Written by Luke Wilkinson Published: 27 February 2024 Updated: 27 February 2024

Overview

This is the new MINI Cooper. It’s BMW’s fourth attempt at revamping the iconic city slicker – and it seems the firm’s engineers still haven’t managed to find a translation for the adjective written across the car’s badge. That’s right, this new model is three centimetres longer and wider than the car it replaces.

Still, it’s probably best to not get hung up on semantics and consider the new MINI Cooper for what it is – an upmarket hatchback designed with a premium interior that’s designed to excel on twisty urban streets. Its makers say this new model also champions the same fun driving experience as all its predecessors.

Like the previous MINI Hatchback, this new model is available with either petrol or pure-electric power. However, the company might be about to alienate some of its enthusiast fanbase because, to keep the two powertrains as comparable to each other as possible, the brand decided to ditch the manual gearbox option from its petrol cars.

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That’s a real shame because old car’s manual gearbox was one of the better options in its class – and, in the rapidly electrifying supermini segment, retaining a sharp-shifting manual might have been enough to keep the car appealing to resistant petrolheads. Even if the manual option was only offered on the hot Cooper S model.

But we digress. After several years of stagnation in the supermini class, rival brands are starting to innovate in the space once again, creating ever more affordable electric offerings. That means the MINI Cooper finds itself staring down a slew of interesting competitors.

Its most obvious rivals are the all-new Renault 5 E-Tech Electric and Fiat 500 Electric, both of which hope to pluck at the same nostalgic heart strings as the new Cooper. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s the altogether more practical BYD Dolphin which trades style for a roomy interior, a comfortable ride and attractive value.

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The question is, will the new MINI Cooper retain enough of the qualities that made the outgoing model so good to set it apart from its competitors. We’re yet to drive the new car, so we can’t know for certain yet. However, we have pieced together all the info we have about the car in this page to tee you up for when we can get behind the wheel.

Scroll down to learn everything you need to know about the MINI Cooper’s practicality, interior technology and powertrains. We’ve also outlined when you’ll be able to buy one in the UK and – crucially – how much it’ll cost you.

Practicality

The new MINI Cooper is only fractionally larger than the model it replaces, which means space is still at a premium. We’ve sat in both rows of seats and can confirm that there’s plenty of room up front, but the rear seats are best reserved for children.

However, the interior feels a little more spacious than the old car’s because there’s a lot less stuff in it. The dashboard has been pared back to its most basic elements, which means there’s a lot less trim blocking light from the cabin. There’s also a lot of glass surrounding the interior, and you can specify the seats and dashboard in light upholstery which helps to make the space appear larger than it is.

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Boot space isn’t exactly what you’d call class leading at just 210 litres with the rear seats in place and 800 litres with the bench stowed. This lack of storage space his has long been an issue for the car, so it’s a shame that MINI couldn’t improve it for this new model. If you need a supermini with more boot space, you’d be better off opting for the Renault 5.

You do get a 60:40 folding rear bench, though, which makes it a little easier to juggle passengers and luggage. On the flipside, you’ll only be able to specify the new MINI Cooper as a three-door hatch at launch, which might be enough to persuade those with young families to step up to the larger MINI Countryman SUV.

Interior and technology

We touched on this above. We’re not sure whether MINI could have made the new Cooper’s cabin any more minimalist if it tried. There’s just one screen on the dashboard – and it’s a huge circular touchscreen whose graphics (unlike the previous car’s) are designed to fill the space entirely.

The screen displays all the information about the car, including read-outs for speed, navigation instructions and fuel level – just like the large centre binnacle you got on the original Mini. Higher-spec models also include a head-up display, which means the driver doesn’t need to divert their attention away from the road to read their speed.

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Happily, MINI has elected to retain its physical climate controls for the new Cooper, which is great. We reckon that central screen would have been far too busy if it had tried to cram them on it. Like the original Mini’s, they include toggle switches and they’ve been set into a rounded rectangular panel.

There’s another quirk of the touchscreen, too. MINI has designed a digital assistant for the car called Spike. It’s a cutesy cartoon bulldog designed to emphasise the car’s Britishness – and it’ll be able to assist the driver with the car’s navigation and heating controls. It’s an increasingly popular gimmick. Renault has its own AI assistant for the 5, for example.

Engines and electric motors

As before, there are two branches to MINI ownership – petrol and electric. The petrol cars use the same engines as the previous model, albeit with a little more poke. So, the most basic Cooper C is powered by a 156hp 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that can dash from 0–62mph in 7.7 seconds and return up to 47.9mpg on the WLTP cycle.

Above that, there’s the Cooper S. It features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 204hp. The extra grunt slashes its 0–62mph time down to 6.6 seconds but, somehow, it doesn’t have a dramatic impact on the car’s fuel consumption. MINI says the Cooper S can achieve as much as 45.6mpg on the WLTP combined cycle.

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Both engines are mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox as standard, although MINI does allow owners to choose between a ‘standard’ and ‘sport’ tuning. From what we understand, the latter is a bit more aggressive with its shifts.

There are two configurations for the new MINI Cooper Electric, too. The most basic E model has a 184hp electric motor, a 41kWh battery pack and a maximum range of 190 miles, while the flagship SE variant has 218hp, a bigger 54kWh battery and a maximum range of 250 miles. Plus, both models support DC rapid charging (up to 75kW in the E and 95kW in the SE), which is enough to thrash the batteries from 10 to 80% capacity in around 30 minutes.

What else should I know?

Prices for the new MINI Cooper will start from £23,135 for the most basic petrol model and £30,000 for the entry-level electric variant. They’re both attractive prices, although the cost of the electric model can’t quite compete with the £25,000 Renault is aiming to charge for the equally nostalgic 5 E-Tech Electric.