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By
EWAN KENNEDY
7 September 2009
The
Mini was very much part of the social scene way back in the
swinging Sixties, a time when social consciousness began to emerge
as a powerful force. Now the new MINI is taking up where the
original one left off with a new economy turbo-diesel variant.
The Brits and the Europeans have had diesel engined cars for
decades, but only in recent times have Australians been paying
attention to the fuel saving advantages of diesel. That's chiefly
because of low petrol prices in this country, something that began
to change a couple of years back. Though prices have come down
since the worrying days of a $1.80 a litre, it seems pretty
obvious they will rise again. Just when no one knows, but more and
more drivers are taking the attitude that it's better to be
prepared than to be taken by surprise again.
Passenger car turbo-diesel engines began their push in larger cars
and gradually moved into sporting sedans and coupes. Now we have
the surest sign of all that diesel has been accepted by Australian
drivers – the newly released MINI Cooper D. A cheeky car aimed
at those who want plenty of fun in their lives, the MINI has been
a big success since its introduction down under in 2002. Now the
life-loving trendies can show they have strong green credentials
as well.
Emitting just 104 grams per kilometre of C02, the MINI D is one of
the cleanest cars on the planet. The combined city/highway fuel
consumption figure is a mere 3.9 litres per hundred kilometres as
measured by the Australian ADR test.
Power for the new MINI Cooper D comes from a turbo-diesel engine
displacing 1.6 litres and developing up to 260 Newton metres of
torque when you use the overboost function. Normally torque peaks
at 240 Nm, overboost is there for safer overtaking, or perhaps
when you just want even more fun in your driving.
City dwellers will just love the Auto Stop-Start function fitted
to the six-speed manual gearbox in our test car. When the MINI D
is in neutral with the clutch disengaged, the engine stops. When
the clutch is re-engaged the engine starts again. Obviously it
depends on the sort of driving you are doing but there are
noticeable savings if you spend a lot of time in heavy traffic.
However, when the engine is off so is the air conditioning and we
found this uncomfortable during the middle of a 27 degree day. To
the extent that we switched off the Stop Start until later in the
afternoon. The decision is, of course, yours.
Even more importantly, the driver can also play an active part in
minimising emissions and fuel use. A system called Shift Point
Display advises them of the optimum time to change gears. Indeed,
research done by BMW and MINI (the former owns and controls the
latter) show that the biggest fuel savings of all in any car are
obtained by better driving techniques.
When we did our initial road testing of the MINI D in Melbourne in
May this year our driving was skewed towards minimising fuel use.
Now we have tested the car in our home territory of the Gold Coast
and have deliberately aimed at the fun side of driving the MINI to
see what sort of fuel consumption would result.
We found that steady cruising on motorways typically had the
consumption down to 3.8 litres per hundred kilometres. Around
town, and bear in mind that the Gold Coast isn't as crowded as
Sydney or Melbourne, the figure was usually in the mid fours. The
latter is still an exceptionally low rate of fuel use.
But forget the excellent fuel consumption and feel the fun. The
MINI is a huge buzz to drive, the steering is pin sharp and you
almost get the feeling the car reads your mind when cornering
briskly on your favourite stretches of winding country road.
There's enough punch from the little diesel to get the car off the
line in a satisfactory manner. And the brakes haul off speed with
plenty of security.
Styling is Fun with a capital F and our MINI was dressed up in an
Italian Job manner that made us feel happy just looking at it.
MINI Cooper D prices start at $33,750 (plus on-road costs).
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
MINI Cooper D 1.6-litre turbo-diesel three-door hatch: $33,750
(manual), $36,100 (automatic)
MINI Cooper D Chilli 1.6-litre turbo-diesel three-door hatch:
$37,350 (manual), $39,700 (automatic)
(Note: Prices do not include
government and dealer charges)
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard in both models
Air Conditioning: Standard in both models
Automatic Transmission: $2350 option in both models
CD Player: Standard in both models
Central Locking: Standard in both models
Cruise Control: Standard in both models
Dual Front Airbags: Standard in both models
Front Side Airbags: Standard in both models
Stability Control: Standard in both models
Traction Control: Standard in both models
SPECIFICATIONS (MINI Cooper D 1.6-litre turbo-diesel three-door
hatch)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 1.560 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 18.0:1
Bore/Stroke: 75.0 x 88.3 mm
Maximum Power: 80 kW @ 4000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 240 Nm @ 1750 rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Six-speed
Final Drive Ratio: NA
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 3709 mm
Wheelbase: 2467 mm
Width: 1683 mm
Height: 1407 mm
Turning Circle: 10.7 metres
Kerb Mass: 1090 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 40 litres
Towing Ability: 750 kg (with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Single-joint MacPherson struts
Rear Suspension: Longitudinal control arm, centrally-mounted
transverse links, z axle
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 9.9 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Diesel
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (EU): 3.9 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years / unlimited km
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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