Coupé
The MINI Cooper Coupé is smaller, faster and just as much fun.
It has been ten years since the MINI brand was so successfully revived and revamped by BMW and in that time we seen the models get longer with the Clubman, faster with the John Cooper Works, sunnier with the convertible and of most recently bigger with the first-ever four door Countryman. Now for its fifth model MINI is going smaller and sportier with the new MINI Cooper Coupé.
This is the first two-seater 'sports car' in the brands history and with it MINI hopes to bring even more emotion and excitement to its driving experience, and to attract new buyers to the brand, in particular the young, male demographic. It is available in three versions, the standard Cooper model, and the turbocharged Cooper S and John Cooper Works versions.
MINI is of course best known for its distinctive retro-cool styling and the Coupé version is certainly not going to be confused for any other car on the road. From the beltline down not much has changed from the standard MINI Cooper, but look a little higher and the differences are clear.
The windscreen has been angled down by 13 degrees giving a very raked, sporty side profile. This modification also brings the roofline of the car 29mm closer to the ground.
There is no way to miss the all-new 'helmet' style roof which is available in Pure Silver and Jet Black (and Chili Red only on the JCW model). The rest of the car body is available in eight cool colours and sports stripes are an optional extra naturally.
Coupé designer Anders Warming said at the international launch of the car that the roof design was intended to mirror a 'backwards baseball cap', another indication of the younger buyers MINI is targeting with this car.
From the rear the Coupé bears all the trademark designs of a MINI and features an interesting extra surprise: as the carhits 80 km/h a retractable rear spoiler pops up automatically to give
more downforce and traction – another first for MINI. The spoiler lowers again at 60 km/h but if you like to show off you activate it manually.
The interior retains the characteristic oversized speedometer which features the optional 6.5-inch multifunction display for satellite navigation and entertainment system. Audiophiles will love the MINI Connected telematics system which now includes the MOG music service. Subscribing to MOG allows access to over 12 million songs and lets you create your own song lists so you will literally never run out of tunes driving round in this little car.
Leather seats and automatic climate control make for a comfortable ride and sculpted oval-shaped cut-outs in the ceiling provide extra head room for taller drivers and passengers.
Where the two rear seats would normally be is a small storage area and a clever pass through gives access to the boot, a surprisingly spacious 290 litres. Interestingly at this point the Coupé resembles more of a hatchback than the standard MINI Cooper with the rear door opening high and wide for easy access.
As well as being fun to look at, MINI's have a reputation for being fun to drive, so there are naturally high expectations for the sporty coupé version. The Coupé has a stiffer framework with strengthen side sills supported by MacPherson strut front and multi-link suspension for agile and engaging handling. A six-speed automatic transmission comes standard. Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) comes standard on all versions and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) is standard on the John Cooper Works edition and optional on the Cooper and Cooper S.
Three engine variants are available starting with a 1.6-litre, 4-cylinder naturally aspirated version with 122 hp. This will get you from 0-100 km/h in 9.0 seconds, but if that's not fast enough, then you'd better opt for the Cooper S which features a 184 hp, twin-scroll turbocharged version which will do the same sprint in 6.9 seconds.
And for the real thrills, there is no beating the JCW with its 211 hp powerhouse achieving the run to 100 in just 6.4 seconds, giving it the prestigious title of 'fastest accelerating MINI ever'.
The twin-turbo engine is the same as that found in the BMW 1 Series and produces a fantastic sound as you pull out all 260Nm of torque.
Given its small stature, great fuel efficiency goes without saying. The standard Coupe model gets 5.4 litres per 100km and the Cooper S Coupé comes in close at 5.8 litres.
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Cornering Brake Control (CBC), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) all make for superb and safe handling and four airbags protect the two occupants on the inside.
So if you are a MINI fan and looking for a fast, fun ride and you don't mind only having two seats, the Cooper Coupé is definitely for you.
MINI Macau showroom,
120-158 Rua dos Pescadores.
Ph: 2872 2227