Mini Cooper D: Test drive

Mini recently launched the latest generation Cooper in India. Considering the poor sales of the previous generation car, Mini decided not to offer the petrol immediately and instead opted for a diesel with the petrol scheduled to be launched soon (first quarter of 2015). I drive the new 3-door Mini diesel to see if it’s any good.

Compared to the old car, the new Cooper has grown slightly. This allows an increase in the space on offer inside. The rear seats now have more head room and leg room. Boot space is now 211 litres. Another major improvement in this car is its fuel efficiency. Mini claim this car will return around 27kmpl (ARAI figures).

Unfortunately, the good points end here.

When I drove the Mini Cooper S, I absolutely loved the car. There are a few things you tend to expect from the car. Like the brilliant acceleration and the superb exhaust note. All these exciting stuffs are not available in the latest car. The new Mini Cooper is powered by an unenthusiastic three cylinder 1.5-litre diesel engine that puts out 116 horsepower and 270 Nm of torque. It is mated to a six speed Steptronic automatic transmission. This allows the Mini to accelerate to 100 from a standstill in a dreary 9.2 seconds.

The car retains its accurate handling but this has no effect with the diesel under the hood. The chassis begs for more power and hence the car cannot be enjoyed a lot. The ride is still hard but now you tend to notice it more since you are not so engrossed in enjoying the car. Mini should have worked on improving the ride since this is not a sporty car. The car runs on 16 inch wheels.

The Mini Cooper S I reviewed a few months back was the previous generation car. Compared to that, the new car has a few significant design changes. First, as I said, it has grown in size considerably. So it does not look like Mini at all. It is just too big. The round headlights are now stretched backwards and this in combination with the huge front grille looks, dare I say it, ugly. From the rear, it looks a little bulky as well.

Don’t get me wrong. The Mini Cooper D is still a good car. But it no longer is what you expect it to be. It is no longer a sporty car. With prices starting from 45 lakhs (on-road), it is definitely not worth it. There are many more cars that do the same job but offer more equipment and space and have more value since most of the equipment on offer is optional. With all the equipment, the price goes up to 55 lakhs. This is a car that is not worth buying. If you want a 3-door Mini Cooper, wait for the Cooper S and buy that. Mini should start assembling the 3-door Cooper in India to reduce costs and improve sales. For now, the car is full import.