It might have arrived a little late but it's finally here. It's called cute, sweet, beautiful, a giant slayer and then some. ZigWheels tells you what it feels like to "Be Mini"

If its performance you are looking at, the Cooper S is your thing. While the engine remains the same, the S gets a twin scroll turbocharger that’s hots up things. Force induction gets the numbers way higher with the S producing a whopping 184 PS @ 5500 rpm and a maximum torque of 240 Nm between 1600-5000 rpm. The same 6-speed autobox is retained but the S gets steering mounted gearshift paddles to play with as well. Performance as expected is on a different level altogether. Flooring the smiley pedal induces a healthy dose of torque-steer as the traction control struggles to keep the front wheels in check. The Cooper S completed the 100 km/h sprint in 8.9 seconds flat and keeping the throttle buried saw the speedo hovering at 208 km/h with the MINI still having some reserves left. Drivability was a lot better compared to the convertible too thanks to the extra horses kicking in earlier in the rev zone. The kickdown from 40 – 120 km/h took just 10.2 seconds. The Supercharger simply works wonders in the Cooper S.

Retardation is just as impressive. Coupled with ABS and Brake assist, the Cooper S came to a halt from 100 km/h in just 2.96 seconds covering all of 40.4 metres to come to rest. Extremely stable with zilch drama, the Mini’s braking is as composed as it can be.

Go-Karts for Adults

Even the original MINI was an absolute delight when it came to driving dynamics and it even proved itself in the many rally wins that it notched up. The new MINI is that and more. The combination of a single joint spring strut at the front and a multiple control arm at the rear coupled with wide track and a low centre of gravity results in some very interesting dynamic abilities.