Turn 10 Car of the Week: 2006 Mini Cooper S
By F. Roberts
Back in Car of the Week No. 3, my colleague J. Mason wrote about his addiction to the original VW Rabbit GTI. It’s no secret around here that I too have an unhealthy obsession with Germany’s little get-away car. I also owned one and used it to get me into… and subsequently out of trouble. That’s not to say I ran from the police -- I just ran from where I knew the police were heading. Times have changed. I’ve gotten older, wiser and heavier and my GTI, thanks to the guy I sold it to, has been soup cans for the better part of a decade.
I loved it. My girlfriend at the time loved it; so I married her. I still don’t know what made me sell it. Maybe I was looking for more luxury, or perhaps power windows or an air conditioning system that worked? Is a headliner too much to ask for? All I know is I’ve spent the last few years trying to find the spirit of my little Diamond Silver Rabbit GTI in something more mature and it’s been tough. When all the successor offerings from Volkswagen fell short I stumbled onto something… and I think I‘m on the right track.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to the MINI Cooper S. It seems the Germans know a thing or two about the hot hatch. Never mind that the Rabbit GTI was built in Pennsylvania and the MINI is built in Great Britain, the responsible parties behind both wear lederhosen. When stripped down to their basics both cars are front wheel drive, they both have four cylinders, they’re nearly the same length, height and width and while the MINI packs around an extra 800lbs it also brings an extra 80hp to the table so the power to weight ratio is actually better.
I know spirit has nothing to do with how the numbers pan out but these numbers are pretty fun so I’ll share them.
While the MINI line has had a few changes and factory hot-rods over the years I’m going to stick with my personal favorite for this discussion -- the 2006 MINI Cooper S Works GP. 218 supercharged horsepower, 180ft/lbs of torque, under 2600lbs, Getrag 6-speed and 18” wheels. 0-60 was tested at 5.9 seconds and it’ll hold .9g on the skid pad all day. The performance is such that people started calling the Works GP the Baby M-Car, a reference to Mini’s parent company BMW and their motorsport lineup.
On the outside it’s… well… let’s face it, it’s cute. It isn’t an over-the-top cute like a New Beetle and it isn’t available in pink but you aren’t going to gain any macho points driving one. Inside, where you spend all your time interfacing with the car, it’s exceptionally well appointed. The steering wheel is fat and grippy as is the shift knob which rows through six of the smoothest gears I’ve ever felt. Even the instrumentation is designed for driving pleasure. The designers have moved the speedometer out of the way toward the center of the dash and where you’d expect to find most of your instrumentation you’ll find the only gauge necessary for reckless driving; the tachometer.
Spirit is really about how the car treats you and if it wants you to enjoy driving it. The Cooper S handles almost intuitively - as if the car knows where you want to go and helps you get there. Brake late, dive into the apex and stomp on the go pedal and you’ll be rewarded with that beautiful controlled FWD oversteer. In my GTI, I always smiled at the one wheel hang and with the Mini I can get that feeling again… while turning up my Social Distortion CD with the steering wheel mounted volume controls.
Unfortunately I’ll never own one of these Cooper S Works GPs. Along with growing up and gaining weight I’ve also started a family and with no comfortable room in the back for a baby seat the Cooper S is out. The Cooper S Clubman was supposed to solve the space issue but the ten inches of extra length somehow killed the car for me. For now I’ll continue driving a mid-sized sports sedan and occasionally ‘borrowing’ the keys of MINI owners around me when I feel like a little hooliganism.
F. Roberts doesn’t blame his daughter for his lack of a Mini. Instead he thanks her for keeping Daddy out of trouble.