Test Drive: MINI Cooper S Mayfair 50 - 2010

The fact that from 2001 onwards, the old Mini became the new MINI, or should we say the new BMW MINI, is common knowledge by now. Even though the new, capitalized, MINI brand has pretty much zero, zilch, or nada in common with the original Mini car, over the last few years it has managed to a attract a cult following which is probably even larger than that of the original one. We suspect the main reason for this to happen is the fact that it shares a similar bulldog stance and it looks cute as hell.

Of course, some may argue that apart from the aforementioned stance, the go-kart handling and the retro interior design are also very much reminiscent of the old one. Truth is, Sir Alec Issigonis would probably roll in his grave if he had a way of knowing what his most famous creation has turned into. The new car is much larger, heavier and especially much less space-saving savvy than the classic Mini.

Either way, until last year, it was the only one of its kind on the market. Starting with 2009, a number of competitors have began to show up. The first, and probably the most important one is the Alfa MiTo, a model which we also tested last year. Since then, the Citroen DS3 and the upcoming Audi A1 are expected to jump on the premium compact hatch bandwagon as well.

Coincidentally, 2009 was also the year when the original Mini turned 50 years old. Among other celebrations, a limited edition of the Cooper S, called Mayfair 50, was launched. Including a package of special options, the limited edition costs a good 5000 Euros or so more than a standard, regular Cooper S. But hey, hooray for exclusivity!

So, with all these competitors coming out from nowhere, is the Mini-legacy finally coming to an end? Well, not if you look at the current and especially near-future model line-up, with a small coupe and a roadster being launched in the next couple of years. Until then, we took the VERY expensive Mayfair 50 edition of the MINI Cooper S and drove it around on a go-kart track and... (where else?) a ghetto-looking neighborhood.

Compared to a normal Cooper S, the Mayfair 50 edition has a few visual extras which could be considered eye-candy by quite a large number of people. The first thing to strike the eye is the special "Chocolate Magic" brownish metallic paint job. Together with the black roof and the chrome accents everywhere around the car, it leaves quite an artsy and retro impression on any beholder (or beer holder, if you're parking it in front of a pub).

Sir May B. Bach's Opinion

I see what you did there... ahem... trying to trick me into liking this car, eh? What did you think, just because I almost have royal blood flowing through my veins (OK, by alliance), and I kissed the Queen's hand, I should like everything that comes out of Britain by default? Well... ahem... I kind of do, actually. You got me on this one.
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Exactly as it happened with the Mini Cooper S Cabrio we tested last year, we were once again a bit reluctant to befriend the ginormous speedometer mounted right on the top of the center console. We know, we know, the original Mini also had a center-mounted speedometer, but as far as we can remember it was much, much less optimistic in size. It's like the new Mini's interior designers were expecting half-blind passengers to driver their cars.

3D Interior Panorama

>> Click to view the interior panorama

In typical Mini Cooper S fashion, the low ride height in the front can be quite troublesome if you live in a city with lots of fierce man-eating potholes, over-optimistic tram lines, high roadside curbs and/or quiet neighborhood with lots of speed bumps. Also, the rather stiff and short-travelled suspension, along with the run-flat tires, can really make you hunt for smoother roads on every route you take.

Mary's Opinion

You know, the first thing I said upon glancing at this sweet little brown Mini was to ask for the keys. I think I am now an official Mini aficionado, I kid you not! After treasuring all the precious moments I had together with the mustard-yellow Cooper S Convertible last year, I thought those feeling could never again be duplicated.
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After driving a car named after one of London's most expensive districts through a spooky neighborhood filled with graffiti, junkies and other odd characters, it was finally the time to let it stretch its muscles on the open road. Unlikely just by taking a short look at the little bugger, this is actually the Mini Cooper S's playground. We know that a twisty road with absolutely no traffic is somewhat of a cliché topic when talking about driving a sporty car, but it really is heaven if you're a Mini driver.

Lou Cheeka's Opinion

After having to drive that yellow convertible hot tub with a brown paper bag on my head last summer, you can imagine how relieved I was when I saw that this Mini Cooper S Mayfair 50 had tinted windows. OK, they were only in the rear, so I still had to wear a Zorro mask.

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As you can expect from all the talk about racing tracks, torque and stiff suspension, the Cooper S is not exactly wafting over speed bumps like a Rolls Royce, despite is British luxo-barge interior pieces. Just like on the Cabrio we last tested, the suspension has very limited travel, the shocks are as sporty as they get and on top of that the Mini comes in standard with run-flat tires. Everyone who has ever driven a car with run-flat tires can acknowledge the fact they are anything but comfortable in the shock-absorbing way.

After jumping like a gazelle over badly-paved roads or tram lines, the only surface area where a Mini Cooper S would be happy and actually comfy to drive on is a perfectly smooth road. Now, this may actually appear as the car is a hardcore racer in street clothes, so we should probably add some "exaggeration" inserts here and there.

