MINI 50 Mayfair

MINI 50 Mayfair

Road Test

Price Guide (manufacturer's list price, excluding on-road costs and dealer delivery): $37,000
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): rear spoiler $300; anthracite roof lining $300; panoramic glass sunroof $1990; clear indicator lenses $200. White roof paint and alloys are no-cost options.
Crash rating: 5 stars ANCAP
Fuel: 95-98 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 5.8L/100km combined
CO2 emissions (g/km): 139
Also consider: standard MINI Cooper S; not much else

Overall Rating: 3.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.0/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 3.5/5.0
X-factor: 4.0/5.0

<a href="http://carpoint.com.au/car-review/2811960.aspx" target="_blank"><font color="#0080e8">About our ratings</font></a>

It was 50 years ago last year that the British Motor Corporation went to market with Sir Alec Issigonis's radical Morris Mini Minor. As anyone who knows even the slightest bit about cars would be aware, the car you see here bears none of the original's DNA, and does not date back anything like 50 years.

Despite the spirit of whimsical homage abiding in the latter-day MINI, it was born of serious intent. BMW channelled one of motoring's most potent spirits to introduce youth to its product. And it's been wildly successful.

The 50th anniversary models -- the MINI 50 Mayfair here, and the turbocharged, Cooper S-based MINI Camden -- have done their bit to keep the party going, chalking up about a third of hardtop MINI sales since arriving in September 2009 for a one-year stint in local showrooms.

For a near-$6000 premium, the Mayfair gets an aesthetic makeover of rare effectiveness. On the outside, it gets 17-inch alloys, grille-mounted driving lights to supplement the high beams, custom mirror housings, a panoramic sunroof and badging to let others know you're driving something a little bit special.

The interior benefits from sports seats, steering wheel and gear knob, all finished in unusual matt leather. Very stylish the package is, too. The 'hot chocolate' paintwork with contrasting 'Toffee' bonnet striping and the matt tan interior reprise beautifully the clubby feel of upmarket British cars of yesteryear.

Aware that brown isn't the go for everyone, MINI's made the Mayfair available in black or white too -- but the brown bonnet stripes and interior stay.

The white alloys on our test car (you can have silver if you prefer) and the driving lights accentuate the retro feel. Those extra lights work well, too -- flicking on high beam turns night into day.

Thankfully the Mayfair doesn't get the Mission Control feature that comes in the up-spec Camden. Described in accompanying literature as "your MINI's very own personality", it talks at you in cartoonish British voices, mixing admonishments about over enthusiasm on the go pedal before it's properly warmed up, or having the windows down while you have the air-conditioning on, with squeals of delight when you push it through corners. It's automotive affectation taken to new lows.

The Mayfair's seats lead their class for comfort, even if they are unnecessarily generous in their side bolstering, given the modest performance of the Peugeot-sourced 1.6-litre normally aspirated four. With the help of a beautifully tactile six-speed manual, it takes the Mayfair from 0-100km/h in 9.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 203km/h. With its peak 90kW coming up at 6000rpm and its 160Nm of torque at 4250rpm, it needs a bit of a prod to give its best.

Even so, like all MINIs, the Mayfair relishes corners. It doesn't have the rear-drive purity of Mazda's MX-5, but like that car it's well enough sorted in its all-strut suspension to show you don't need loads of muscle to be able to enjoy a winding road. And, like the RenaultSport models, it shows that rear drive isn't absolutely essential to a quality handling package, either.

Even with the height-adjustable seat up high, you're pretty low to the ground; with its meaty, linear BMW steering it has you feeling as if your bum's the pivoting point for every turn. The ride is hardish, keeping roll to a minimum in corners and it can get a bit skittish on the bumps. Road noise is evident without being annoying, in keeping with the car's unusual feel of solidity for its size.

Rear seat legroom is near zero with a couple of six-footers in the front. Boot space is minimal, too. Fortunately, a 50:50 split-fold rear seat boosts load space to 680 litres with both sides down.

What one needs to remember about all MINIs -- and this incarnation even more -- is that it's first and foremost about look and feel, to a degree matched by few others. With that in mind, BMW has done a decent job with the controls, the retro-cuteness of the toggle switches imposing little in the way of ergonomic compromise on drivers.

The audio is adequate, but a USB plug would be nice alongside the auxiliary input, as companies like Hyundai and Ford provide in small cars costing not much more than half what the Mayfair does. The wheel-mounted controls for audio, cruise and trip computer functions are simple and intuitive.

The narrow cabin and lack of space between seats and doors means the recliner levers are located on the inner side of the seats rather than the outer. Storage room is satisfactory for an interior this snug; the hidey-hole in the fascia above the glove box is a neat touch.

Safety inclusions are in keeping with its premium spot in the light car sector and the MINI's five-star ANCAP rating. Front, side and curtain airbags, plus the full electronic aid package of stability-cum-traction control and anti-lock brakes with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution are standard.

Even for a car of its size, the MINI is frugal. Over the week we spent in it, we achieved 7.4L/100 km -- pretty good up against the manufacturer's claim of 5.8L/100 km in the combined cycle. Considering we didn't get it out of Sydney and put no great effort into keeping consumption down, BMW's claim seems entirely realistic.

The Mayfair is an attractive package. But is it worth the $6000 premium over the base MINI? Not, from this writer's point of view, when the stock Cooper S dangles just $2000 above it (and that's before you add out test car's near $3000 worth of options).

In this price bracket, $2000 over the Cooper 50 Mayfair for the standard Cooper S is not a lot extra -- and it buys you a brake upgrade plus 38 more kilowatts and 100 more Newtons. Read: more tenacious stopping and greater low-end and midrange muscle. For people looking to make the most of the MINI's accomplished chassis, that is surely a no-brainer.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi