Mini Cooper D: Sporty, stylish and good for daily use

The Mini Cooper D in its latest iteration gets plenty of changes including a diesel engine, which although makes it a little less fun-to-drive, adds a lot to the practicality making it an excellent daily drive, writes Faisal Khan, MotorBeam.com.

Enthusiasm is often described as a source or cause of great excitement and the most suitable example of it in our automotive domain is Mini.

The first generation Mini was launched as a car for the common man, a car everyone could afford.

In 2001, the Mini Cooper was born as a premium hatchback which concentrated on performance and fun-to-drive factor with a touch of retro look.

Now in its latest generation, the Cooper tries to retain most of that.

The third generation Mini Cooper doesn’t get big changes and sticks on resolutely to its original identity.

When viewed from far away, the silhouette is unmistakably the same but get nearer and you start noticing interesting new details.

The bonnet bulge adds to the sporty character of this hatchback.

The chrome highlights all around add to the classiness while managing to look subtle.

The rear end is wider and the new tail lights make it look fatter compared to the lean profile of the previous gen.

The circular styling theme continues on the inside too and is done tastefully.

The dashboard gets a unique design with lots of things happening on the centre console.

The interior colours and materials are customisable in various combinations. The fighter jet inspired toggle switches are particularly nice to operate.

The big 8.8-inch Mini Connected display is the highlight of the interior and has a dynamic LED ring around it.

Although the car has so many features, it misses out on auto dimming mirrors. The quality and finish of all parts is absolutely top notch and makes one feel special.

This time, the Mini is being offered with a diesel engine too.

The 3-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo diesel unit churns out 114 BHP at 4000 RPM and 270 Nm of torque at 1750 RPM and even after being a three cylinder unit, refinement is very good.

It is fairly quick and the gearing lets you cover the gaps in city traffic easily.

On winding roads, the lack of power isn’t evident but on open roads, you do feel like having a bit more power.

The Mini Cooper D can give upto 21.15 km/l which is astonishing for a premium hatchback.

The new Miniis more mature than ever before. The razor sharp handling and super stiff suspension was good on paper, not on our patchy roads.

The new suspension on the Cooper D feels better with plusher ride quality. However, it has led to a compromise in the “on-the-rails” handling feel.

The hatchback has grown in size but has lost weight. Steering is very direct, which is expected from a car engineered by BMW.

The braking performance is very good too with the bite being just right.

Despite of having a plethora of safety features, the Mini Cooper could score only 4 stars in Euro NCAP which is very surprising.

It is quite interesting to see the way Mini has evolved over time. Even after getting drastic changes over the years, it still has that original charm.

The interiors even after being modern have that retro appeal.

The driving dynamics have been altered a lot yet it leaves a smile on your face every time you drive it.

The diesel engine makes it much more practical for daily use too.

The Mini has finally become an icon, which you can drive daily without any worries.

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