Diesel passenger cars are still a novelty in Singapore. Therefore, the car on this page is extremely novel, because it’s the very first diesel-powered MINI to hit our streets.
Its local introduction was prompted by the authorities’ COE recategorisation, which pushed the 136bhp 1.5-litre petrol Cooper to the more costly Category B because it exceeds the 130bhp limit for Category A. The newly introduced 116bhp 1.5-litre diesel Cooper complies with said requirement and is thus “safe” in the less costly COE Category A.
It’s a Cooper-spec oil-burner, so I expect it to be sporty rather than sooty. Indeed, I see no soot on the solitary exhaust outlet and I sense sportiness, with the hatchback tackling corners and changing direction with typical MINI agility. The ride quality, however, feels firmer than I remember from my last drive in the Cooper, even though the D variant wears the same 195/55 R16 Goodyear run-flat “running shoes”.
From the driver’s seat, the clattery “dieselness” of the 1.5-litre 3-cylinder is most obvious upon ignition, and when a window is lowered (at a parking ticket booth, for instance). If, for some reason, you’re standing beside the bonnet area, you’ll also hear the diesel clatter loud and clear.
Frankly, the clatter doesn’t matter. More important is how the Cooper D goes. With almost as much low-end torque as the Cooper S and a responsive 6-speed automatic to deliver those 270 Newton-metres, the Cooper D accelerates strongly, but runs out of puff right after 4000rpm, where the Cooper S would continue to sprint. Even so, the Cooper D is quick enough in point-and-squirt city driving, like a Sonata taxi in a bit of a hurry, and it can hit 200km/h.
The Cooper D returns great mileage, too. When I collected the demo car, its tank was full and its trip computer showed a range of 700km. After driving 50km (with some urgency), the distance-to-empty was still displayed as 700km. So, 800km is possible if you don’t drive urgently all the time. Impossible in local motoring conditions, though, is the theoretical 1126km range from the 44-litre diesel tank.
Now that MINI’s “D minor” is here, I hope its “D major” will be coming next – the Cooper SD, a powerful 2-litre turbo-diesel pocket rocket with 170bhp and 360Nm.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE 1496cc, 12-valves, inline-3, turbo-diesel
MAX POWER 116bhp at 4000rpm
MAX TORQUE 270Nm at 1750rpm
GEARBOX 6-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 9.2 seconds
TOP SPEED 200km/h
CONSUMPTION 25.6km/L (combined)
CO2 EMISSION 103g/km
PRICE INCL. COE
$145,300 (after $15k CEVS rebate)
