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2014 Mini Cooper

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone from Mini refer to 'go-kart-like handling,' I'd be retired, living on a beautiful piece of coastline somewhere in the Caribbean. Perhaps even on the shores of Puerto Rico, where Mini chose to launch its latest Cooper and Cooper S hatchbacks. As with so many frequently used phrases, though, there is indeed some truth to the cliché - while the Mini Cooper has never actually handled quite like a go kart, it has always had a certain directness in its movements, reacting to steering inputs with an immediacy and fervor unlike most any other automobile meant primarily for the street.
Combine those unique driving dynamics with a sense of fun that permeates the entire brand from pre-sales marketing to the actual sales process itself and you end up with a marketplace success. As an ex-Mini owner myself (a 2009 Cooper S Convertible), I can attest to the kinship felt between fellow Mini drivers who share in the knowledge that they are having more fun than the poor appliance-driving masses sharing the highways and byways of these United States. It's no surprise that the style-conscious US continues to be the marque's single largest market year after year.
This enviable brand perception hasn't been attained without its own fair share of flaws, however. Though the quirky design and massively customizable bits and pieces that have made up the Mini brand's interior philosophy since it was reborn in 2001 have proven somewhat endearing, the Cooper Hardtop's ergonomics have always been an unmitigated disaster. Plus, this is a very small car, with a rear seat that's practically uninhabitable by adult-size occupants. While that adjective seemingly goes hand-in-hand with the brand's name, the modern Cooper has never been as ingeniously packaged as its 1959 forbearer, which offered up as much interior space as possible through innovative engineering and minimalist design. Further, parent company BMW has positioned Mini as a premium brand, so the Cooper's diminutive size has never equated to low prices. And for being such a small car, the Cooper historically hasn't been well-known for its fuel efficiency.

2025 Mini Cooper four-door makes more room for the people in the back

There seems to be no end to the new Minis. The new compact range has dispensed from the Munich HQ like Pez since last September. Here's another one: the 2025 Mini Cooper four-door (or five-door, depending on where you live) with the internal combustion powertrain. This is the longer and more-doored version of the two-door Cooper and Cooper S revealed in February for our market. An additional 2.8 inches of wheelbase and 6.8 inches of length makes more room for second-row passengers and cargo room. The automaker says designers made the rear "noticeably wider" inside, giving three-up accommodations more room to swing their elbows. Using European measurements, cargo capacity stands at 9.7 cubic feet with the second row up, 32.7 cubic feet with the second row down. The U.S.-market Cooper S four-door gets a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 201 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, same as in the two-door, those numbers 21 hp and 15 lb-ft better than the outgoing Mini's turbo 2.0-liter. This trim is going to cost $34,195 after the $995 destination fee when it reaches dealers in about three months. Come January 2025, Mini will add a Cooper C trim with four doors. It will use the same engine as the S but with a lower output, and be priced under the S.  International markets will also get a turbocharged three-cylinder engine as the entry-level motor, that mill making 154 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. The outgoing 1.5-liter three-cylinder in the base U.S.-market Mini makes 134 hp and 162 lb-ft, so buyers are in for improvements no matter what market they're in and which engines they get. The European trim step will be Essential, Classic, Favored, and JCW. Omitting the three-cylinder here, we'll enjoy Classic, Favored, and JCW in a choice of 11 body colors and three contrasting roof treatments; the Favoured theme includes the option of a multi-hued roof with a three-color gradient. If wheel sizing matches the two-door, U.S. buyers can choose from 17- and 18-inch aero wheels, but not the 16-inchers on sale elsewhere.  Related Video This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Mini reveals new John Cooper Works concept ahead of Detroit

BMW effectively hit the reset button when it unveiled the new Mini at the LA Auto Show last month, opening the door to a whole raft of new variants to follow - and this is the first.
Set to be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next month is the new Mini John Cooper Works Concept, a show car that previews the next hot hatch from the Anglo-Saxon automaker. Mini isn't saying much about what makes it tick, focusing instead of the design that sets it apart from the standard version we've already seen.
This JCW concept features a lustrous grey paintjob with bright red accents, 18-inch alloys and an upgraded aero kit, all aimed at making the Mini look that much sportier. It's got bigger air intakes where the fog lights would be, LED headlamps, a black grille frame, side skirts, a rear bumper with diffuser insert and a roof-mounted spoiler.