahn in an Aston Martin Vanquish, but it’s a whole lot cheaper and can be performed day in and day out in a variety of traffic situations. Dollar for dollar, few are the cars that will plaster a smile on your face as big as the one resulting from 30 minutes at the wheel of the British-built, BMW-owned subcompact.
2015 Mini Cooper 5 Door
Brian Harper, Driving
Sure, it’s cute and hip, you say, but it’s too small for my needs. Well, the new 5 Door model isn’t morphing into a Boeing 777 compared with the 3 Door’s Piper Cherokee-sized dimensions, but it adds a modicum of versatility courtesy of an extra set of doors and a 72-millimetre stretch in the wheelbase. Note: the key word is “modicum.” The thought of three adults abreast in the back is laughable; actually any number of adults trying to slide into the back would be a YouTube moment — unless they are carrying Munchkinland passports. No, it’s strictly toddlers or the triple-jointed who will be able to make use of those rear seats. From a driving aspect, however, the 5 Door’s added length does smooth out the ride a bit more than if driving the regular 3 Door. It’s still firm, though, the strut front axle and multi-link rear axle can only filter out so much of the effects from winter-ravaged tarmac.
But back to the Mini’s raison d’être; go-kart handling and a firm but precise snickety-snick of the shifter through the gates. (Yes, you can get a paddle-shift six-speed automatic, but you’re missing the whole point of the car if you do.) It’s just so damned easy to feel like an unrepentant scofflaw, the car’s low centre of gravity, exemplary grip and tight steering exacerbating the feeling of speed, even at legal limits. It may be front-wheel drive, but it has BMW DNA.
Acceleration doesn’t take a back seat to handling either. The tester, a Cooper S version (base price, $26,740), is fitted with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that pumps out a healthy 189 horsepower. Considering the 5 Door’s trim 1,313-kilogram weight, it pulls strongly from the get-go. Zero to 100 km/h should take about seven seconds.
Like the third-generation 3 Door ($25,490 for the S), which premiered last year, the new 5 Door comes with variable driving modes that can accentuate fuel economy or performance depending on the selection. A rotary switch at the base of the shifter is used to alter the standard Mid mode to either Sport or Green mode, changing up accelerator and steering feel as well as engine acoustics. In Green mode, the energy used by electrically powered comfort functions such as air conditioning and exterior mirror heating is reduced. Now, I have nothing against driving conservatively, but Green sucks a lot of life out of the car. Switching to Sport mode, however, amps up the Mini’s street cred. And, as one of life’s few pleasures is flogging the daylights out of a Mini at every opportunity — truly, the car begs for it — Sport is where it should be left.
Inside the cabin, the Mini’s dash layout features the speedometer, tach and fuel level displayed on vertically arranged circular instruments. And the range of optional driver assistance systems has been expanded to include a head-up display above the steering column. There are still the trademark toggle switches both in the header panel and low on the centre stack, including a large red one that starts and stops the engine. The test vehicle was further equipped with a $1,400 Wired package, which includes a large eight-inch screen in the centre console for the navigation and other systems (entertainment, phone and vehicle functions). A rotary knob in the console flips between the various systems. It takes a couple of minutes to figure it out, but is reasonably user-friendly once you do.
2015 Mini Cooper 5 Door
Brian Harper, Driving
Other than getting used to BMW-like option pricing (which jacked the price of the tester to more than $34,000), and, on a windier-than-normal day, a fair amount of noise intruding into the cabin, there’s little to complain about this sports car-in-a-box. OK, 89 octane is required, premium preferred, but that’s pretty much a given for turbocharged engines. What you get in return is driver/car interaction par excellence, plus the added benefit of a little more utility with the 5 Door’s body configuration (at least over the 3 Door).
Here’s the rub, though. Mini already has a five-door car in its portfolio, the Countryman. It’s longer (by about 130 mm) and larger, with tight — yet more usable — rear-seat accommodations. It’s a few thousand more than the Cooper S 5 Door, but it’s more distinctive and comes standard with the desirable All4 all-wheel-drive system. It also has sold well in Canada (second only to the 3 Door in sales last year). However, though it provides an engaging driving experience (certainly for a crossover), it doesn’t have the same joie de vivre dynamics as the 5 Door.
Knowing that the Countryman is also a possibility, the question really becomes whether the 5 Door is that much more useful than the 3 Door. For me, beyond the fact the rear doors make it easier to retrieve stuff from the back-seat area, the 5 Door’s less-choppy ride is what seals the deal. Just because I want to drive the wheels off the Cooper S doesn’t mean I want to be uncomfortable while doing it.
The Specs
Type of vehicle Front-wheel-drive subcompact four-door hatchback
Engine Turbo 2.0L DOHC four-cylinder
Power 189 hp @ 4,700 rpm; 207 lb.-ft. of torque @ 1,250 rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires P195/55R16 run-flats
Price (base/as tested) $26,740/$34,330
Destination charge $1,655
Natural Resources Canada fuel economy (L/100 km) 8.7 city, 6.5 highway
Standard features Air conditioning with micro-filter, power windows, door locks and heated side mirrors, heated windshield washer jets, keyless engine activation, tilt and telescopic steering column, manually adjustable front sport seats, multi-function steering wheel controls, AM/FM stereo audio system with RDS, USB/aux-in input ports, Bluetooth phone connectivity, dynamic stability control and traction control, cornering brake control, electronic-brake force distribution
Options Essentials package ($1,200) includes glass sunroof, heated front seats, front and rear fog lights; Loaded package ($1,100) includes dynamic damper control, comfort access, auto-dimming interior mirror, front centre armrest, rain sensor with auto headlamps, automatic climate control; Wired package ($1,400) includes front centre armrest, on-board navigation, integrated visual display, Bluetooth and USB audio, Mini Connected, 8-inch screen with touch controller; Visibility package ($1,200) includes rear-view camera, park assistance package, head-up display; LED Lights package ($1,000) includes LED fog lights and headlights, white turn signals; metallic paint ($590), hood stripes ($350), harman/kardon sound system ($750)
