John Cooper, famous Mini fiddler and F1 designer, may have been somewhat horrified by the car that now wears his name. For if you pop the new Mini Cooper S into Sport mode, you are told by the display screen to expect - and I quote - 'maximum go-kart feel'. Two cartoon thought bubbles appear by a picture of the car, one filled with a go-kart and the other with a rocket. Should you feel less racy, our German friends (this is a BMW Mini, remember) have programmed a different message: Green mode, for low-consumption driving fun! The whiff of cheese is strong enough to make old John turn in his grave. This is sad. Because his name is legend, as are most cars that wear it. We've always liked Coopers, especially the S versions and fizzy Works specials. And going by our recent first encounter, the new-gen Mini - the basic one - is very likeable. Can this new S model keep up the good work and uphold the Cooper reputation, despite the silly drawings?
First it must face the Ford Fiesta ST. Issue 255 of Top Gear magazine was dedicated to supercar killers, and there is no better way to murder a Ferrari down a greasy lane than with the little Ford. It's our current Car of the Year, and we make no apology for banging on about it. If the Mini is to pull off the same trick, this is the standard it must meet. Which is why we're lining them up on the Welshest of Welsh roads to see which one kicks the most butt. Both have four-cylinder turbos. Both will do 0-62mph in a smidge under seven seconds. The Mini makes 189bhp; the Ford makes 182bhp. They start life ?1,665 apart, but the gap widens further when you work in some options. Where the Fiesta tops out at ?17,995, the Mini can romp on to about ?23,500, like the car we have here. The question is, do leather seats and cartoon rockets really matter when you're in the thick of a meaty corner? Let's see.
Read more on Top Gear...
![[wiggle]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_wiggle.gif "Wiggle [wiggle]"){kind=icon}