As long as the road it's being driven on is at least in a decent state you should have no worries for the well-being of your kidneys or your spine, since the suspension is comfortable enough. As far as the other comfort areas go, apart from the visual aspect represented by the fabulous bits and pieces added with the "Mayfair 50" package, our test car was actually less equipped than the Cabrio we drove last summer.

We had no heated seats, no automatic climate control (only a manual, single zone air conditioning unit) and no electrically-foldable mirrors. Naturally, you can pretty much live without all these, but considering a Mayfair 50 special edition equipped just like this one has a price that is dangerously close to a Cooper S Cabrio with better features, one has to wonder.

Just like in the Mini Cooper S Cabrio, the puny engine under our test car's hood manages to get out-displaced by most of your average grocery-getters. Only 1.6 liters, right? The real impressive numbers come when we check the power figures. With a horsepower and torque ratio per liter that beats some real sports cars out there, this is where the magic happens.

Apart from the impressive performance figures, the tiny four-cylinder can also brag with the amount of modern technology features. Stuff like stratified direct injection, the start/stop system, the fully variable valve timing or the twin-scroll turbocharger with an over-boost function are quite yummy from an engineering point of view.

Its probably most-impressive feature is the gigantic rev band where the engine's maximum torque figures are available. You probably know this by now, since it's not exactly news, but this little engine is the fruit of the work done by BMW together with the PSA Group.

It can be found with various power levels on a number of cars, but we guess everyone agrees its best work is done under the hood of the Cooper S. That, if we don't take into account the John Cooper Works versions, which are even more impressive when it comes to the power levels.

The six speed manual transmission is also almost flawless, being transplanted from the car's bigger brothers from the BMW stable. The only quarrel we had with it was its tendency to a be a tad imprecise when shifting from second to third, but that could be just as well be blamed on the fact that this was a press car driven by many after all.

As far as the amount of gadgetry present on our test car is concerned, we couldn't have asked for more. Night time visibility was more than adequate thanks to the Xenon/HID headlights, aided by the light sensors. Windshield wipers were also aided by sensors. Unlike its soft top brother, the Cooper S Mayfair 50 also has a rear wiper, so visibility towards the rear during rain or when the window is dirty is much, much better.

On the other hand, this version didn't have the three-stage heated seats and a very capable single-zone climate control system. It did have the pretty good in-dash CD-player with MP3 capabilities and an auxiliary port for your iPod, on the other hand. Another feature which we could have found useful was the (missing) option of opening the rear windows in some way, to let some air in for the rear passengers.

Also, the leather-wrapped three spoke steering wheel was fitted with pretty helpful buttons to control some functions of the on-board computer, the audio system and the fully active automatic speed regulator. The keyless entry option missing, but the funky-looking Mini key was still there, as well as the "start" engine button, reminding us we were still in a sporty car.

Other than the "missing" features already named, the only truly useful gadget that could be expected from a car costing close to 30,000 euros was probably a satellite navigation system. Apart from the logical reason for wanting one, it would have also "moved" the speedometer behind the steering wheel, since the gigantic frying pan on the center console would have had to be turned into a "home" for the navigation display.

Fitting it with the Mayfair 50 special edition package didn't change anything in the Mini's crash safety credentials. It still has five stars out of five at the EuroNCAP and a "good" (aka "best") rating at the IIHS crash testing organization. Plus having a stiff roof over your head compared to the convertible version probably helps in curing some fears related to rollovers.

Obviously, like with any car, great crash ratings by independent organizations aren't good enough for everyone, so naturally we also have to state some of the safety features present on our test car. In standard, the Cooper S comes with anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control and cornering brake control. All these are courtesy of the BMW parts bin, naturally, but tuned for the Mini.

As far as the passive safety goes, our test car was also fitted with two frontal, dual stage airbags (for the front passengers, obviously), two side-thorax airbags and two head airbags that also protect the passengers in the rear.

Is it the funky retro design, the fabulous cozy interior, the exceptional handling or the beefy engine? Although this was a pretty different model than the Cooper S Cabrio we drove last year, I guess we have to choose the handling bit as its greatest strength again. Having had the chance to also experience its track prowess on a go-kart circuit, there's nothing that could change our opinion about the “corners like it's on rails” analogy. It really works. And we don't say this about a front-wheel driven car too often.

As far as the bad part goes, its comfort disadvantage remains at the same level as on the Cabrio, if not even lower because of the fact that the interior doesn't become “open” at a given time. The Cooper S is simply too much too handle for a person that's used to a "Buick" of a car. The suspension is not hardcore stiff, but its lack of travel can really become annoying on poorer roads. Moreover, albeit they had a higher road height since they were winter ones, the tires use the same run-flat technology, which is anything but shock-absorbing.

The ugly bit about the Mini Cooper S we drove is probably the fact that the "Mayfair 50" special edition package costs quite a lot of money. Sure, the bits and pieces it adds on a "Cooper S" really look cool and enhance the car's presence by a long shot. Too bad that for the same money you pay for it you could almost buy an old Mini.