GTP Cool Wall: 2001-2006 MINI Cooper S Hatch (R53)

  • Thread starter Wiegert
  • 19 comments
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2001-2006 MINI Cooper S Hatch (R53)

  • Total voters
    68
  • Poll closed .
Wiegert

Wiegert

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United Kingdom
United Kingdom
2001-2006 MINI Cooper S Hatch (R53) nominated by @JASON_ROCKS1998

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Body Style: 3-door hatchback
Engine: Tritec 1.6L Supercharged I4
Power: 160 hp (S) 200 hp (JCW), 220 hp (JCW GP)
Torque: 160 ft-lbs (S), 180 ft-lbs (JCW/GP)
Weight: 1215 kg
Transmission: 6-speed automatic, 5/6-speed manual.
Drivetrain: Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Additional Information: The new Mini Cooper was first introduced in 2000, now built by BMW but still sold under the MINI brand. The new Mini Cooper featured a 1.6 Tritec Inline 4 that was supercharged for the sportier "S" model, producing 160 BHP. This was launched alongside the Mini One and standard Cooper in 2000. The Cooper name comes from the involvement of John Cooper, whose involvement is further emphasised by the "John Cooper Works" edition, which features a tuned version of the supercharged Tritec engine producing 200 BHP. There was also a racing model the "Cooper S2" that competed in the Belgian Belcar series while there is also several one make race series for race modified versions. Right before the Mini went into it's second generation, John Cooper created a final evolution model called the Works GP. It was only sold in the UK and featured a boost to 220 BHP and a top speed of 150 MPH, all while still costing just £22,000. The R53 Cooper S was the star car in the 2003 reboot of The Italian Job, where 3 JCW tuned Cooper S's were used in the film, and critics have said that the film was a brilliant use of product placement, which resulted in a 22% increase in Mini sales for that year.​

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Considerably better looking than the current mess. Supercharged over a turbo is pretty cool and some of the colours are very attractive. Low cool.
 
Whilst the R53 spec BMW MINI's look considerably better than the current generation ones, I will never be 100% sold on modern MINI's, just something about the whole "retro" thing, what with it trying to emulate the appeal of the original Mini, which will forever be the best undoubtedly.

That said, they are still really quite fun to drive, and inside is a nice place to be. Otherwise, get's a low cool from me, mainly thanks to the JCW and JCW GP.
 
Before I say what I have to say, I have to state my bias as my family owns one of these and is what I am learning to drive in.

I do prefer the looks of the R53 over the later minis. They do sound good with the hint of supercharger whine and in the right spec it can look really good. It may lack the charm of the original Mini, but I believe it has a charm of it's own.

Cool.
 
Boring, ubiquitous clone that's only slightly less irritating than the "New (New) Beetle". Driven by hairdressers, estate agents and yummy-mummies who'd like to think they have more zing than the regular Audi A3 crowd. No longer saved by great residuals or being a bit different.

And it's a BMW.
 
I don't really know why it gets soo much slack, they look nothing like the original and more look like it's own original shape, all mini's since this have carried over this design somewhat with it as well, while im not a big fan over it's retro like interior the car drives incredibly brilliant but yes it's bigger because no one in the 21st century will drive a new car the size of the original in todays day in age and pull off what it did in it's time.

Cool
 
Hardly cared for the R53 when it launched. I knew it wouldn't age well from the outset like many other retro-boxes of the period. Much preferred the tweaked design of the R56 when it arrived a few years later, though they've become so common and the newer models so un-Mini that the old-new MINIs are starting to gain a bit of distinction. That and I never really thought of the R53 as uncool, either. At least with the Cooper versions.

This S sits above all other incarnations since 2001. Only brought down to a low cool by the GP's body kit.
 
Its not a mini, but a mega.
You dont need a large heavy car to meet safety, the japanese can make those kei cars and they have to meet the same safety standards.
 
Grayfox
Its not a mini, but a mega.
You dont need a large heavy car to meet safety, the japanese can make those kei cars and they have to meet the same safety standards.
Click to expand...

Those are minimum drive-without-automatically-dying safety standards though, and a K-car is limited to nearly a third of this BMW's horsepower. It's hard to imagine a modern K-car getting the same kind of NCAP ratings as a MINI - a car that does very well in those test.

Besides, MINI is just the name BMW use to pay homage to the original Mini Minor, a European car that probably wasn't far off K-car standards :)
 
If I voted this 10 years ago, it would been cool for me.
Now? No longer the case.

Still, more cooler than that hideous huge mini nowadays (clubman? Or something like that)or that coupe version.
 
Utterly repellent. A fall back car for people with no imagination and just think they're cute or in some way inheriting the coolness of the original. I'd have them all thrown down a Russian mine and napalmed. SU.
 
Wiegert
Weight: 1215 kg
Click to expand...
This is nearly twice as much as a proper Mini, in fact it is twice as much as my proper Mini.

However since I'm driving one of these as we speak I can say that it is still quite a fun car to drive as far as everyday driving is concerned. The handling is fine for enthusiastic but not even nearly on the limit driving on the B roads, the steering is quick with good feedback and the chassis feels well balanced, of course it's most likely not the best hot hatch for that, and I'd imagine that its chances against an MX-5 are practically non-existent, but it's certainly not terrible. The engine has become at the very least slightly more interesting choice than the turbos in modern hot hatches although I've liked the mid-range torque of the supercharger.

And then there's the styling, all I can really say about that is that I don't mind it personally. Unlike after the models after the R56 and it's estate derivative, the details still went well together with the proportions of the car itself.

But as I said, I am driving one of these at the moment so I'd just feel odd if I voted anything on this one.
 
IMO, the first-generation of the Modern Mini looks quite good. It retains it's classic shape without looking too complicated or bloated. And a JCW GP sounds like a lot of fun.

Cool.
 

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