• Choice of two petrol engines
• No manual gearbox option
• But still great fun to drive

Petrol engines

There are two petrol engines available on the new MINI Cooper, with the electric versions covered in a separate review. Both engines get additional power compared to the old Hatch, too and regardless of model, the new MINI now comes with a seven-speed automatic gearbox. No manual gearbox is offered nowadays – a real shame given how much fun these were. You will also need to choose a Cooper in the ‘Sport’ trim to get gearshift paddles on the steering wheel as the standard models don’t have the option to change gear manually. 

Kicking things off is the Cooper C, which uses a 156hp 1.5-litre petrol engine. This is a great all-rounder, and it’s nippy too, with 0-62mph taking just 7.7 seconds. 

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If you want something a touch sportier there is the Cooper S, which uses a 201hp 2.0-litre petrol engine that feels more like a hot hatch. The 0-62mph time drops to 6.6 seconds, and though it doesn’t feel all that much quicker than the C, it sounds much better, which adds to the excitement. 

What’s it like to drive?

• Feels inherently sporty
• Small size adds to its entertaining feel
• Slightly firm ride 

MINI has always prided itself on the way its cars drive, and the new Cooper doesn’t disappoint. It’s a slight shame there’s no manual version, but you’ll struggle to find a small car with a better automatic gearbox than this – it’s quick and smooth to shift, though can hold onto gears for a oo long, which doesn’t benefit fuel economy. 

At 3.85m in length, the Cooper is almost exactly the same size as its predecessor, bucking the trend for vehicles to get bigger. It means it’s still a fine city car, with good visibility, dinky dimensions and a standard rear-view camera making it perfect for narrow urban streets and when parking.

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But where the MINI really comes alive is when you get it on a fun road. It encourages you to keep driving it harder and harder with tremendous grip levels in the dry. You choose your line through a corner and it will stick to it, with the well-weighted and linear steering inspiring confidence to drive this like a proper hot hatch. The Cooper stays flat through corners and the chassis is brilliant, you can see why MINI elected not to change it compared to the previous Hatch. We can’t wait to drive the hottest John Cooper Works model due in early 2025. 

The one downside is that the Cooper isn’t the most comfortable small car as it has a slightly firm edge to it but is still quite compliant even on 17-inch wheels. Be mindful of the larger 18-inch alloys as we found these to have a noticeably negative effect on refinement and ride comfort.