New Mini Cooper S India review, test drive

What’s it like to drive?

The 2.0-litre four pot motor makes a healthy 189bhp and 28.8kgm of torque from a low 1250rpm. This big-bore motor loves to be spun hard and it’s torquey too, thanks to direct injection and turbocharging. So, while there is a tiny bit of lag, this motor has a strong mid-range and an extremely strong top-end. And the faster you spin it, the harder it wants to go. According to company claims, a sizzling hot 6.7 seconds is all you need to get to 100kph and this hatch will reach a top speed of 230kph. We had the optional sport gearbox on our car and in Sport mode, the gearshifts are almost instantaneous, without any interruption in power. The performance is so addictive, the Cooper S just sucks you into the driving experience.

But the biggest turn-on when driving the Mini is the way it handles. As we were driving on a runway, the slalom course was the only way to judge the new Cooper S. At first impression, the car feels less pointy than the old car but instead, feels more planted and still energetic enough to change direction. Grip and balance are both strong, traction feels better than the old car. But these are only brief impressions and we can give a definite answer only once we drive it on the road. The same goes for the ride too as the runway surface was velvet smooth.