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By
ALISTAIR KENNEDY
25 May 2009
Whoever
coined the phrase “you can’t have your cake and eat it too”
obviously hadn’t heard about the just-released MINI Cooper D.
Translated into motoring terms the adage suggests that when
selecting a car you can either have performance and driving
pleasure or fuel economy, but you can’t get both from the same
car.
Well now you can. Add the economy of a modern turbocharged diesel
engine to the renowned driving dynamics of MINI and the two
elements are no longer mutually-exclusive.
Power for the new MINI Cooper D comes from a turbo-diesel engine
displacing 1.6 litres and developing up to 240 Newton metres of
torque under normal driving, although torque can be extended to
260 Nm with an overboost function that activates when the
accelerator pedal is flattened.
Transmission options are six-speed manual and six-speed automatic.
Our initial road test of the MINI diesel provided a good
cross-section of typical driving conditions, starting with a
circuit of the Melbourne CBD then moving, via a stretch of
motorway, into a series of country roads. Each of the test cars
was emblazoned with a large number on each of the front doors:
‘3.9’ on one side, indicating the car’s fuel consumption per
100 kilometres, and ‘104’ on the other representing its CO2
emissions in grams per kilometre.
That combined city/highway fuel consumption figure of 3.9 L/100
km, measured by the Australian ADR test, gives the Cooper D the
bragging rights as Australia’s most fuel efficient car. Under
the same testing the Toyota Prius hybrid, generally seen as the
environmental yardstick, uses 4.4 L/100 km and 106 g/km.
A large amount of automotive technology has gone into achieving
these impressive figures.
The first of these that we encountered during our road test was
the Auto Start Stop function. Rather than having the engine
running when the car is stopped at traffic lights or in stop-start
traffic, and so consuming fuel and releasing carbon dioxide, when
the car is in neutral with the clutch released, the engine stops.
When the clutch is re-engaged the engine starts again.
The system took a little getting used to, especially as the auto
stop sounds very much as if the engine has been accidentally
stalled, unlike the soft engine stop that we’re used to with the
similar function in hybrid cars. Such are the vagaries of
inner-city driving we were able to experience Auto Stop Start
numerous times and quickly adapted to it. The problem of having to
use all three pedals when re-starting on an upslope is covered by
the car having a Hill Hold feature.
A number of other features, bundled together under the label
MINIMALISM, contribute to the Cooper D’s fuel efficiency. These
include Shift Point Display, which notifies the driver the optimum
time to change gears; Brake Energy Regeneration charges the
battery when the car is coasting or when the brakes are applied; a
switchable water pump that is activated only when the engine
reaches its regular operating temperature; and an aerodynamic
underbody panel that optimises downforce and reduces resistance.
Combine these technologies with a kerb weight of 1090 kg and the
reasons for MINI Cooper D’s high efficiency rating becomes
apparent.
Our road test concentrated almost entirely on the MINI diesel’s
efficiency claims. The Australian ADR fuel consumptions ratings
are generally well below what motorists are likely to achieve in
real-life driving conditions. However in the case of the Cooper D
we registered 5.7 L/100 km in the city section of the drive, 3.8
L/100 km in rural section for a combined rating of 4.0 for the
entire trip. All very impressive figures.
Sadly this concentration on economy driving meant that we
weren’t able to have the sort of fun that we’ve become
accustomed to in what is one of our favourite small cars. One
thing that was apparent, even in this modest driving style, was
the amount of untapped torque, as expected from a turbo-diesel
engine. We’ll be conducting our normal week-long test in the
near future and will be surprised if it doesn’t turn out to be
just as enjoyable to drive, even more so because of fewer fuel
stops.
MINI Cooper D prices start at $33,750 (plus on-road costs).
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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