Mini Cooper S review - Big Boys Need Small Toys

The Mini Cooper name is nothing short of iconic. Its presence is unlike anything else on the road and its consistent appearance in Hollywood movies makes it one of the must-have cars in your garage. Getting in one in 2024 doesn't make a lot of sense. Maybe the 5-door version would be easier to recommend but does this 3-door version feel the same?

Well, not really. But here's the thing, nobody ever walked towards a Cooper and thought "How many suitcases can this car's boot swallow?" or "Can I take my family of 4 across South India in this"? You see, the Mini Cooper has always been a driver's car. To really bond with it, you gotta leave the family home and get inside all by yourself because the essence has always been under the hood. The Cooper is special and this one is even more so cause as we speak, this is the last time the Cooper will have an internal combustion engine breathing in it. So is it worth dishing out Rs 44.90 lakh (ex-showroom) for one? Let's see…

Mini Cooper S: Design

Growing up I always admired the Mini Cooper S. It was undoubtedly a stand-out in the crowd and love it or hate it, you couldn't ignore it. A Brit in the true sense, dare I say. Proportions have gotten larger and wider over the generations but the ideology never faded. The round headlights and front demeanour are something that most of us find seductive. It does bubbly ends but that I believe is where the BMW influence comes in. The red "S" badge in the font grille is a neat touch as well.

The rear end has a bit of flair from the older generation models but my favourite bit has to be the taillights. Now, the Mini Cooper S has triangle taillights with separate LED components that can be set to show three distinct animations. From the profile, the frameless windows and 17-inch alloy wheels complement the compact packaging of this hatchback. What's most mesmerizing though is this Sunny Side Yellow paint job which looks just as good as good under the sun as it does under absolutely no light.

Mini Cooper S: Interior

Getting inside might not be the easiest thing I've ever done but once you are on the inside the centre screen will leave you absolutely bamboozled. Minimalism is the current theme and nothing can be more minimal than this. This stunning 9.4-inch OLED centre touchscreen serves as your infotainment as well as your instrument cluster. There's too much going on in this screen so it could be confusing to use at first but one could easily find their way after a few days of usage. It does support wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay but that only occupies the vast majority of the centre of the circular screen so that could be a bit off-putting. Also having to constantly look in the middle to check how fast you're going also gets tedious but Mini has given this a head-up display so that's no issue.

The rest of the cabin has a sense of style to it as well. The dash is covered in this mesh grille-like fabric and the steering is a nice, chunky unit to hold onto. The seats have a good amount of support to hold you in place while you take on corners and while they are relatively comfortable, I wish electrical adjustment was not an option extra, at least not at this price point. There are 2 sunroofs one for the occupants up front and one for the rear, that is if you ever manage to convince someone to get into those backseats.

The Harman Kardon sound system is breathtaking to listen to but it serves a big purpose than just playing music. The speakers pump engine noise into the cabin and the noise differs when you toggle through the different driving "Experiences". Maybe a gimmick but I think it enhances the driving experience. There is also a camera inside the car placed on top to take photos and videos while you drive and it also has a feature where all you need is to smile and it clicks on its own. Safe to say I filled up the storage space before I returned the car.

Mini Cooper S: Driving Impressions

The Cooper's party trick has always been its powertrain and while the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder is the same unit as the outgoing car, output numbers have gone up. With 204PS and 300Nm of torque, we clocked this new Copper from a standstill to 100 kph in just 6.7 seconds. All that power is sent to the front wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Yes, I am a bit disheartened about the fact that a manual is not on offer but this automatic is good enough to turn things around. It feels extremely quick and responsive and depending on your "Experience" it reacts differently.

If you're just cruising about in Core, it feels relaxed and is not in much of a hurry but once you switch up to Go-kart the gearbox feels a lot more prepared and a slight tap on the gas pedal will also feel like pounce from the driver's seat. Maybe, and this is a big maybe, if there were even paddle shifters to take control of the shifts, I would completely overlook the absence of a third pedal.

The engine itself is a joy to drive. That 204PS might not be the most lucrative number on paper, but keeping this vehicle's form factor in mind, that's more than enough. It does tip the scales at 1,360kg which makes it a lot heavier than any of its ancestors but this engine has more than enough grunt to make you feel this thing is still one of the lighter cars in this age. While there is plenty of torque in the low end, the real deal kicks in the midrange and that's where this motor really shines the brightest. The Go-Kart mode is where you better keep both hands at 10 to 2 on the wheel because this thing lifts off before you can even see the speedometer and without knowing much, you've blown well past 100 kph and have received a notification from the E-Challan application on your phone.

Coming to the Experices, there are a total of 7 - Core, Green, Personal, Vivid, Timeless, Balance and Go-Kart. Of course, Go-Kart is the sportiest of the lot and Green is the most economical. But apart from that you will just end up driving the car in Core which is a perfect balance between performance and efficiency. The only other reason you might choose to drive in any other mode would be if you like the graphics and themes of the other ones as every Experience has its own personalised screen and ambient colour to match it.

This new Cooper might have gotten bigger over the years but it still drives like the one we all fell in love with when we watched "The Italian Job". It is dynamically very agile around corners and with very little skill you could hook this around a bend and come out without the embarrassment of looking like a total fool. There is just a bit of understeer but not the kind that will scare you. The low ride and the firm suspension help this Cooper S change direction as sharply as a cat and make this still one of the most fun-to-drive cars money has to offer.

That firm suspension though does take a toll when you want to daily this thing. In a city like Mumbai, the small bumps are still bearable but you have to be very cautious taking on larger bumps the Cooper might just bottom out easily and won't feel too good on your wallet or your spine. Something else I wasn't the biggest fan of was the lack of adjustment in the steering wheel. I'm a bit taller than average height and I wished the wheel moved a bit higher than it does but it will be perfectly fine for people without obnoxiously long legs.

Mini Cooper S: Verdict

There might be plenty of cars at half a crore rupees that you might have your eyes set on. But it's very debatable as to how many can be as cool as a Mini Cooper. It not necessarily be your primary vehicle of choice but just that cool factor is all it needs to create a desire in your mind. The manual transmission is a miss and so are the paddle shifters. But it's needless to say that the Mini Cooper S faces no competition, at least in India. So if you're willing to look past a few shortcomings and need something that could turn heads on the weekend while at the same time be everyday user-friendly, this Cooper S needs no more of an introduction.