Driving one for the first time on the technically challenging racetrack at Zandvoort in the Netherlands, and then on the streets and highways around Barcelona, we found the latest Mini sporting and comfortable at the same time. Changes in the suspension, the increased torque of the engine, and the new electromechanically assisted steering have made the Mini easier and safer to drive fast. But the satisfying responsiveness of the previous-generation model is no longer an obvious trait.

The new engine is the major and most obvious change. To meet increasingly stringent European environmental regulations, which now focus on both mileage and CO2 emissions, the Tritec engine that had been jointly developed by Chrysler and Rover for the first-generation new Mini had to be replaced. Development of the new engine was jointly funded by Peugeot and BMW, with BMW doing the engineering design and Peugeot seeing to manufacturing considerations. Engines installed in Minis are manufactured in the BMW Hams Hall engine plant in England.

In base tune the new engine has the same capacity and produces approximately the same horsepower and torque as the previous engine. However, with BMW Valvetronic variable-valve-timing technology the new engine rates 28/37 mpg City/Highway in EPA estimates. And according to European testing, CO2 emissions are significantly reduced.

In Cooper S turbocharged trim with direct fuel injection, the new engine delivers very sporting performance. Its 172 horsepower is more than adequate in the lightweight Mini to generate speeds twice most legal limits, but the 177 pound-feet of torque, which can be over-boosted to 190 pound-feet for short intervals, and is available from 1700 rpm to 5000 rpm, is nothing short of marvelous. A sport button yields quicker response from accelerator and steering.

The turbo engine takes the Mini from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, reflecting a slight turbo hesitation at the start, but producing satisfying acceleration at all speeds once in motion. Even on the track at Zandvoort, with its frequent elevation changes and notoriously tight hairpin corners, the car turned its fastest laps with the transmission left in third gear. And even with that performance, the turbo with manual transmission is still EPA-rated at 26 mpg urban and 34 mpg highway.

The Cooper S comes standard with a sport-tuned suspension, but its behavior is still much more refined than other cars capable of similar track speeds. Using the MacPherson Strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension adapted from the BMW Z4, the car is flat and stable in corners, and absorbs most bumps without discomforting passengers.

Though this model still has the same short wheelbase as its predecessor, and the same tight turning radius, BMW has retuned the suspension to reduce its oversteer potential so that even with radical changes in throttle or brakes in the middle of corners, the car never feels at risk of spinning out.

This feeling of composure has been heightened through the programming of the electromechanically assisted steering, which uses an electric motor, instead of hydraulics, to alter and enhance driver steering input. Because the steering is still mechanically connected to the front wheels, this system can't be called "drive-by-wire," and the driver still has a feel for the road and the car's changing cornering force can be felt through the wheel.

However, in addition to its variable-ratio rack, the system can alter the steering effort required to make directional changes. This is most apparent in tight, slow parking lot maneuvers where very little effort or wheel motion is needed to make large changes in direction. In comparison, at highway speeds larger changes in the wheel result in smaller and less sensitive directional changes.

One advantage of electronically assisted steering is that input/output ratios can be changed during the course of a turn, not just varying with vehicle speed. In the Mini, this means that the initial turn-in is cushioned slightly, so the car doesn't feel as go-kart twitchy as the previous model, but once a constant turning radius is established, it takes almost no effort to maintain the turn, regardless of speed.

Both the Cooper and Cooper S rely on the same four-wheel-disc brake system.

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