The MINI just gets quicker, faster and more expensive. The latter may have Issigonis turning in his grave...

If the original 'Mini' wasn't a hard enough act follow, imagine the pressure felt by BMW's team of engineers and designers when they were told they had to better the already mighty MINI Cooper S of 2002? And we agree, how can you really better something so successful?

Fearing the new MINI had been cosmetically and technically tweaked for the sake of it, possibly for the worse we took the offer of being the first publication to test the new turbocharged MINI in the Middle East, privledged enough to be handed the keys to their press-fleet Cooper S, bestowed with only a handful of delivery kilometres.

As the majority of 2007 MINI Cooper S reviews seem to begin quite predictably by paraphrasing BMW's PR department and its claim for the car's go-kart-like characteristics, attributable in part to an electric power-steering system, we rolled our eyes in the past, to find ourselves only moments later joining the club.

Yes, the car does have the point and shoot feeling of a go-kart, without a kart's bone-shaking chassis, miniscule fuel tank, full-face helmet requirement and room-for-one size. Although, that said, the new-age MINI isn't exactly roomy, with the rear quarters only fit for those with little expectation and even smaller feet.

The new Cooper S, very much like the 2002 version, is a car designed to transcend the barriers of wealth and pride. It's a car that is real, with form following function. But then there's the fake Stepford Wives bonnet scoop, which I'm sure even BMW is slightly squirming about now. We all love a bit of glitz and glamour from time to time, but was this really essential? Inside information from MINI HQ hints at a far more entertaining power unit being squeezed into an already cramped engine compartment, in the near future. They say they don't want to alter the looks, so designed the future upgraded into the more entry-level Cooper S. BMW have fiddled with the shape too, bumping most of the car's design features higher up the body, and the waistline itself moved 20mm higher up the body. The face is the most obvious change here, with a much more pronounced solid smile embossed across the MINI's nose. The body is also awash with chrome plastic, which owners will lovingly attend to with a silk cloth whenever time permits. I have to admit I do see the appeal of this car. It's cute beyond repent, but is it just a little too pretentious to make it as a serious hot hatch contender? What Alec Issigonis would make of the new turbocharged MINI Cooper S is anyone's guess.

Yet in defiance, the MINI just gets quicker, faster and - something that may have Issigonis turning in his grave - more expensive. However, there's no doubting the capabilities of its newfound power. Rest assured it's not the result of a turbocharger bolted on to the old Tritec engine. Instead it is the result of a UK-built all-new light alloy PSA 1600cc four-cylinder 16v engine with direct petrol injection. Matched to the twin-scroll turbo, the new engine produces 175bhp - although it feels a lot more like 200bhp - at 5500rpm, with maximum torque delivered consistently from as low as 1700rpm all the way up to 5000rpm. There is even an overboost function, which acts exclusively on engine torque, not on overall engine output, allowing an increase in charge pressure: 190lb ft of torque to be precise.

Once up and running the clutch does take some getting used to, making it easy to stall and requiring extra revs to get going. The manual gearbox, however sharp and short it is in play, is also way too easy to clunk into reverse when selecting first.

In short, the brakes are still good - 294mm inner-vented disc brakes for the front, 259mm at the rear. A little too vicious perhaps compared to its predecessor, the braking is still relative to the available power. Both the first and second BMW-parented MINI are well biased, with little or no fade after heavy use. Unlike the braking, the handling has changed dramatically. It is now darty at best, although it will point and shoot, with only a hint of vagueness after immediate turn in. Just make sure you have the steering wheel bracketed with both knees, with both hands on the steering wheel, the gear changing being left to your passenger as you battle against the torque-steer to put the power down.

The ride may not be to everyone's liking, but it's less crashy than, say, a Golf GTI and, if you're buying a MINI on the premise that you want to go quick, stop quick and have fun, both on and off the track, you'll be glad of the feel. It is still a 'Mini' after all and still mirrors Issigonis's iconic brainchild. The raw characteristics are there to bask in. The previous Cooper S may have echoed the gearbox whine of the pioneering Cooper S of long ago by employing a similar sounding supercharger, but for 2007 we have something even more reminiscent. We now have a slightly unpredictable, thoroughly entertaining box on wheels that you can get ever so wrong in the tight turns. Yes it's a true 'Mini' once again and for this reason alone you find yourself disregarding the 2002 model year Cooper S and bouncing comparatives between, say, 1967 and 2007.

If you can ignore the unnecessary guff inside you'll soon notice how seriously focused the new MINI really is. The revised cockpit ergonomics may look the same, give or take an indulgence or two, but boy have they sorted out the driving position. Unlike the older MINI, which you seemed to perch on top of and conduct, the revised MINI is a car you fall into snugly and command. The dashboard is lower too, quite possibly, and you sit a lot lower.

