The MINI Cooper S Coupe – MINI’s new two-door, two-seater, slightly controversial looking coupe, breezed through our offices last week and caused us all a bit of a problem. On the face of it, it might be slightly perplexing that this car even exists, however when you dig a bit deeper into the economics of the brand and the product you can been to appreciate its reason in life.

Yes it looks like a standard MINI hatch with a roof chop, but there are subtle changes hidden away under the skin. MINI have taken the strengthened chassis from the Mini Convertible, and although the support struts on the chassis add a little weight (25kg to be exact), you would never know as the weight is hidden away at the lowest point of the car aiding the centre of gravity. The springs and dampers have all been uprated to compensate as well.

That cheeky little rear spoiler pops it’s head up at just over 88kph and pops back down again as the speed drops below 40kph. If you want to act all racy you can manually operate it through a switch on the roof console. When it is raised up at high speed it generates much needed extra downforce and helps keep the slippery shape – afforded by the raked windscreen – stuck to the road.

That extra svelte side profile also gives the interior a nice twist and surprisingly makes it feel a bit more special than other Minis. Not only that but dramatically reduces wind noise.

So the big question – What’s it like to drive then? I suppose simply put, it’s like a slightly better, slightly more involving normal MINI. The first thing you notice is an almost complete lack of torque steer, although giving it full throttle on slippery surfaces gives the front end a bit of trouble. To be expected to be fair!

The steering is super clean and sharp (no change there then), however mid-corner humps and bumps can throw it a touch off course. As with all MINI’s there is pretty much no body roll at all and when you’ve got the Sport button pressed it sharpens it all up (occasionally crashy). The added cackle from the exhaust is a very welcome addition, even it did surprise me first time it made itself known.

Compared to the hatch, the little coupe seems to flow better and it’s easier to grab by the scruff and drive harder.

The little 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine up front is a strong and fizzy engine across all six gears, and it sounds excellent when you push the red line through the cogs. It is also impressively pacey when you have the space to let it all hang out.

Would we buy one though? With a car like this, it is always going to be a comparison game. The coupe segement, although not strong in this region, is competitive. Yes the equivalent Audi TT or Peugeot RCZ (stunning from the right angle) will always be the thinking choice with the additional practicality they offer up.

However importantly when it comes to pure driving thrills and that ever important brand yumminess, the Coupe has them both licked. When it comes to the looks though… it’s going to be Marmite (love of hate) for this little number.