Mini Cooper 2001 test drive - 2006 hatchback

Not a toy at all

Mini Cooper S Evil Lamb
The drunk air of freedom played a cruel joke with him, I stood next to the crippled Mini Cooper S and could not throw out a stupid phrase from my head. This car instilled in me a feeling of complete freedom at any speed and in any corner. And the fact that the editorial Cooper S test ended with a powerful blow to the curb stone is very symbolic. There was not a drop of car guilt in the accident: just when driving on Cooper S, one should not forget about the laws of physics.
The site in front of the main building of the Moscow State University on the Sparrow Hills, journalists who write about cars have long chosen for photographs and testing of running capabilities of test machines. After the Khodynsky field was closed, there are very few places left in Moscow where you can try out the car in extreme modes without a threat to others. However, in order not to act as a provocateur, I’ll make a reservation that the site does not meet the requirements for security and is in no way intended for car testing.
However, we were simply obliged to test the Mini Cooper S in conditions close to combat. The letter S (its image is stylized under a section of a winding road) in the name of the car, this is by no means an element of decoration. It fully reflects the fact that you have a real sports car.
On one of the Internet forums where Subaru car owners communicate, I found a curious statement by the owner of the charged Subaru Impreza WRX. He was tired of putting up with rally manners with a hard suspension and a heavy clutch of his car in a daily city driving. Therefore, to maintain a racing tone, he acquired a Mini Cooper S car with a pronounced sports character, perfectly adapted for everyday use.
If there were no winding roads in the world, they would have to be laid specifically for the Mini Cooper S these words Dr. Hinrich Peter, the head of the Mini project group, opened the world presentation of the car in Portugal. Indeed, the philosophy of this car is not banal accelerations from traffic light to traffic lights. Mini Cooper S was created using ski terminology, for slalom.
About five years ago, a real revolution began in skiing. The so -called carving skis were invented. Due to their form and design, they radically changed the ideas about the skiing technique. At the carving, the passage of turns (without which, in fact, you can’t go down the mountain) requires much less effort than skiing of a traditional design. Moreover, it is much easier to study for newcomers on carving.
So Cooper S, in its kind, also changes the idea of \u200b\u200bthe technique of driving a car. A very hard body (tougher than the five of the BMW) with the lowest possible center of gravity, the rear multi -link suspension, unique for cars of this class, reinforced reptile stability stability and back, more rigid tuning of shock absorbers and springs all this allows the car to literally divert . Sometimes it seems that you only think about the maneuver, and the car will already obey your brain impulse.
Another comparison that immediately comes to mind when evaluating the habits of Cooper S. This is a real roadmap even in risky turns, it enters as on rails. However, any thoughtful driver, who at least once got into the cards, will say that this sports apparatus has pronounced habits of an rear -wheel drive car or, in extreme cases, a car with a central -motor layout. And Mini Cooper S is a frankly front -wheel drive car with all the leadership features that arise from this fact. And when managing Cooper S in extreme modes, this should not be forgotten.
Mini Cooper S The most expensive and powerful car in the Mini lineup. In Russia, it is offered at a price of 30,800 euros. It differs from his younger brothers and just Cooper by a air intake on the hood, massive bums, painted in the color of the body, 16-inch cast discs, a stylish roof spoiler and a double exhaust pipe.
But the most important difference is hidden under the hood. Cooper S is not just a 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine, as on the usual mini One (90 hp) or mini cooper (116 hp). The modification motor S thanks to the rotary turbocharger and intermediate air cooler develops 163 hp. However, despite the impressive power, the Cooper S should not expect an explosive start. The pickup will begin after 3000 rpm, and the motor goes to the peak of its maximum torque at 4000 rpm. Moreover, if you want to truly light on Cooper S, you should keep the tachometer arrow around 6000,6500 rpm. It is in these modes that the mini becomes collected and evil. The sound of the motor at a sharp start literally envelops the driver, provoking the enhanced excretion of adrenaline.
The engine power allows you to disperse the baby to impressive 218 km/h. At maximum speeds, the car perfectly holds a straight line, not allowing the driver to be pressed for a second about the compact size of the car.
According to Avtodom Mini manager manager of the Mini sales department (today this is the only brand dealer in Moscow), about 60 Mini cars have found their owners since May of this year, while at least two Cooper S, girls who are seriously fond of motorsport. Therefore, attention, male drivers! Do not get involved in road fights with ladies that control Mini with a characteristic air intake on the hood. It is unlikely that you will be able to get out of a fight without a wounded pride
Igor Komarov
 

Source: Wheel (company)