Cooper diesel does nicely; Second generation MINI proves to be a go-faster oil-burner

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), July 13, 2007

THEY are two words that you wouldn't expect to sit very comfortably together. Cooper and diesel, a bit like chalk and cheese perhaps.

That would be to do the MINI Cooper D a disservice however, because this is an oilburner worthy of being associated with the iconic Cooper name and a vast improvement on the sluggish 1.4 unit it replaced.

There are updated light clusters and a slightly higher bonnet, otherwise the same funky style that has made the Oxford-built MINI range so successful remains virtually untouched.

And that means those neat retro features like the dinner plate size speedo, toggle switches and bodyhugging sports seats remain, though on the negative side the sound system is fiddly to operate and the indicator action is twitchy. That said the front seats on the new generation of MINIs have been redesigned to do away with the clumsy folding mechanism that hampered the original.

The Cooper D uses a 1.6-litre engine developed by the French car maker PSA and it offers the sort of punch you might not expect from a diesel, coupled with average fuel consumption of a claimed 64mpg.

Top speed is a claimed 121mph and thanks to an overboost facility, this 110bhp turbo diesel can generate as much power as the flagship Cooper S.

Transmission is via a sixspeed manual gearbox making for effortless cruising in high gears, but drop it down a notch or two and the power delivery is instant.

Passengers may feel the stiff ride quality but the trade-off is fantastic handling. The diesel's attraction is not confined to performance either with low CO2 exhaust emissions of 118g/km putting it in Band B when it comes to road tax, or pounds 35 a year for the private buyer.

Where the Cooper D, like other MINIs, fails to impress is with its rear seating: too tight even for young children, the boot is tiny and little cabin storage.

As is the case with all MINIs, you can personalise the Cooper D with countless extras which can add considerably to the price, something that has never daunted buyers.

Facts and figures

Make: MINI

Model: Cooper D 3dr

Price: pounds 14,190

Mechanical: 110bhp, 1,560cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox Max speed: 121mph 0-62mph: 9.9 seconds Combined mpg: 64.2 Insurance group: 8 CO2 emissions: 118g/km BiK rating: 18% Warranty: 3 years/ 60,000 miles, 6 years anti-rust

CAPTION(S):

DIESEL DELIGHT - the MINI Cooper D is streets ahead of the earlier version