Sure, it’s no supercar, but the MINI Cooper S Works is a real pocket rocket, as much for its cornering power as the engine. A top speed of 142 mph and a 0-60 time of about 6,5 seconds is amazing for a car that is just 143 inches long – a shade under 12 feet.
Inspired by Alec Issigonis’ Mini, the current cars share many of the features of the original that made the car so nippy and such fun to drive. The car is small, with a wheel at each corner and is low – you sit much lower than in ordinary hot hatches, so the center of gravity is lower. That helps with the handling.
The Cooper S and Cooper S Works have stiffer suspension than normal, which is more like the original Mini, so cornering is pretty good. Of course, this is a front-wheel drive car – against BMW’s philosophy, but they decided they had no choice with such a small car.
The shape of the car is very similar to the old one too, but not quite such a well balanced design. The stylists wanted to make the car look low, and had a tall engine to get in. They opted for a high waistline, and a shallow coachroof, which doesn’t work quite as well as the original. But it’s a pretty neat car.
BMW-Chrysler engine
The engine is an oddity. At the time when the project started, BMW didn’t want to build a completely new engine on its own, so it did a deal with Chrysler for joint manufacture of a 1.6 liter four-cylinder mill for both companies to use. It turned out not to be a good decision, especially since a 1.6 liter engine would be needed for the BMW 1 Series, so BMW would have had enough volume to produce its own engine. Also, BMW wasn’t sure how successful the Mini would be – very successful, as it turned out.
So, the engine is nothing special, and has a cast iron block – putting a lot of extra weight just where it is not wanted, right up front. There is an aluminum head, with four valves per cylinder, with the single camshaft driven by chain. BMW is now working with Peugeot on the development of an aluminum engine to replace the current engine and save a bit of weight.
Supercharger for fastest MINIs
To get enough power for the Cooper S, BMW turned to a supercharger – something they just don’t do for their other engines – and the result is a not bad 170 bhp at 6,000 rpm, with 162 lb ft (220 Nm) torque at 4,000 rpm. That’s good for 135 mph, and 0-60 in 7.2 seconds.
The supercharger is the well-tried Roots type, which has two lobes which rotate in opposite directions, to pressure ise the engine as it is drawn between them. To cool the air before it enters the engine, there is an intercooler snuck in there, too.
Remarkably, they were able to fit a six-speed gearbox in this narrow car for the Cooper models. It is supplied by Getrag, and has three shafts instead of two to make it shorter.
But if you want a real racing rollerskate of a pocket rocket, you’ll want the Mini Copper S Works – supercharged to 210 bhp at 6,950 rpm – now that’s real power. It amounts to 131 bhp per liter, which is up among the really hot jobs like the Mitsubishi Evo VIII and supercars. Maximum torque is 180 lb ft (245 Nm) at 4,000 rpm
Strut and multi-link suspension
Suspension is completely different from the original, with MacPherson struts at the front and multi-links at the rear. Of course, there are coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti roll bars. Because the springs of the original were progressive – and pretty hard – anti-roll bars weren’t needed. On the old Mini, neat wishbones magicked in there, but they’d be too wide for the current MINI, so they opted for struts.
The multi-link rear suspension is now coming into use on some other hot hatches, but the MINI was the first – and it is a rather expensive layout for such a small car. However, the suspension works pretty well.
Needless to say, there is quite a bit of electronic assistance – or interference if you think that way – in the braking and cornering. ABS and traction control are standard, as is CBC – cornering brake control. This isn’t full stability control which is available as an option, but a system that can come into play when you brake and corner. If it thinks you are cornering too fast while braking it applies more brake force to the outer front wheel to stabilise things.
The new MINI seems heavy if you compare it with the original, but compared with other hot hatches it is quite good – especially the Works model, which doesn’t just look different, but it is also lighter at 2,510 lb (1,140 kg), which compares well with the 2,730 lb (1,240 kg) of the Cooper S.
The power-to-weight ratio of the Cooper S Works is good too at 184 bhp per liter. The new VW Golf GTI, which is pretty good, is a lot heavier so it can do no better than 150 bhp per liter. For instant acceleration, especially with that supercharged engine giving quick response at low speed, the MINI Cooper S Works takes some beating.
