Mini : One
by Alisdair Suttie

The Mini has been the phenomenon of the past decade and it shows no signs of abating, and plenty of other car makers are intent in muscling in on the British uber-mini’s territory.

Most of the competition is aimed at the upper end of the Mini’s range – the Cooper and Cooper S models – but it’s the entry-level Mini One that is the pick of this most super of superminis.

Most Mini owners treat their car as a blank canvas on which to paint their own personal ideas of what this icon should look like. Have a gander at any two Minis on the road and you’ll be hard-pressed to find two the same.

With the Mini One, it simply leaves the customer more room for customisation to their tastes and is helped by being one of the cheapest ways into this stylish little hatchback. It’s not the cheapest – that honour goes to the Mini First – but the One serves up a more rounded package thanks to more power and performance to fit with the Mini’s image.

As blank canvasses go, the Mini One is a cracker and most customers end up spending around £3000 on extras and Mini’s options packs.

Mini was the first company to grasp this concept fully and embrace it wholeheartedly, and it’s why the Mini One makes an ideal business users car. It can be spruced up to the users needs and tastes while the fundamental car underneath remains appealing.

At the core of the One is a 1.4-litre petrol engine with 94bhp. It’s no rocket ship, but 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds is enough for the One to feel brisk in most conditions.

The six-speed manual gearbox helps greatly with the feel and impression of speed in the One as it has well judged ratios to make the car zippy off the line for town driving. Steer on to the motorway and the One’s sixth gear is ideal for long distance cruising in reasonable refinement.

The versatility of the six-speed transmission also helps the One return a combined economy of 53.3mpg, and on the motorway you can expect this to increase to more than 60.0mpg with only minimal deference to fuel consumption.

Also helping with the economy is the Mini’s standard Automatic Engine Start/Stop, which cuts the engine when the car is stationary and the driver selects neutral. As soon as the driver depresses the clutch pedal to select first gear, the engine fires up again ready to drive off.

The Start/Stop saves fuel and helps reduce emissions, with the Mini One emitting 128g/km of carbon dioxide with the six-speed manual gearbox.
Start/Stop is not available with the six-speed automatic transmission, which produces 155g/km of CO2 and manages 43.5mpg combined economy.

There’s a degree of wind noise at the national speed limit and the One’s suspension can be jolted by urban potholes, but overall this Mini is the most refined of the range as it benefits from softer-set suspension to the Cooper models.
Take the back roads to your destination instead of the motorway, though, and the Mini shows up a whole different side to its abilities.

It may not be as small as the original Mini, but in today’s traffic the Mini is still a compact car and it uses this to great advantage on narrow and twisty roads.

Where some other superminis revel in their ever-increasing size, the Mini is a joy of nippiness and immediate reactions to the driver’s inputs.

The supple suspension keeps the Mini pointing exactly where the driver wants, with standard DSCT stability and traction control present to ward off any nasties from slippery surfaces.

Accurate steering with just the right amount of weight and feel also endears the Mini to its driver and the second generation Mini One enjoys a much more natural feel to its steering than the original versions that could sometimes feel a touch dislocated from the action.


Backing up all of this affirmative driver appeal is basic good handling and grip from the Mini.

The tyres may not be the fattest, but superb poise and plenty of grip through corners makes the One an absolute hoot to pilot on any of your favourite back roads. It also makes the Mini a pleasure in town when a roundabout is unexpectedly deserted.

Around town, the Mini is easy to park and the large glass area, upright windscreen and good driving position all contribute to simple parallel parking manoeuvres or reversing into a multi-storey’s bay.

The driving position of the latest generation of Mini is notably better than its predecessor’s. It offers more support for the driver’s back and there’s greater adjustment to tailor the seat to individuals. Add in a much improved tilt and slide mechanism to gain access to the rear seats and this Mini is an altogether more pleasing resolution.

Getting in to the back seats is still a gymnastic trial for adults and the limited rear seat space means the back pews are best kept for very short hops or children.

To add to the small amount of boot space, the rear seats are split 50/50 and fold to open up some more luggage capacity, but they don’t fold flat so trips to the DIY store will be more successfully fulfilled in a larger car unless you’re just after some candles.

If you really can’t bear the thought of being without a Mini but still need extra space, the Clubman estate version is the car for you.

Available in One trim, the Clubman offers extra rear legroom, though entry through the Club Door is only offered on the right-hand side of the car, which is not ideal on the school run.
Another downside of the Clubman is its twin rear doors leave a sizeable blind spot down the middle of the rear view mirror.

Back up front, the Mini One’s dash is pure retro in design and style. It looks the business but it’s not necessarily the easiest dash in the world to fathom or use.

The stereo controls, in particular, take some learning and even then can be awkward to use at night or without a quick glance away from the road ahead.

The stylish toggle switches used for items such as the electric windows also look great but could be simpler, but then few Mini drivers choose the car for function over form.

Mini has improved the specification of the One over the years and it now comes with standard air conditioning, electric windows and door mirrors, six airbags and a CD stereo. However, you will need to spend extra to gain alloy wheels.
Most Mini customers opt for one of the two options packs: Salt or Pepper.

The Salt pack brings front foglights, on-board computer and passenger seat height adjust, while the Pepper pack is more comprehensive. It adds heated door mirrors and windscreen washer jets, alloy wheels and Bluetooth connectivity.

There’s also a very long list of individual options the Mini user can choose from, as well as a wide variety of exterior colour choices and finishes for the roof.

One option most Mini users choose if the TLC service package, which offers five years’ or 50,000 miles of servicing for a small one-off payment.

With this kind of financial level-headedness, and enduringly strong residual values to make lease costs attractive to fleet managers, the Mini One is a business car that appeals every bit as much to the head as the heart. No wonder so many others are trying to emulate the Mini’s success.

Facts at a glance
Model: Mini One
Price: £12,730-£13,785
Engine: 1.4-litre petrol
Performance: 0-62mph: 10.9 secs; top speed: 115mph
CO2 emissions: 128g/km
Combined fuel consumption: 53.3mpg