D’you know, even at so many decades remove, the downsides of the original Morris Mini can haunt a brand to the point that one isn’t entirely looking forward to a run in the new version? Not fair, really. After all, the new one is TOTALLY new apart from some visual cues.

But then there’s also the fact that such a lack of anticipation means even more appreciation when you do get in and get going. Particularly when it’s a MINI Cooper S.

S in this case is for supercharging, which once upon a time was confined to racing cars and which was an inexact science to the point that if a driver overblew things even a little bit his engine blew too. Things have moved on, supercharging even went out of favour against the much more civilised turbocharging (if you don’t know the difference, it will never matter). And now in this particular renaissance it is a very civilised affair for which blowing a top would be most non-U.

And if you don’t understand that last, maybe you shouldn’t read further. Or maybe you should. That is this car’s inherent dichotomy.

The Morris Mini also went out of favour against much more civilised motoring, the kind that didn’t have rattly windows and badly-fitted doors and drafts in winter that simply overwhelmed the puny heater and if it wasn’t for just how badly you loved that girl you wouldn’t dream of facing the winter drive to Clonmel in Mum’s runabout. But hormones can keep you warm even in those conditions and over that distance.

These days the heater is better. Which alone would be enough to make today’s version an absolute winner against the original.

But seriously ...

On second thoughts ... can you take the Mini Cooper S seriously?

I mean, it CAN’T be a serious car, can it?

The premise is surely a retro joke? A titillation of the nostalgics from the automotive equivalent of a Versace knickers. A car designed for Barbie and Ken that happened to make it onto a real-life production line. And into real-life driveways. A toy for the Celtic Tiger cubs and their equivalents elsewhere.

It’s all those. And more. Or less ... even though it is bigger than the original, I fancy there’s less room for the hormones in the back seat than there was in the original. The boot does seem to be bigger, but we all have more baggage to carry. The gearshift doesn’t waggle like the one I remember. It’s not long enough. And there isn’t a bung in the block that occasionally gave way and was a knuckle-ripping cursing exercise to replace that could take hours if you were lucky. You don’t want to know about unlucky. Particularly when it was your wife’s car.

Oh, and it’s not for us who wanted cheap motoring that was state-of-the-art in so many ways beyond mere comfort, but we - or at least Mum - didn’t care about that. This one is an expensive car.

But it, or its BMW maker, doesn’t claim to be otherwise.

In fact, in Ireland it has had rarity value as well even since its launch win June, because the year’s allocation of 50 ‘S’ versions was already presold. In all, around 400 new MINIs will have been rolled out here by the end of the year.

The technicals: Powered by a 4-cylinder, 1.6-litre, 163bhp 16V engine, the Mini Cooper S can accelerate from 0-100 mph in 7.4 seconds with a maximum speed of 135mph. It has a 6-speed gearshift that’s as sweet as could be wanted. Standard equipment in this flagship model also includes four airbags, traction control, Sports PLUS suspension, electrohydraulic power steering, sports seats, central locking with remote control. Extras include a Navtech navigation system, PDC park Distance Control, automatic climate control and Xenon headlights, as well as a choice of interior trim and materials.

The S also has run-flat tyres, and a sport suspension, but the ride wasn’t anything like horrid. Firm, yes, but bearable.

The review car also had cruise control, which seems a little odd for a sporty car, but in this new era of penalty points, anything that helps you keep within speed limits is useful.

With the basic entry level priced at E27,100, expect to pay a top price of around 34,000 euros for all the options.

Also expect a car that is a head-turner, that is in fact fun to drive, yet eminently tractable in gridlock-type traffic.

And if you’re old enough to remember the original, don’t expect any of the downsides.



Because notwithstanding all I have said before, this is a modern fun car that particularly in this guise is a serious piece of motoring machinery.

It is exceptionally competent in all the the key areas of handling, power management, and sheer ability to turn a mundane driving chore into an eminently satisfying exercise in excellence.

And just in case you want to compare it to that other 'retro' fun car, the Beetle, don't. This is a car built from the ground up, with all that that entails in design and capability, not to mention the latest in driving technology.

It will be around for a long time to come, and we know that a number of interesting variations are already on the stocks. The fact that it recently was given credit for a significant part of the impressive growth of BMW in the last year says it all.

Quite simply, Barbie and Ken just couldn't keep up with this one. Because it is so far ahead of its original time, while they've lagged back.