FifthGear has reviewed one of the latest additions the the Mini lineup, the Mini Cooper SD, a car designed to be fun and fast like the Cooper S but frugal like the Cooper D.
Fitted with a 2.0-litre turbo diesel, the biggest engine ever fitted o an a Mini, the Cooper SD produces 143 horsepower and 225 lb-ft of torque, and its pricing starts at 18,750 GBP which means it costs 750 GBP more expensive than the Cooper S and 2,700 GBP more than the Copper D.
The exact model tested in this review is the convertible version Cooper SD which costs 21,000 GBP and takes 8.7 seconds to go from 0 to 62 mph and which also returns 65 mpg (UK rating) in terms of efficiency.
If you combine those figures with the fact that the Cooper S sprints from 0 to 62 mpg in about 7.7 seconds and the Cooper D’s 74 mpg fuel economy then you will understand that the simple truth is this: the SD version is not as fun or as fast as the Cooper S and it isn’t as frugal as the Cooper D.
But as FithGear points out, there are two ways off looking at it. And the other way would be that the Mini Cooper SD is the most economical way of having hot hatch fun in a MINI, therefore the best compromise between fun and fuel economy.
 
 
 
 
Review Video: Mini Cooper SD

Source: FifthGear via YouTube