NYTimes Reviews the 2007 Cooper S
The paper of record gives us their take on the new R56 MINI. Here’s an excerpt:
>THERE are three basic ways to drive a Mini Cooper, each pleasurable.
>First is to pretend you’re Matt Damon in “The Bourne Identity,†grabbing gears and slaloming through traffic as though pursued by assassins.
>Second is to cruise in conserving style, returning up to 40 miles a gallon, thanks to new engines that lift the Mini’s mileage by about 15 percent compared with the previous model.
>Slowest but no less satisfying, there’s the prowl along a packed boulevard; as you slip the Mini into Houdini-tight parking slots, other drivers marvel at the illusion.
>Throw in nearly a half-century of Mini heritage, and it’s no wonder this cheeky Brit has been adopted as the official car of Hipsterville U.S.A., meaning any place with a surplus of espresso and a shortage of elbow room.
You can read the entire review below:
[ There’s More Than Meets the Eye ] New York Times (free reg. required)
Hat tip to Rob for the link
Torque steer? I wonder if they were driving on a cambered road when they came up with that one.
If you haven’t felt the torque steer, you are not driving hard enough, dude.
Yeah MINI does a great job of minimizing it but a little tiny front wheel drive car that puts out that much power and torque = torque steer, no way to get around it.
In my two test drives I noticed significant torque steer. Don’t remember that on my departed JCW.
Torque steer is THERE ! And it gives you a kick !
funny, i was lead to believe that the S does not have “Valvetronic variable timing”.
The S has it on just one side – I think its the intake, so as to not interfere with the turbo.
Valvetronic is variable lift from almost zero to full which the MCS does not have.
The S doesn’t have valvetronic due to the turbo. Valvetronic is only on the intake side as it varies the valve lift of the intake valves. Vanos(variable cam timing) applies to both intake and exhaust. It doesn’t make sense having valvetronic on a turbo car. The new 335i also doesn’t have valvetronic
thanks for the clarification.