The MINI 'Cooper S' name is one cherished by car enthusiasts. It is a badge that evokes an expectation of tuned performance and one that you know will deliver bags of fun. Up until now, MINI has used petrol to power its Cooper S - so can the new diesel Cooper SD live up to the legend?
On the outside, the SD certainly looks like a Cooper S. There is the tell-tale air scoop in the bonnet to aid cooling of the turbocharged engine, plus air scoops in the lower front grille to help cool the brakes. The massive alloys are home to gripy sports tyres and, of course, at the rear the roof spoiler and centre-mounted twin-pipe exhaust make it stand out as a MINI with performance at its core.
Cargo space was never a strong point with MINI. The boot holds a tiny 160 litres, but if you drop the 50/50 folding rear seats down there are 680 litres to play with. The cabin is the usual MINI layout, with the addition of a 'Sport' button found just in front of the gear leaver. When pressed the car's responsiveness steps up a bit and the stop/start system and other noble green credentials are put on hold a little to deliver maximum power and performance to the driver.
Under the bonnet there is a 143bhp 2-litre turbo-diesel engine that delivers 305nm of pulling power from low revs. Top speed is 215km/h (134mph), while 0-100km/h takes 8.1 seconds. Not blisteringly quick, but it does feel a lot quicker as all that torque tries to rip the road up and the tyres off their rims! All this performance is delivered in a very green way as the SD falls into tax band 'A' (€104). It has a CO2 figure of just 114g/km with an average combined fuel consumption figure of just 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres travelled.
MINI Cooper SD isn't as exciting as the petrol-powered Cooper S. It lacks a roar from the exhaust or an engine induction note that is pleasing to the ear. I want my Cooper S to encourage me to enjoy the car's dynamics all the time but found it all too easy to leave the Sport button off and just drive the SD like a normal MINI - that's not necessarily a bad thing.
When I did decide to exploit the SD's performance, I was very impressed with its rapid in-gear acceleration and precise handling. Nothing comes close to MINI for kart-like direction changes and seat-of-the-pants driving fun - it is just a crying shame that the engine fails to generate a decent soundtrack! I think the SD engine makes more sense fitted in the larger MINI Countryman.
The Cooper SD's price is very tempting - €25,910 - but get this: the latest petrol-powered Cooper S costs less at just €25,510. It has 184bhp (240nm) and can do 0-100km/h in just seven seconds. The S also has a higher top speed and is now in tax band 'B'!
MINI Cooper SD is like a Golf GTD - you'll still want a petrol-powered GTI!
If you want a Cooper S... just get one.
Michael Sheridan
