Mini Cooper long-term test
Mini-mizing winter
The Mini Cooper S continues to be a more than able companion to a long, snowy winter than one may have guessed. Except for its low ground clearance, it is unhampered by heaps of crusty snow, well-below-zero temperatures, muck, slush, ice – you name it, the Mini goes over, through or around it without much bother but with lots of pluck. Grippy winter tires have made a world of difference.
It has a cute, round keyfob that looks like a wee space ship. Smart little thing, it can be docked in the dash, or you can just have it nearby and use a button on the door handles to lock and unlock the car. Very handy, and much appreciated when the temperature drops and I don’t have to spend time rifling in an oversized purse. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to get the hatch unlocked similarly, so I’ve found myself more than once recently with arms full of groceries struggling to get at the keyfob. It would be great if the same door-handle button unlocked the hatch too.
I don’t ever get bored driving the Cooper S, and had as much fun piloting it around this week’s horrifying weather as I did in fairer temps the very first week.
I’m almost 11,000 km into my 14,000 limit, which means it may have a bye-bye date long before its anticipated April 1 buy-by date, which makes me sad. In a couple of weeks, I’m spending a week in a Mini Clubman, and it won’t be long after that that the snow begins to melt and the BMW 1 Series hits the market, so I’m coping with my sadness as well as one can.
Don’t sweat the Mini stuff
I’m nearly 10,000 km into my long-term test of the Mini Cooper S and only a couple of minor issues have appeared.
The first – the mesh sunroof cover’s refusal to stay closed – appears to be a design flaw. It’s like trying to cram on one of those coffee cup lids that doesn’t quite fit – no matter how many times I close it, it just pops open again shortly after.
The other, a groan in the clutch, lasted only a day or two before disappearing again. That was a couple of weeks ago and it hasn’t reappeared.
Aside from its climate-control peccadilloes, there isn’t much to whine about. We’ve had a crazy amount of snow this winter, and the Mini behaves like a little mountain goat. After the first big snowfall, I was concerned about its low ground clearance – albeit improved from last year’s model – but its winter tires and good low-end grunt have put my mind permanently at ease. I watched several vehicles spin out during a very heavy snow dump, but just took my time and experienced not one moment’s concern.
Surprisingly, I have had a couple of people ask me if it’s the new Mini, even though exterior changes are quite subtle for the new model year. In addition to the higher ride height (which would probably take a side-by-side comparison to notice), the side profile has changed (windows have become more wedge-shaped) and the front end, perhaps most obviously, features a tweak to the hood design.
My two most enjoyable interactions have both come from female admirers this week: one lady in a parking lot who called over, “Blue is better!” before emitting a wicked little laugh and climbing into her blue Mini. (And by the way, I beg to differ. Red rocks.) The other, from a police officer who was kind enough to let me off with a warning after catching me going just a teensy bit too fast on the highway.
“Watch that Mini, eh!” Yes, ma’am.
A quirk too far
One of the hallmarks of the Mini Cooper is quirkiness, a quality I usually love in cars as much as in people, but it is possible to take quirkiness to the point of vexation, something the Mini has managed only in its sound and climate controls.
The stereo controls are logically located where they usually are — front and centre on the centre stack. However, the most prominent button, which you would expect to control the power and volume, is actually unrelated to the surrounding sound system controls; instead, it's a selector button for the car's information system, the other buttons for which flank it. The button for the volume and power on the stereo is actually below all of it, off by itself. It's an easy enough system once you're used to it, but even after a couple of months in the car, I forget and find myself twisting the wrong knob, wondering why the sound doesn't go up.
The stereo plays even after the engine is shut off (the automatic windows also continue to work — nice!), so you either have to shut the whole system down or lock the door to shut it off. Lately I've been listening to an audio book, and if I'm distracted for a moment or want to replay a part, there's no way to "rewind" it, except to jump back to the previous chapter.
Heating controls, which are in the shape of a Mini logo and simple enough, aren't sufficient to tweak the climate to precise desires, so I end up fussing with it: having the fan turned on even one click rapidly results in fried feet, or dry eyes. Turning it off means you're freezing in mere moments in this weather. Aiming it at only your feet in some weather means a rapidly fogging windshield; fixing that problem means your feet are cold. It's a climatic juggling act, and although no big deal really, it is a little annoying.
In this weather, it's impossible to just relax over a long ride without making regular adjustments. The three-level control for the seat heater is lovely, though. Warm buns, no waiting, and no scorching.
The minor design flaw in the mesh screen that covers the sunroof continues to mean that the screen is always partially open. It doesn't matter much in a practical sense, but is a little off-putting for the anal-retentive who like everything in its place.
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