Driven: Mini One D

This is the Mini One D, which - as its name suggests - has a diesel engine under the bonnet. Quite a nice one, in fact: the D4-D turbocharged unit from Toyota, as used in the Yaris. Of 1.4-litre capacity, it develops 75bhp at 4000rpm and 133lb ft of torque (pulling force) from 2000rpm, some 7lb ft more than in a Yaris. That extra muscle is a by-product of the adoption of a dual-mass flywheel (pretty unusual in this class of car), chosen primarily because it dampens vibration.

And given that the D4-D is quite refined in the first place, it makes the Mini One D one of the least clattering diesel engines around. Extra sound deadening has been slapped under the bonnet, too. If you've experienced both petrol and diesel, you'll still be aware that this is the latter, but most of the time only mildly so.

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