MINI Cooper S gets the makeover with advanced BMW

MINI gets the makeover with advanced BMW engines ousting Chrysler designs and redesigned suspension in a new body With 800,000 MINIs sold in five years, BMW has erred on the cautious side with the updated new MINI Cooper S?.

The engines are new but the car looks almost identical to the original new MINI. Initially, Cooper and Cooper S models are introduced, and both feature improved 1.6 liter engines. The Cooper S will now hit 140 mph and reach 60 mph in under 7 seconds.

To meet safety regulations, the car has been made a bit bigger ? the car is now just over 2.0 inches (60 mm) longer. A pity, as that increases the weight as well.

There are minor changes to the appearance, with slimmer bumpers and a large lower grille matching the main grille. The Cooper S gets a higher hood to leave space for the turbo, with the extra air intake. At the rear the bumper is shaped to leave a cut-out for the twin exhausts. The car may not look different but it cuts through the air more easily ? the Cd is 0.33 compared with 0.35 for the old car.

New BMW 1.6 liter engine on MINI Cooper S

Under the hood there is now a 1.6 liter BMW 16-valve engine with Valvetronic, variable valve timing and lift, which not only gives more power but also improves fuel economy by a worthwhile amount ? 12%. Power output of the Cooper S is up 5 bhp to 175 bhp at 5,500 rpm, with maximum torque of 177 lb ft (240 Nm) available from 1,600 to 5,000 rpm.

Unlike the old engine developed with Chrysler, the new BMW unit is turbocharged, with a twin scroll turbocharger, with separate intakes in the turbocharger each fed by the gases from two cylinders. The result is quicker response, which BMW says is almost free of turbo lag.

To reduce MINI Cooper S weight, composite camshafts are used, and the cylinder block and head are aluminum. There is a separate bed plate for the main bearing caps.

Fuel consumption is also improved slightly by the use of a water pump which is driven only when needed. As before, the engines are coupled to six-speed manual transmissions, but a six-speed automatic will be available later.

MINIs have had pretty direct steering from the word go, and this is being retained on the new car. Now, though, you get electric power assistance, which gave the engineers the chance of offering two types of steering. Standard the steering is still fairly quick, but press the Sport button and you get even more direct steering.

As standard, the MINI Cooper S has 16-inch aluminum wheels with 195/65 R tires, but there is the option of 17-inch wheels with 205/45 R17 tires. Either way, you get run-flat tires, which some people find don?t have the same response or cornering power as normal tires.

As you expect with a new range from a mainstream maker like BMW, there are plenty of safety features including ABS, electronic brake force distribution and CBC Cornering Brake Control. ASC+T Automatic Stability Control + Traction is standard on the MINI Cooper S with on-off control by the driver, and as an optional DSC Dynamic Stability Control.