The Drive Report: New Mini Cooper S

New Mini Cooper S

The new Mini Cooper S is the final pit stop as the world’s foremost hot hatch ascends the stairway to total electrification. It should be a poignant moment – this is after all, one of the most iconic and storied cars with a silhouette as recognisable as that of the Eiffel Tower. This wouldn’t be a sacrilegious comparison if the BMW-owned Mini hadn’t become so over-the-top souvenir shop levels of British. The new one still gets a tail lamp LED pattern in the shape of the Union Jack, except that it’s popping out of two triangular tail lamps this time.

I should be thinking about how this is the end of an era. Except all I can do is reach for the paddle shifters and stare in disbelief that they aren’t there. Right before supplanting its potent 2.0-litre, in-line four with an electric powertrain, the 2024 Mini has had a lot of the previous-generation Mini’s tactility airbrushed away. The cabin is much more minimalistic now, there are fewer buttons, no transmission lever. Heck, even the third spoke on the steering wheel is a canvas strap. On any other car, this would appear to be the work of the cost-cutting weevil, but the Mini Cooper is just so charming and lovable, it can make anything seem trendy and cool. Even when it tries very hard to court Gen Z. Still, the cleaner, more futuristic exterior does work with the Mini which doesn’t need too many embellishments to stand out. A pop of yellow, two circular lights with daytime LED bezels, a more opaque, EV-like octagonal grille and you know what’s approaching you, even if it’s a mile away.

New Mini Cooper S

There’s really no cockpit quite as quirky or as recognisable as the Mini’s. All the visuals have been transferred to the large, round central touchscreen, leaving you with an uncluttered gauge-free view above the steering wheel. It works much better than you think it might, with the HUD screen giving you all the necessary information - speed and RPM. Ignition is turned on by cranking a chrome switch in the centre, but pretty much all the other functions, including temperature and volume control are carried out through the screen which is legible, quick to respond and easy to configure.

New Mini Cooper S

The Mini has always been irrepressibly cheerful and youthful, targeted towards the youthful and occasionally, those trying to hold on to their youth. The new one indicates that I may just have outgrown it or that I’m not the intended customer. The absence of a gear lever notwithstanding, it now has mid-century aircraft like buttons which allow you to toggle not between modes but “experiences”. Toggling this not only changes the throttle response it changes the whole visual theme on the screen and the HUD. Each mode is now accompanied by an aural note, prompting a colour change along with a new animation on the central touchscreen. “Green” even has a hummingbird fluttering about when your foot is off the throttle, and the silhouette of a puma gathering pace when you mash it. “Go Kart” mode changes the display to a sporty gauge cluster, sharpening-up the throttle response, delaying upshifts and making the car feel more tightly wound. The only thing missing in this Gen Z mobile is an in-built podcast app – guess they’ll leave that to the next-gen all-electric Coop.

New Mini Cooper S

Make no mistake, this is more powerful than the outgoing Mini Cooper S. The exterior design is also cleaner, more effective – completely in-line with its electrification goals. It makes a solid 204 bhp, although torque is down by 20 Nm with a total of 280 Nm. There is something dramatic about cranking the toggle switch. It’s more gratifying than a push button start. The Mini Cooper S is quick to gather pace and the gearbox is responsive enough to send you right to the meat of the powerband without needing intervention from the paddle shifters. Still, paddle shifters would have been appreciated but Mini has assumed that true enthusiasts would go for the JCW version anyway.

New Mini Cooper S

Suspension continues to remain stiff – the Achilles heel of many-a-generation of Mini Coopers. It doesn’t have bone-crunching levels of stiffness, but supple it isn’t. Despite the power going to the front-wheels, including a bit of torque steer, the Mini remains a playful and eager driving companion. One that can make city commutes something you actually look forward to.

Verdict

The new Mini delights, confounds and ages you. You’re suddenly made aware of the fact that it is an affluent 20-something’s status symbol of sorts, but you can still enjoy the reasons why it is so. It’s stylish, it's compact and save for the stiff suspension it’s practical only because it feels very easy to drive through intense traffic. Something about that near vertical windscreen, a cockpit that shrink wraps around you and its generally endearing proportions makes you covet it, even if you aren’t youthful enough for it.