But before you can go anywhere there's the quirky flying saucer excuse for a key to deal with. It may woo your friends, and may have even won a few design awards for its style and ingenuity, but what it does best is leave you scrabbling around behind the chunky steering wheel, the port hidden out of sight on the dashboard. The quirkiness continues with a long line of flattened toggle switches sandwiched in a toast rack-like habitat - a rollcage to protect hands, feet and facial features in the event of an accident!

Turning our attention from the superficial nonsense, to the engineering of these two cars, we put both MINIs through their paces around the demanding turns of the Dubai Autodrome's Club Circuit.
On first impression it must be said that the older MINI felt a lot more settled, albeit duller. Indeed, the older model felt a lot more at home on the track, even if you do find yourself begging it to go a hell of a lot faster.

The new MINI in comparison takes some getting used to. It's not quite as jump in and drive as its older brother. In fact, it is a completely different animal. Don't let the copycat silhouette fool you. Drive the new turbocharged MINI like you would the previous supercharged S and you'll find yourself in trouble, or worse still the Armco.

The first two laps were impressive, squashing our prediction that the new MINI would also be out of puff by the end of the pit straight and achingly predictable through the tight turns.

No matter how much of a fight the two front-driven wheels put up against the power we were trying to put down, the exits were clean and rapid, crossing the start line with keenness. This verve progressed, showing no signs of repent, notching 188.516kph by the end of the pit straight - 11kph faster than the older MINI. Put into perspective it even eclipsed a 510bhp $ 199k AMG ML63, around the track.

Best described as frisky, the '07 model is a hell of a lot quicker than the older one on the road and amazingly quick around the Club Circuit.

Squirming off the line the new Cooper S does suffer severely from torque steer, navigating you from left to right whether you like it or not. This a frightening proposition on the track, with immediate run-off and no traffic. On the road it is a little worrying.

In an era resting on its super-safety laurels, airbags, ABS and side-wall curtain cushioning it comes as a shock to find out that this car has been purposely designed to act out of sorts, whereas the 2002-style supercharged MINI will behave annoyingly benign. This predictability doesn't take long to bore. Although I must add, this observation only surfaced when both models were driven back to back.

The track times put in by both Cooper S MINIs highlighted the improvements made by BMW this time around. However, although the first MINI hasn't got the go of the second version, it still kept its composure under hard braking.

The 2007 Cooper S in stark contrast, gaining a lot of progressive speed out of the final corner leading onto the pit straight, found it hard to keep things in shape under such braking. The rear desperately trying to come around on us, at the end of the long fast pit straight as we turned into the first right-hand turn, really caught us off guard as we nearly tail-whipped the last styrofoam braking marker.

To be fair I think you would be hard pushed to confront this under normal road conditions, but on the track, under more punishing conditions, especially with late braking, it is well worth noting. This showed itself on the first run, which made us re-think how to carry this car around the Club Circuit.

Traction is definitely an issue though. Struggling around the track, scrabbling for grip all the way through the Club Links, the torque steer makes for a fun ride. The immediate boost from the turbo low down in the rev range allows for quick sharp exits needed to find the power again once the wheels were pointed straight.

Things became a bit twitchy when the car was asked to change direction quickly, especially with a collection of corners that bounce from hard left to hard right - and then into a short straight before barrel rolling into the tight Club Links. It was this section of the track where the new MINI seriously shone.

That said, there was no part of the Autodrome Club Circuit where the older MINI took precedence. It may have felt a lot smoother, tidier even, but the cornering characteristics and urgency in the exits embarrassed the previous model out of the ranking, a near four seconds quicker around our track.

As with all our track tests, both MINIs were tested under the exact same conditions: same time of day at a blistering 42 degrees, both with a full tank of premium fuel, same driver passenger combo, with air conditioning turned to the max - with a bit of compassion for the brakes and tyres. after all, we couldn't drive home without their assistance.

For want of a better word, it seems BMW has made a conscious effort to make this car, well, 'unstable'. By sharpening everything up it has created a dangerous car, which is a good thing!
This is what made the late greats so great. The better the driver you are, the better the drive will become. To this effect, the new MINI - in the hands of a competent pilot - will be able to run rings around most things. The only contradiction lays in the new-age driver aids that umbrella the engineered silliness.

Without being too melodramatic, the new MINI happens to be a car that should be respected by the average commuter, while adored by those with the ability to make this car dance.

If you want a car that you'll reach your limits in almost overnight, then opt for the older Cooper S. You will probably never tire of the balanced roundabout slides, with the traction control silenced. But if you are thinking of some track time, lend a few more dollars to your kitty and buy the new S badged MINI. Its limits are more than likely to be far beyond yours.

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