Car review: The art and thrill of a Mini Cooper S - The hatch has always forged its own path. But is that enough to buy one?
The Mini Cooper has always fancied itself as an iconoclast. That sureness has shown itself in its body for the past 60 years; a body, car historians will never forget, that saw a transverse engine slotted in sideways so the tiny car had enough interior room to fit at least one adult person.
We met at the Radisson Red in Rosebank for the official launch. From there it was quickly into Minis for a winding road trip, which took us up to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and then curve around Johannesburg to meet at the Nirox Sculpture Park just north of Krugersdorp.First impressions are anything but. Anyone who has ever been inside a Mini Cooper will know that it is unlike anything else on four wheels.
The car is starting to feel more and more posh. The interior uses quality materials to create surfaces that feel pleasantly soft and squishy. Also worth a special mention is the “start engine” flick switch , which sits in red near the centre console. On the “S” version, the sport switch is enticingly next to it.
After stopping for a cool drink and to admire the cascading lawns of the executive capital, it was back onto our route. The expanse of the N14 highlighted the other facet of the Cooper S’s performance: its engine. The S is endowed with a 2.0 litre turbo block which produces 141kW and 280Nm of torque. With a 0-100km/h time of 6.8s, these numbers translate to an experience that is enjoyable but not thrilling.
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