2025 MINI Cooper S Stays True To Its Fun And Cheerful Driving Experience

I own a BMW MINI Cooper. A first-generation, 2006 model year R50 model, actually. When you own a MINI, you suddenly become very critical of the new model. Will it be small enough? Will they ruin the design? Will it still drive like a MINI?

Although I still believe the original Frank Stephenson design was the best reincarnation of the classic Alec Issigonis concept, all Coopers that came after it remained joyful, properly small (even if each generation grew in size) and immensely fun to drive. So, I wasn’t too worried that BMW would ruin this new, fourth-generation car. Turns out it still stays true to its core values. But there are some elements of this car that are downright annoying.

2025 MINI Cooper S First Impressions

The good news for MINI fans is that the new car is actually shorter than the model it replaces, which is something that never happens in today’s auto industry. While still riding on the same BMW UKL1 platform as before, this new one (code name F66) is six inches shorter than the last car, with a wheelbase that loses a full three inches.

And it looks cool. I mean, the entire car essentially carries over the classic MINI look, with the Stephenson tri-layer, sandwich-like design, granting a high beltline that gives the illusion that the Cooper is smaller than it actually is. The front section is instantly recognizable as a MINI with its large, gaping mouth and large round headlights, although the R50’s overbite is now a thing of the past. Everything is also more minimalist.

But it’s out the rear that this MINI changes the most thanks to a set of triangular-shaped taillights. It’s a controversial decision considering that none of the past generations have attempted to fiddle with the shape of those lights for fear of ruining the original design. It definitely changes the car’s rear end, and doesn’t really refer to anything in MINI’s past. But it works, further enhancing the car’s stubby rear end.

Exterior Dimensions

2025 MINI Cooper S: Differences Between The U.S. And Canadian Market

On each side of the border, the Cooper S is sold in two different trim levels. But those trims don’t wear the same name. In Canada, the Cooper S three door can be had in Premier (default) and Premier +, while in the U.S. it’s sold as the Signature and Signature Plus and Iconic trim. From a mechanical standpoint, both cars are identical.

U.S. Versus Canada Lineup Breakdown

Driving Impressions And Performance

So the platform is the same, and so is the engine; a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder (or BMW’s B48). However, both horsepower and torque have bumped to 201 hp (+12 hp) and 221 lb-ft (+15 lb-ft). But the car weighs about 200 pounds more.

Sadly, the manual transmission is now gone for good. MINI tried to bring it back at the end of the old car’s lifecycle, but nobody bought it. The old eight-speed torque-converter automatic was replaced with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox for quicker shifts. The Cooper S is still front-wheel drive.

And, from behind the wheel? Definitely fun! And adequately quick. Activate Go-Kart mode and the car screams “Yahoo!” back at you as the enormous central screen transforms into a sports car-like display. I love how this MINI preserves torque steer, although it’s unclear if this was done on purpose or by accident. But the Cooper S enjoys destroying knuckles. Punch the accelerator in a straight line, and the car bobs and weaves from left to right. It’s entertaining and a bit frantic. MINIs have always been about being rowdy, so this is fine.

Power delivery from the turbo four is ample, with a fat torque curve that kicks in low in the rev range. It also sounds sorta mean, but that’s mostly all pumped in. Shifts are fast, never jagged, nor annoying like these dual clutch systems can be. The chassis is composed. Rock solid. Reactive. The steering is spot on, the way a MINI should be. It always feels heavy, direct, and reacts quickly to every turn. The car is darty, like my R50. I love it.

Unfortunately, MINI still doesn’t give you paddle shifters to play around with gears to your liking. And the new gear lever is nothing more than a toggle switch now. So you basically cannot downshift yourself, which is a huge letdown in a car that puts the emphasis on fun. There are also no drive modes in the new Cooper S. What you get instead are “experiences”. It feels like the marketing department had its say in the way this car drives. It feels super weird.

Performance Specifications

2025 MINI Cooper S Fuel Consumption

According to the EPA, you’ll get 32 MPG combined in a 2025 MINI Cooper S. Not bad considering how quick and fun these things are. As for me, during a cool week of autumn where I mostly drove it like a hoonigan, I still managed to pull a decent 30.1 MPG.

EPA And As Tested Fuel Consumption

Interior Design And Comfort

Styling has always been one of MINI’s driving forces. With this new model, the carmaker continues to impress. What I’ve always liked about the Cooper is that, at the end of the day, it’s still a BMW. This means it feels premium like all other BMW products, supremely well put together and loaded with a styling direction that focuses on specific details that truly make a difference. Nothing feels cheap in this car. Everything you touch feels of good quality.

The Cooper S’ cabin is one of the coolest places I’ve sat in this year. The door handles look as cute as the car itself, while the wool-like material that spans the door cards and dashboard look and feels warm. I also love how MINI projects ambient lighting on it, which canges color according to the selected drive modes.

The center console looks like a pencil case. The toggle switches are still there, but they’ve been simplified due to this cockpit’s minimalist approach. To turn on the car, there’s a button in the shape of an actual key. And there’s no more gauge counter over the steering wheel that can also act as a speedometer. That’s all been transformed into a heads-up display.

The rear seats are what you’d expect. Small, tight and not easy to get in and out of. But I did have two young boys ride in the rear while their dad and I drove to a car event. They had no problem hanging out back there.

Interior Dimensions (Suburban)

Technology And Ease Of Use

MINI stays true to the circular central display, but now it’s where the entire car is operated. It’s also as thin as a sheet of paper. Generally speaking, this interface looks great thanks to nice graphics and responds quickly. But you do need to play around with it for a while to truly get used to it. It’s also user-intensive, so you’ll need to create an MINI I.D. and accept a ton of terms and conditions to truly enjoy it.

Wireless Android Auto (in my case) was well integrated into the home screen. It basically houses itself within another, smaller circular display. You can opt for a minimized speedometer on the top part of the screen, or transform the entire display into one gigantic gauge dial, like in old models. But there are aspects of this system that got me cursing, like having to repeatedly go inside it to turn off adaptive cruise control because the car defaults it back to On.

MINI integrates a neat personal assistant that’s essentially another MINI that looks a bit like a puppy with a mature British accent. It’s cute and huge fun to operate, until the puppy never quite understands what you ask it to do. It did respond to some of my jokes with sarcasm, though. So there’s that.

Cargo And Storage Space

The MINI Cooper is one of the smallest hatchbacks currently on sale. So, don’t expect it to haul much. But when its seats are in place, it’ll at least carry more gear than, say, a Fiat 500e (7.5 cu-ft).

Always Ready To Put A Smile On Your Face

Look, you don’t buy a MINI Cooper S out of rationality. You buy it with your heart. What I like about this car is that, contrary to a Fiat 500, it feels more grown up and of better quality. It’s also a true driver’s car. I’ve always said that the Cooper S is BMW’s Golf GTI fighter, and this new model couldn’t be closer to that concept. It’s fun to drive, adequately quick and surprisingly capable in a corner. BMW, please, give it a shifter.

Above all, the MINI Cooper S makes you smile, which, I must say, is mission accomplished for a car that has managed to survive this long simply because it has brought joy into people’s hearts. Long live the MINI Cooper.