2009 Mini Cooper S Hatchback 2-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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Get lost in Evo's sublime 2013 Car of the Year testing

Every year Evo stages its Car of the Year test, bringing the best performance cars in the world to one location for an epic shootout. This year the magazine pitted eight CotY finalists against each other on Route Napoleon in Southern France - Evo claims it's the "best road in the world" - and then proceeded to nitpick the smallest of faults on each car until the winner could be named. You see, this year's lineup of machines was just so good that only one car obviously wasn't CotY material from the get-go. Can you guess which one judging from the list below?
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
- Audi R8 V10 Plus

2014 Mini John Cooper Works Countryman All4

The standard Mini Countryman is a bit of an odd duck against the backdrop of 'normal' small crossovers like the Mazda CX-5 and the Ford Escape, but I sort of get it. Apply the same winning Mini formula to a CUV, and you get a smaller-than-average entry in the segment, one that is far more entertaining to drive than the norm, more stylish inside and out and pretty expensive when cross-shopped. That list of qualities doesn't appeal to all crossover shoppers, sure, but it intrigues a big enough list that the Countryman has reason for being.
Now, add the expensive John Cooper Works package to the Countryman's already niche goodies list, and Mini starts to lose me. So, I'm getting the softer suspended, taller, generally less dynamically joyful version of the brand's core values, but now you're charging me at least $35,000 ($13k more expensive than the basic, front-drive Cooper Countryman and $7k more than the MSRP of the Cooper S All4 version)? What's that? You're going to make it look like a garish, tippy-toed tuner car in the process? Take my money.
Or, actually, let me keep it. I can swing with a lot of the weirdness that Mini has to offer, but this car pushed me past my limit.

2025 Mini Cooper interior reveals minimalist retro design, massive circular screen

Mini just dropped a teaser for its 2025 Cooper, and it’s all about the new interior. And while Mini might be calling this a teaser, itÂ’s essentially a full, visual reveal of the new CooperÂ’s insides. The changes and updates are everywhere, as this new Mini shares practically nothing with the outgoing model. Its new centerpiece is a massive, circular display that appears to be showing off new infotainment system software. All of your vital information is housed within this huge screen. We can see the gear selection, electric range, power meter, navigation hub and media player all in the middle and top half of the screen. On the bottom corners are temperature control dials, and in the bottom middle is a row of shortcut icons that will presumably pull up larger menus of those items. The traditional instrument cluster is gone, but Mini has integrated a pop-up glass HUD display in its place, so youÂ’ll thankfully still have a lot of the important items right in front of your face. Just below the center screen is what Mini calls the “toggle bar.” It houses switches and knobs for things like selecting a gear, turning the car on and off and the various drive modes. Quick toggles for the defrosters and the hazards sit here, too. Interestingly, the steering wheel has more buttons than the center console, and the steering wheel itself is a new design. YouÂ’ll notice the strap-like third bottom “spoke” of the wheel and the ultra-chunky top part of the wheel — Mini says itÂ’s smaller in diameter than the current wheel, too. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Minimalism dominates the rest of the interior. The dashboard is simple with a basic upswept look, but itÂ’s augmented with fancy lights and animations that play through the fabric. Mini designed a horizontal air vent that integrates beautifully with the new dash, too. As for the doors, the materials look upscale and the armrest looks comfortable. We canÂ’t see the whole center console, but a pair of USB Type-C charge ports are positioned up front with a wireless phone charger right there, too. A pair of cupholders sit aft of this, and thereÂ’s no BMW iDrive knob to be seen.  As you can see from the video (above) where the original Mini interior morphs into the new one, the designersÂ’ inspiration for the 2025 model is fairly clear. Pare back, and bring the retro vibes in a digital way.