TEST DRIVE: MINI Test Drive Day 2016

Recently, MINI invited us down to the beautiful village of Lambourn in Berkshire - valley of the racehorse - for a day of test driving some of their newer cars. Of course we jumped at the opportunity.

Hidden away in the rural wilderness of West Berkshire we met up at Sheepdrove Organic Farm where there were a number of cars awaiting our firm right foot.

We all know how the MINI sales plan works. There's a selection of engines designed for economy or performance, each buyer will have their own needs. Tie that in with the model of car you want - Hatch, Clubman, Countryman etc - and it's pretty much a game of mix and match. We here at love:mini are generally looking for MINIs that offer that same exciting appeal as the classic Mini, the thrill of the ride and having some fun. So let's see what we found. 

MINI Clubman One D
First up was the new MINI Clubman One D. As you would expect from a new MINI it was built with quality, and you can hear that as soon as you close the door. 

Considering the One D is the budget model of the class, it certainly doesn't feel or look like it. With a complement of gadgets including Sat Nav, you can have whatever level of accessories you desire despite your engine choice. Taking the One D out for a spin it's immediately noticeable where the power and gearing is at its best - low down. From first to third gear you can feel the torqueness as you build up speed, and after that it's all about economy driving and the power drops off. This is fine if that's what you're after, perfect for long motorway drives where economy is key. The drive is quiet and refined - more MINI than Mini - and we found the brakes a bit weak for our liking too. 

This new generation model is slightly larger (tut tut), but does come with extra boot space, which for an estate car is quite key. Another big improvement to the new Clubman is the introduction of four proper doors, instead of that silly half-door no one could work out what it was for. 

Aesthetically, the Clubman is less boxy. The rear end is more rounded with larger and wider opening rear doors than the previous model. Following suit of the Gen-3 MINIs the rear light clusters are large and bulbous, while the front end looks slightly over-extended, but after a while you kind of get used to it. Inside it's spacious with the usual interior setup. 

However, we did notice a lack of physical handbrake, instead it has been replaced by a button - we suspect for space-saving reasons - but we didn't like the button and prefer the comfort of a proper handbrake to pull on. It's MINI but not as we know it. A base model of the Clubman One D is priced around £21,300, with the model we tested including the Chili pack priced at around £24k.

 

MINI Cooper S JCW 210 Edition
Unannounced and unexpected, MINI had kept this little beauty a secret from us all until we arrived. It's a brand new model - Oooooo. Following the success of the MINI Challenge 210 and MINI JCW Challenge LE it seems the British public can't get enough of these powerful little motors and so to fulfill demand they've launched this - the MINI Cooper S JCW 210.

This model fits neatly inbetween the standard MINI Cooper S and the JCW Hatch. Fitted with a JCW Pro Tuning Kit it's pretty much a tuned Cooper S and comes with an exclusive button (woo!) that opens up the exhaust for a free-flowing sound. It's loud, very loud... but it sounds amazing. Sadly it's not road legal, but for those times you get to play off the public roads you're sure to get noticed (we did, ahem!). With the added tuning kit (dealer or factory fitted) and aerodynamic upgrades the once Cooper S has its power output boosted by 18hp to 210bhp, and you can really feel the difference. With its stunning all-red paintjob this MINI really stands out and it certainly deserves to. 

Out on the open country roads with no traffic we had to give it a blast and Oh. My. God. This MINI can shift. Switching it into Sport Mode and putting our foot down, we are immediately flung snugly into our seats as the MINI rockets from 0 to super fast in no time at all. And the power didn't end. We were expecting to hit some kind of plateau whilst accelerating, the roads were clear and pretty straight so no concerns there, but we were questioning when it would top out, but we couldn't reach that point. The instinct of self-preservation kicked in and we settled for flinging around the country roads as tightly as we could and the JCW 210 didn't miss a spot, you could plant it right on the apex of a corner and it would stick, exactly what you want from a performance car and even more so in a MINI! 

