Introduction

Whatever was wrong with the MINI Cooper S we tested back in October, now they seem to have fixed it.

The Cooper Diesel I've just handed back was exactly how I think a MINI should be.

I guess in driving the pre-production cars we must have been guinea pigged. BMW was trying out various suspension and tyre combinations to find out which we would find most acceptable.

That would explain why MINI project leader Horst Radibojevic was anxious to cross-examine all of us at the coffee break half way through the test drive.

We spoke as we had found. The Cooper S we had been driving was extremely refined, for a MINI, but completely lacked the raw "go kart" like feeling of fun BMW had so accurately captured with its first generation of MINIs. We had appreciated the new car for its smoothness. But we hadn't enjoyed driving it, and that, and the looks, are the main reasons for buying a MINI.