Mini Cooper S 2009 Review

But the Chilli variant adds even a little more heat to the recipe, for which the cost starts at around $43,500. Of course, you can add all sort of goodies from the bursting Mini option wardrobe to bump that price tag up at will.

Engine

Mated to a six speed manual transmission, or optional six speed auto, the Mini Cooper S Chilli is powered by a 1.6 litre, four cylinder turbocharged engine that squeezes out 128kW at 5500 rpm and 240Nm at 1600-5000 rpm.

On its way to a top speed of 225km/h, it will pass the 100km/h mark in 7.1 seconds.

In the city, the Chilli burns 7.9 litres of fuel every 100 kilometres but on country roads and freeways that figure can drop considerably to around 5.2 litres, while CO2 emissions are also relatively low, at around 149 g/km.

Exterior

The ‘compact on the outside, roomy on the inside’ promise continues with the Cooper S Chilli.

Seventeen inch alloy wheels jammed hard into each corner provide the car with minimal overhangs and promote a stocky, bulldog appearance.

A wrap-around style glass window band increases peripheral vision and the upright windscreen improves interior space.

The wide-mouth, hexagonal grille and bi-xenon elliptical headlights, plus chrome highlights and Cooper S badging accentuate the sporty look of the Chilli, whilst side sills, flared wheel arches, twin exhausts, twin racing stripes and a wing-shaped roof spoiler compliment its muscular, purposeful stance.

Interior

There is a feeling of precision and quality inside the Mini Cooper S Chilli.

Supportive leather seats and multifunction steering wheel provide a superior level of comfort, whilst the unique dash layout – emphasised by the huge speedo in the middle - is fresh, neat and well made.

There is plenty of storage space in the roomy, chrome-finished cabin, including two cup holders, and enough leg room in the back seats for two average sized males to sit in comfort on short trips.

Safety

As well as six standard airbags, the Chilli comes with anit-skid brakes with cornering control, brakeforce distribution and stability and traction control systems.

Driving

It’s always refreshing to see a unique approach to interior design. Mini has certainly achieved difference with the switch laden dash and big retro dials finished with chrome and lots of glass and colour. Whether it’s necessarily to our taste is another story but big-ups in any case for the effort.

One negative was the position of the speedometer. It might look striking and novel if you’re not driving but it’s a hassle to look left all the time to see how fast you’re going – and perhaps a little dangerous too. Another sore point was the footrest that seemed a bit too large for our Aussie feet, and got in the way a lot when changing gears.

But the seats were firm and supportive, the cabin was light and roomy and the fat leather wheel felt substantial in the hand. Most of the controls were easy to find and simple to use, although we did take a bit of time fumbling our way a round the audio system.

All the talk about the Cooper S range handling like a go-kart is on the money. The bigger wheels at each corner give it plenty of grip. Diving in and out of corners, the car was always direct and true.

The turbo charger gives the Chilli all the nip it needed. We did find giving it too much squirt took enough weight off the front wheels to liken it to an untethered hose on full whack, which was a little unsettling.

The suspension could have been slightly more forgiving which would have ironed out a few rattles and knocks over rough bitumen, but there was little to no body roll given its extremely low centre of gravity and ideal weight distribution.

But overall, this is a fun and feisty car – with all the pocket performance you could want, and great looks to boot.