Power of D

MUCH has already been written about the new Mini, its styling and its novel three-cylinder engine, so perhaps the most salient point about the Mini Cooper D is that it is a COE Category A model with amazing fuel efficiency.

As a small three-door, four-seater model which is fun to drive and easy to park, the Mini hatch seems to be the ideal city car. For the Mini Cooper D variant, there is a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbodiesel engine to drive the front wheels. Because it produces just 116 hp, it is only the second Mini after the petrol-powered Mini One 1.2 to have Cat A status. But unlike the Mini One's 180 Nm, the D's small diesel unit is capable of summoning an eye-popping 270 Newton-metres of torque.

Its zero to 100 kmh acceleration of 9.2 seconds is not much better than the One's 10.2, but on speed-restricted Singapore roads, it doesn't matter much. Floor the accelerator of the Cooper D and it promises lively performance from stationary.