Road Test: 2010 Mini Cooper S Camden

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One Mouthy Mini

BMW's small car company rolls out its first talking Mini

By John LeBlanc While parent BMW has introduced a convertible, the stretched Clubman wagon, and the über-performing John Cooper Works iterations to the original three-door Mini Cooper hatchback, the basic front-wheel-drive, ball-of-fun subcompact configuration hasn't been messed with since its modern reincarnation back in 2002, where it's been a perrenial Straight-Goods fave ever since. Yet, as any savvy auto marketer will tell you, special editions help showroom traffic when you're basically selling an eight-year old car. The latest special Mini is the Camden. Available on both Cooper and Cooper S three-door hatchback Minis, officially, the Camden co-celebrates the Mini's 50th birthday (26 August 1959, to be exact, when the British Motor Corporation debuted the Morris Mini-Minor and Austin Seven) and for some inexplicable reason, the snobby London, England neighbourhood. On the 2010 $24,900 Cooper, the Camden is a $4,850 option. On the higher performance $29,900 Cooper S (like our tester) it's $4,500. The package adds a generous amount of exterior and interior bits and pieces: rear spoiler; specific leather and cloth upholstery, interior trim and badges; upgraded Harman/Kardon audio system; floor mats, dynamic traction control; xenon headlights; clean-looking 17-inch wheels, and fog lights - most of which is currently available on the Mini's exhaustive options list. So cynicism may come easy with the Camden. Here we go again, you may be saying. Yet another in a long line of commemorative modern Mini Coopers. This time though, the Camden is more than a stripes 'n spoiler package. The Camden's USP is Mission Control, what BMW calls the "first step into a brand-new world of interactive in-car entertainment, offering a driving experience never seen before." Essentially, Mission Control adds random audio responses every time you make some kind of adjustment inside the car. Depending on what part of the Camden you're engaging, you'll get a chirpy audio response from one of three so-called Characters: Coach, Engine, or Climate. For instance, upon starting up the Camden, Coach chirps, "We have ignition." "Excellent! I feel 10 per cent motivated, Coach!," responds Engine. "I never doubted that for a second, Engine!" concludes Coach. And it doesn't stop there. The government safety mavens will love Mission Control. Leave a belt undone and Coach chides on, "Yes, I just wanted to tell you the safety belt is not buckled." Or if you nail the throttle and some wheel slip is detected, Engine warns, "Take it easy the road might be slippery!" Then there are the randomly blatant Mini marketing messages, like "Let's Mini" and "Happiness is driving a Mini!" or "This is it, total Mini love!" How much you value this type of "feature" really depends on your mood. Lonely Heart Club members may appreciate the virtual companionship. But everyone over the age of five in my household found Mission Control just plain annoying. Thankfully, Mrs. Automotive Journalist, (the brains of the family) discovered the feature's on/off button hidden in the glove compartment. That stopped the outbursts from the Mission Control cast, and my incessant barking at it to shut up. Save for the abovementioned Camden stylings, the interior of the Camden is pure Cooper S. That means quirky toggle switches remain, HVAC controls that mimic the flying-wing Mini logo (why the top knob tunes stations, yet the knob below the CD slot tunes the volume is a mystery), a tachometer that resides above the steering column, and a proper driving position. Ironically, the centrally mounted, pie plate-sized speedometer gets easily ignored. Despite its subcompact classification, any Mini Cooper is a wonderfully comfortable place inside for occupants up front, with plenty of seat, head, and legroom. The front buckets are relatively supportive, but they need more side bolstering to match the suspension's tenacious grip in. If you've been seconded to the Mini's back seat and more than the age of, say, 10, your knees will be in your chin. If you do need more rear room - and can live without the Camden package - there's always the long wheelbase Cooper Clubman. Or if you can wait until next February, the new Countryman, the first five-door, four-passenger Mini. Regardless of the Mission Control's backseat driver behaviour, it doesn't change the way the base Cooper drives at all. Especially when the gag order has been put in place. As per other Cooper S Minis, the Camden gets a direct-injected 1.6-litre turbocharged four that pumps out a healthy 177 hp and 172 lb.-ft. In our tester's case, power went to the front wheels via a slick-shifting six-speed manual. A $1,490 six-speed automatic is optional. The turbo delivers torque early, so there's no need to reach the neither regions of the tachometer. This setup means the Cooper S Camden takes a little over seven seconds to go from zero to 100 km/h. Ans as  per the other Cooper S models, the Mini offers an enviable combination of performance and fuel economy. Transport Canada says it will sip only 7.8 L/100 km in the city, 5.7 L/100 km on the highway. I saw 7.5 L/100 km in my week with the car. In keeping with its go-kart marketing, in fast corners, the Mini Camden's distinguishing trait is its near-total lack of body roll. Electric power steering is tight and responsive, though it's lacking in feel. To mitigate the inherent understeer, the driver can easily trail brake through corners and bring the car's tidy rear-end around. Ironically, in an attempt to atone for one of the first gen Mini's biggest shortcomings - a poor ride on crappy tarmac - the softer, more forgiving runflats make the current Cooper S more balanced, which means the electronic nannies are less likely to come on. Which means it's easier to drive at the limit. Which means you can go faster. Sweet. Unfortunately, the Cooper S still suffers from serious torque steer under hard acceleration. And compared to more mature hot hatchbacks, like another Straight-Goods pick, the Volkswagen GTI, the Mini still lets in a lot of road and tire noise into its stylish cabin and a stiff ride that may keep your chiropractor on speed dial. If you like the idea of having a trio of virtual "friends" on board your Mini, maybe the new Camden package is right for you. At least the $4,500 to $4,850 package doesn't diminish the car's unique blend of performance and economy. Heads up though: I'd recommend a long test drive with the Camden's chatty Mission Control feature engaged to see if you can live with your new virtual buddies. For driving enthusiasts, though, I'd recommend the Mini John Cooper Works. It's a mere $2,200 more than the Cooper S Camden, and offers considerably more performance and handling capabilities. Plus, the only chirping you'll hear are the owners of twice-as-expensive sports car owners as you whip by them. 2010 Mini Cooper S Camden Base price/as-tested: $29,900/$34,400 Type of vehicle: FWD subcompact Engine: 1.6-litre, 16-valve, DOHC, I-4 turbo Power/Torque: 172 hp / 177 lb.-ft. (192 lb.-ft. on overboost) Transmission: Six-speed manual (opt. six-speed auto) Fuel consumption L/100 km: 7.8 city, 5.7 hwy, 7.5 as tested Competition: Audi A3 2.0T, BMW 128i, Honda Civic Si, Mazdaspeed3, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volvo C30 T5 WHAT WE LIKE: Sports car like handling, peppy performance and miserly at the pumps; roomy cockpit for front occupants and lots of available luxury features; "love it" or "hate it" Mission Control WHAT NEEDS WORK: Virtually non-existent leg room; sports car ride and road noise; "love it" or "hate it" Mission Control

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