Say what you want about my Cooper S’s gratuitous John Cooper Works- avoured bodykit, racing stripes and fruity exhaust be aware, however there’s no mistaking it for a common-or-garden Cooper C.
And so I suppose I discover myself writing one thing of a eulogy. The recent supermini is a sort of automobile that has contributed greater than its fair proportion of five-star highway checks through the years, and of which you’ll hint the evolution again to such icons because the Peugeot 205 GTi and Renault 5 Turbo.
Even when a courageous new electrical period awaits (and accounting for the truth that the petrol Cooper S shall be on sale till the top of this decade not less than), there’s undeniably an undercurrent of poignancy to my stewardship of this outdated stager, and I plan to have a good time each minute of it.
Starting proper now, with an pressing journey to the grocery store. Possibly one a couple of cities over.
Last replace
It’s simple to turn out to be desensitised to the exorbitant costs of latest vehicles as they creep, slowly however absolutely, ever upwards.
Simply 4 years in the past, the most affordable new automobile within the UK was £8000. Immediately, it’s approaching double that. So I’ll confess I didn’t instantly gulp, gasp or go berserk after I noticed £34,500 on the backside of the spec sheet for our Cooper S.
Given the overall state of issues, I assumed it sufficiently outfitted, suitably potent and aspirational sufficient to warrant worth parity with, say, a speccy Audi A3 or a base-level Volkswagen Tiguan.
However after a number of thousand miles on the wheel, I’m working the numbers and questioning if I’ve been a bit short-changed, significantly after I had such a stunning time with the entry-level Cooper C, which is obtainable for £10,000 much less (albeit in our case with two fewer doorways).
Positive, you get a wholesome bump in energy with the S, however uncommon was the event I discovered the C quick on puff, and for the informal driver it’s nonetheless greater than able to elevating a smile on a rustic lane.
Plus, the C’s extra compliant suspension set-up and smaller wheels make it the extra re ned proposition on our shattered roads.
