After months of speculation, we’ve finally tracked down the first spy photos of the new Mini Cooper S D. Our spyshots even confirm the Cooper S D badge – there for all to see on the back of this convertible.
The go-faster Mini diesel will share the styling cues of the petrol Cooper S, including its centrally mounted twin exhausts. The Cooper S D will be available as a convertible, hatchback and – presumably – the Clubman esate and Countryman SUV-lite.
How fast is the new Mini Cooper S D?
No official figures are available yet, but a power output of 143bhp is rumoured alongside 220lb ft of torque. That’ll make it quick, but not quite as rapid as the unleaded hot hatch.
Although some Mini blog sites are tipping a BMW 2.0-litre four-pot, we think that extremely unlikely. BMW is instead more likely to tweak up the existing 1.6 four-cylinder with changes to the turbocharging (including possibly twin-turbos). The existing 1600cc engine shares the same bore and stroke ratios as the 2.0d you’ll find in a 3-series, made out of lightweight aluminium, with direct injection.
Mini has slowly joined the diesel party: at first there was the One D with a Toyota-sourced diesel; then came the Cooper D and the PSA-BMW 1.6-diesel; now the Cooper S D is set to add a further 30 horsepower to the Cooper D’s output.
So when can I buy a Mini Cooper S D?
It sounds like the S D will slip into next year, so expect a spring 2011 launch date.
With the extra performance squeezed out of the 1.6, we’d expect the emissions to climb a little; today’s One D and Cooper D both average 74.3mpg and 99g/km of CO2. Not bad for a car capable of 0-62mph in less than 10 seconds.