Well that was my first surprise, because the little car is not quite so little anymore. It appears to have matured and grown up along with me. It somehow got taller, wider, and faster. Unfortunately, I just got taller, considerably wider, and noticeably slower!!!
Size has always been a bit of an issue for the Mini. In fact, in the early ones, you had to extend the seat mounts with little metal brackets to get any real legroom up front, and then you needed to lower the steering column on similar brackets to be able to steer it.
The new Cooper S, however, comes with considerable more legroom, thanks to its larger size, and the steering now features tilt and telescopic adjustments (on all models!).
It also comes with a whole host of features, which although some 60's owners might have imagined having, that was probably due to the availability of cheap mind-altering drugs back then!
The 08 model boasts heated seats, power windows/locks, automatic headlamps and wipers; it even has multi-coloured selectable interior mood lighting (now that really would have been "far out" in the 60's!).
Then of course, there's the twin glass sunroof setup, the slick 6-speed gearbox, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and the superb bi-xenon headlamp system.
As for speed, the largest engine ever fitted to the original was a 1275cc 76bhp 4cyl, which boasted of being able to "nearly" hit the 100mph mark. That was big news back then.
However, today's Mini Cooper S makes that seem downright snail-like. The 08 model with its 1.6L 4cyl Turbo DOHC 16-Valve motor now produces 172hp@6000rpm. It accelerates from 0-100 kph in 7.1 seconds, and the top speed is governed to 223 kph.
It is also a huge winner in the comfort stakes over the original, without losing any of its famous handling characteristics. Yes, it still goes around corners as if it's on rails!
When you think about it, the 60's Mini Cooper was probably the original hot hatch type vehicle. (Now before you all write in telling me that the Mini wasn't a hatch, and harangue me about VW GTI's and Peugeot's, let me explain).
The famous comedy actor Peter Sellers owned a Mini Cooper in the 60's. It was a special hatchback model built specifically for him by Mini conversion specialists, Radford. As for being a hot hatch, Peter was married to the famous Swedish actress Britt Ekland, so with her seated in it...it was a real "hot, hot hatch"!!!
Size has always been a bit of an issue for the Mini. In fact, in the early ones, you had to extend the seat mounts with little metal brackets to get any real legroom up front, and then you needed to lower the steering column on similar brackets to be able to steer it.
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| Today's MINI offers much more interior volume than early models. |
The new Cooper S, however, comes with considerable more legroom, thanks to its larger size, and the steering now features tilt and telescopic adjustments (on all models!).
It also comes with a whole host of features, which although some 60's owners might have imagined having, that was probably due to the availability of cheap mind-altering drugs back then!
The 08 model boasts heated seats, power windows/locks, automatic headlamps and wipers; it even has multi-coloured selectable interior mood lighting (now that really would have been "far out" in the 60's!).
Then of course, there's the twin glass sunroof setup, the slick 6-speed gearbox, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, and the superb bi-xenon headlamp system.
As for speed, the largest engine ever fitted to the original was a 1275cc 76bhp 4cyl, which boasted of being able to "nearly" hit the 100mph mark. That was big news back then.
However, today's Mini Cooper S makes that seem downright snail-like. The 08 model with its 1.6L 4cyl Turbo DOHC 16-Valve motor now produces 172hp@6000rpm. It accelerates from 0-100 kph in 7.1 seconds, and the top speed is governed to 223 kph.
It is also a huge winner in the comfort stakes over the original, without losing any of its famous handling characteristics. Yes, it still goes around corners as if it's on rails!
When you think about it, the 60's Mini Cooper was probably the original hot hatch type vehicle. (Now before you all write in telling me that the Mini wasn't a hatch, and harangue me about VW GTI's and Peugeot's, let me explain).
The famous comedy actor Peter Sellers owned a Mini Cooper in the 60's. It was a special hatchback model built specifically for him by Mini conversion specialists, Radford. As for being a hot hatch, Peter was married to the famous Swedish actress Britt Ekland, so with her seated in it...it was a real "hot, hot hatch"!!!
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| I have been tempted to treat myself with one of the new breed. |