Mini Mania - Mini Cooper S Stage III - Road Test

BMW had the right idea when it took over the Mini brand and redeveloped its iconic subcompact car: Make the new one look retro and cool, make it fun to drive, make it handle well, and make it affordable. The Mini scores a 10 on all counts. But with just 115 horsepower in Cooper trim and 163 in Cooper S supercharged form, the Mini rates only adequate in the power department. Mini Mania offers the hardware to extract significantly more thrust without extracting a significant amount of greenbacks from your wallet.

Although a variety of upgrade levels is available, we tested MM's big-gun Stage III package. For just under $5000, the Stage III delivers 245 horsepower from the Mini's micro 1.6-liter I-4--that's an impressive 50-percent gain. Upgrades include Mini Mania's cold-air intake system, a new supercharger pulley for more blower boost, a custom water-to-air intercooler with pump, Nology plug wires, a ported cylinder head, and an ECU upgrade.

A 66-percent power increase translates to a 1.3-second reduction in 0-60-mph sprints. When the need to turn arrives, the Stage III stays flat and predictable as it hustles through Porsche 911 Turbo-like 70-plus-mph slalom runs.

Downstream, the engine benefits from a custom header, a special high-flow cat, and a free-breathing cat-back exhaust system. Helping get those 87 extra horsepower to the ground are a Fidanza lightweight flywheel and a Phantom Grip limited-slip differential. As expected, the Stage III components increase the Mini's fun factor to near carnival-ride proportions.

The stock Cooper S is already a wonderful handler, but Mini Mania ups this bar, too, with a more aggressive suspension kit, including Mania's lower/stiffer coil springs, adjustable Koni shocks, adjustable rear-control arms, adjustable rear anti-roll bar, and titanium front strut tower brace. You'll also get cross-drilled and slotted brake rotors shod with EBC Green Stuff brake pads--all for just $1800. If you want something other than the Cooper S's standard wheel/tire combo, Mania can set you up with the same BBS RK alloy wheels wrapped in Kumho Ecsta 215/40ZR17 tires (as fitted to our Stage III tester) for another two grand.