Needless to say this model rocked our world and we can't speak highly enough about it. Unlike the MINI JCW Challenge the interior trim has been left fairly basic with the main upgrades on the engine and aerodynamics. This is great news for petrolheads like us who aren't too fussed by the 'extras' and gadgets that end up bumping up the price, so it comes with great surprise that the retail price for this hunk of sexiness is just £21,690 OTR - that's cheaper than a Clubman One D. Horses for courses as they say, but we know which one we'd be choosing.

MINI Cooper Convertible
It's been a little while since we've been able to compare the different engines side-by-side, so it was a great opportunity when MINI brought a variety to try, with the Cooper engine in this lovely looking Convertible. As you can see the weather was perfect for it and so the 'Openometer' (a meter monitoring how long you have the roof down) was racking up its time. 

We hadn't driven the new Convertible since its launch late last year but having enjoyed the previous version we were hoping the new generation hadn't lost its sparkle. Fortunately, it hadn't. As per usual, the design and build quality was top notch in our tester car with Satellite Grey leather interior. Given the openness of the Convertible, you can customise the car to increase your comfort (and warmth) whilst driving topless. Heated front seats and automatic Air Conditioning are just a couple of options we found useful whilst the wind was blowing through our hair. 

Out on the road it was surprising to find the Cooper engine lacking a real bite unless you put it into Sport mode, which immediately made it feel more Mini-like - had the optional driving modes not been on this car then it's likely we wouldn't have been as impressed. Fortunately the Sport mode was installed and so we were able to throw it around with verve, and again it stuck well in the corners with just enough power to enjoy without being silly. If we were to be drawn on any fault it would have to be the poor visibility to the rear. The fabric hood just doesn't go down far enough to allow you to see over it particularly well, whilst raising the seat height helps a little, it doesn't solve the problem. 

Despite this the Convertible definitely had the fun factor and some silky styling to go along with it too. Doesn't it look beautiful. A basic version of the Convertible can be picked up from £19k, with the options (Media and Chili packs) on this model adding another 5k.

 

MINI Seven Cooper S
Last up before the day ended was the MINI Seven LE. One trick MINI has continued from the old British owners is to produce a number of limited editions, basically a standard car in an exclusive livery and or equipment. 

It's not difficult to do and can be a little earner, so why not. People love to have something that is only available to a few, it makes them feel special. So essentially for us, this was just a standard Cooper S with a nice paintjob and some LE footplates.

We were more concerned about how the little S would perform on the road. As we own an R53, Gen 1 Cooper S, we were keen to see how the Gen-3 version shaped up. In comparison the Cooper we had driven earlier, the difference was immediately noticable. Whereas the Cooper needed Sport mode to give it a kick, the Cooper S had it at the get-go. The familiar feeling of being flung back into your seat as you nail the accelerator convinced us that the Cooper S still has what it takes to put a smile on our faces. 

It may not be the crazy non-stop power feeling we got in the Cooper S JCW 210, but it was plenty enough. It felt like it had the power you need - and then some - without going over the top. And anyway, you've got to leave some breathing room for your own tuning mods if you want to do some. And of course on the flip side, if you choose the optional extra of Driving Modes, you can always turn your pocket rocket into a driving Miss Daisy mobile with a couple of flicks of a switch to conserve your fuel - the best of both worlds really.

We must thank MINI for a wonderful day out. As usual the location and hosting of the event was spot on, with PR personnel on hand with all the answers to our questions and few cheeky insights to the inner workings of MINI product management. For us the Cooper S JCW 210 simply blew us away with it's never-ending power and mean looks, whilst the Convertible was cool and stylish, but it's the Cooper S that should be on the hotlist. If you can't stretch the budget to the Cooper S JCW 210, then you could do worse than to pick up a Cooper S - even in standard guise it really does pack a punch with the option of economy driving too, all for a tidy price.

http://www.sheepdrove.com/

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