Mini Cooper

What We Like

Styling

The evolutionary styling is immediately recognizable as a Mini Cooper, with its short overhangs, flat roof, forward-canted stance, and friendly face made with an octagonal, mouthlike grille and signature round headlights. The body itself looks more aerodynamic (ahem, melted), with its smooth surfaces, and the rear LED lights integrate a Union Jack design.

Clever physical controls

Beneath the Cyclopean display are a few small physical controls, with the most notable ones being the twist-to-start “key” and the toggle-switch gear selector. Both are easy to use, if nonconventional, and they do save space that has been allocated for a wireless phone charge mat. As before, interior storage is limited—limited mostly to your pockets. 

Driving position

Most drivers liked the driving position, as it affords a good forward view, with ample headroom and padded armrests. Space was considered good for most, although there were a few complaints about either the left leg rubbing on the drink holder protrusion on the door or the right shin being pressed against hard plastic. All universally agreed that the (sad) lack of a traditional driver’s instrument screen meant they were free to adjust the steering wheel height without considering how it may impact the view of gauges. This freedom brought added comfort.

Front seat access

The Cooper is fairly easy to enter thanks to the rectangular door opening and significant space between the seat bottom and the roof.

Handling

The perky, playful personality that has long defined the Mini brand centers around handling, and the Cooper again delivers. Quick steering and limited body roll make it entertaining to soar down twisty roads, but some testers were hoping for an even more responsive experience. In general, the Cooper feels larger and more mature, and that comes through in the handling as well.

Controls

Our team took copious notes on the controls, mostly expressing frustrations that we’ll explore in greater detail in the complete road test. While there are a few clever things, like the twist-to-start faux key noted above, most control innovations bring needless complications that detract from the driving experience. Certainly, some may become easier to manage with experience, but even with the head-start that we had from evaluating the latest Mini Countryman over thousands of miles, there were numerous controls that befuddled our team. Among the grievances was that even turning off the engine stop/start system (a feature that’s designed to save fuel and reduce emissions by shutting off the engine at stop lights) is a two-press affair because you have to go through the screen to do it, rather than just hitting a physical button once. This is especially annoying since the stop/start system exacerbates the car’s low-speed delays, so you’re going to want it off every time. The team is happy to have a volume knob, even if it’s off to the right below the screen, making it a stretch for the driver to reach.

Climate controls

Adjusting the temperature and fan speed can be tedious when driving. Besides maximum defrost and rear defrost, there aren’t any climate choices that can be handled with a simple press of a button or turn of a knob. The HVAC controls are managed through the screen, accessed by tapping the fan button to enter the climate mode. Then you press tiny icons to make changes to temp, fan speed, or airflow—a task complicated by the stiff, bouncy ride that can cause an extended finger to wave like it is casting a spell. Some drivers gave up and instead used the “Hey Mini” voice recognition to make adjustments while driving. This was the rare case where voice recognition was better than touching a control, even with the usual lengthy process, inevitable trial and error, and risk of passengers interrupting. The car talks back with a British accent, which is appropriate and quaint, although the only staffer who noted difficulty in being understood speaks with a British accent, herself.

Infotainment

There were numerous persnickety issues with the infotainment system, such as it being odd to select radio stations by their call signs, rather than their frequencies (such as WHCN, instead of 105.9). Android Auto and Apple CarPlay took a bit longer to load than with other vehicles, however, the team noted that both worked better in the Cooper than in the Countryman where we experienced software crashes. The round screen compromises the scale of how the rectangular phone apps display, conjuring references to a square peg in a round hole. Several drivers noted issues with audio from AA and ACP pausing or skipping while driving, as if they were tuned in to SiriusXM and briefly lost satellite signal. Shortcuts can be added to the Home screen to help access frequently used features.

The steering wheel controls were favored over the screen for making common changes, although our user interface experts would have preferred the station and volume buttons swap locations. The built-in navigation system has a lot of visual clutter, making it harder to use than is common.

Size and placement for some information drew criticism. Among the detailed observations, one engineer noted that the driver is unable to rearrange the app icons while driving (an attempt triggers a warning that advises this cannot be done while driving due to legal reasons). However, you are allowed to search the system with a keypad, which is more complicated and distracting.

There are “experience modes” that change graphics and coloring, on screen and through ambient cabin lighting. The team found these novel to play with, though considered the customization value to be limited beyond Go-Kart Mode.

Storage

It is no surprise that space is limited. After all, it is right there in the brand name. Door pockets are tiny. The cup holders don’t have drink-retaining features, as has become common on new cars. There is no covered center armrest storage. The rear cargo space is tight, measuring less than 18 inches deep. The rear seats fold flat, however, there is about a 3-inch step-up from the cargo floor to the seat backs. The scoop out inside the liftgate intended to serve as a handle for closing it proved awkward to use. A traditional grip that you can wrap your fingers around, like an exterior door handle, would be easier to operate.

Brake pedal modulation

The brakes work well when driving spiritedly, being linear and controllable. But at low, parking-lot speeds, several of our drivers have found them too “grabby” or touchy, which makes it difficult to come to a stop without a little stutter that is certain to annoy passengers..

What We Don't Like

Ride comfort

The suspension is taut—as expected with its so-called go-kart-inspired handling. The ride is livable on glass-smooth surfaces, but expansion joints, potholes, and other aberrations hit with a startling impact. By today’s standards, the Cooper S is stiff, jumpy, and choppy. One engineer wrote that the ride is the “worst aspect of this car by far.” Another noted that “it’s the abrupt, short pitches that can drive one crazy.” We think that even enthusiast drivers will consider it too stiff for rough city surfaces and long road trips. The Golf GTI is just as nimble and has a much more civilized ride.

Minimalism

The cabin’s simplicity is striking, with the 9.4-inch OLED center screen being the dominant element. In such a narrow car, it seems bigger than the number might suggest. Sized like a small pizza, the screen is the source of the most scathing notes in our logbook (as expounded upon below). The cabin is crafted in hard plastics. Some textures are unpleasant, such as abrasive fabric on the door ledges, and others are odd, such as the strap that serves as the bottom spoke (at 6 o’clock) on the steering wheel.

Screens

The circular center touchscreen display handles most information and entertainment functions. The whimsical graphics add a quirky—albeit juvenile—aesthetic. But the frustrations are legion. The screen requires several left-right swipes to see all the functions, with secondary screens often accessed by tapping an area, rather than via a clear and direct menu selection. It feels like a child’s development toy designed to encourage exploration, rather than a tool to be used when commanding a nearly 3,000-pound vehicle at highway speeds. This makes it tricky to find the info you seek when on the go. Even the odometer takes a swipe and tap to find. Making it worse is the slight response lag that can lead to a second glance and even another tap when making a selection.

The circular screen has a light sensor at the top, like an Apple iPad, to dynamically adjust the brightness. We found that headlights from cars behind could cause the screen to shift from nighttime to daylight intensity, a rather unique annoyance and quite distracting in the dark.

Then there is the odd redundancy with the speedometer. The screen shows the current speed and a speed limit sign, but so does the head-up display. And you can’t make the speedometer go away on the center screen. The HUD looks like an aftermarket product from JC Whitney tacked onto the dash, with a semi-opaque pop-up screen that indeed resembles an add-on product we evaluated a few years ago. Looking through its plastic screen, you can see the frame around its base and some of the hood. This means the background of the displayed information is oddly busy.

An available navigation package adds a head-up display with augmented reality, which can overlay guidance on the road ahead, akin to what new BMWs offer.

What We'll Keep an Eye On

Powertrain

The Cooper S packs a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that generates 201 hp and 221 lb.-ft. of torque in both the two- and four-door versions. The automaker claims 0-to-60 mph sprints in the two-door can tick by in 6.3 seconds—that is about a second quicker than the previous-generation 189-hp Cooper S we last tested with a manual transmission. Our latest car, with a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission, the only one available now, feels peppy, and sounds sonorous in a good way, but it lacks the urgency found in the previous generation. That may be because the power delivery can be uneven, particularly from a standstill, as the automatic start/stop system restarts the engine with a shudder, followed by a delay before the car truly gets going. Slowing down to turn from one road onto another and getting back on the gas pedal also brings a delay, because the transmission is often in the wrong gear for acceleration, so it has to downshift, and then there is a bit of turbo lag as the forced induction system spools up to pump more air into the engine and therefore generate more power. Go-Kart mode helps, as it keeps the powertrain on notice that you will want to drive with some verve, and it conducts itself accordingly.

Fit and finish

As with the Countryman, many of the materials look interesting, but they don’t feel very good. The door fabric along the window ledge—a natural spot to rest an arm—is so rough and sandpaperlike that one spouse got an abrasion when the brakes were tapped in a parking lot, leaving a visible trail of skin on the door. We like the various color touches, but the details don’t necessarily match, with colors on the seats, dash trim, and steering wheel varying, rather than being unified in a cohesive aesthetic.

Front seats

Our team had mixed first impressions of the front seats. They look nicely shaped, with a wide base and limited thigh bolsters. But the upholstery and underlying foam ultimately feel a bit cheap. The seatback is firm and the torso bolsters are prominent, making it snug for larger occupants. All seat adjustments on our test car are manual, which can be a bit tedious when switching drivers. Opinions spanned from one engineer declaring “Good seats with natural support” to another staffer finding the firmness and lack of adjustments to be a primary reason they wouldn’t buy this car, at least equipped like it is. Key takeaway: Seat comfort is a very personal thing, and Cooper shoppers should try both the manual and power seats before buying.

Rear seats

It is no surprise that the rear seats are a bit constricted. They are designed for two passengers, with a bump in the middle that creates a bucket-seat effect for the outboard positions. Comfort depends heavily on the occupant’s size. Some passengers found there was enough toe, leg, and headroom for a short trip, while others found it too restrictive.

Rear seat access

The front seats have a release lever at the top, causing them to tilt and slide forward. This mechanism is easy to use, but the entry path for snaking into the back seat is narrow. Although the two-door design is iconic, it is hard to argue with the practical convenience of the four-door design for passengers and simply stowing things, without relying on the limited rear cargo area.

Visibility

The view to the sides is good, with relatively large windows. The second-row headrests, rear pillars, and narrow glass compromise the aft view, making the driver depend on mirrors, side glass, and the available blind spot warning system for passing maneuvers. The forward view is more of an issue. The short windshield means it is hard to see stoplights when halted at an intersection, requiring the driver to lean forward. This is not an issue when driving, as you can see well straight in front of the vehicle and the A-pillars flanking the windshield are upright and fairly thin.

Noise

The cabin seems a bit quieter than past Coopers, but there remain numerous sources of noise: wind, tires, and even suspension when you encounter larger bumps. The audible highlights are the engine-related sounds, with a satisfying turbo whine and feisty exhaust note. An enhanced engine sound can be activated for more sensations. Enthusiast drivers will enjoy the aural experience, but it could become tiresome for routine driving.

Safety and Driver Assistance Systems

The Mini Cooper comes with automatic emergency braking with cyclist and pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, front cross traffic warning, and automatic high beams. Active Driving Assistant is available on Signature Trim for $250, adding blind spot warning, lane change assistance, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, and exit warning to alert when a cyclist or vehicle is approaching.