MINI Cooper S 2024 Review

If you want the most affordable way into the latest 2024 MINI three-door hatch, the British brand can offer the Cooper C with a three-cylinder engine, lashings of the company’s new ‘charismatic simplicity’ design and a price tag of $41,990 plus on-road costs.

Something electric? That’ll be the all-new Cooper E, which not only smashes the previous version’s range and performance out of the park, its $53,990 plus ORCs starting price is also about $11,000 cheaper than its most affordable predecessor.

Here, though, we’re revisiting a performance classic in the form of the MINI Cooper S – an iconic model that has been winning passionate hearts and pragmatic heads since the early 1960s. The latest version, which is actually a comprehensive facelift of the previous model rather than an all-new generation (as found with the electric MINI Cooper variants), is priced from $49,990 plus ORCs for the entry Classic.

Before the end of the year, a John Cooper Works (JCW) version will arrive, forming a new halo for the three-door range. But before that, the most premium version is represented by the JCW Sport from $54,990 plus ORCs.

At the local launch, we donned our sou’wester and braved Melbourne’s most horrid day this year to get to know the mid-range MINI Cooper S Favoured, which starts from $52,990 plus ORCs and packs in a huge amount of kit for the cash.

While a lot is included as standard on the 2024 MINI Cooper S, leather is something that isn’t.

MINI is animal-free for now, but the choices of Beige and Nightshade Blue synthetic ‘vescin’ leather upholstery are premium, covering JCW sports seats with electric adjustment and heating in the front row.

All 2024 MINI Cooper models get the unique 9.5-inch circular central touch-screen which is the only round organic LED (OLED) screen yet fitted in a production car, along with wireless device charging.

A head-up display is also standard, although the bonnet is in line with the projected image and not the road ahead so it’s not quite a true HUD. Still better than glancing down at a dash though.

Speaking of which, an instrument cluster of any conventional sense is not part of the Cooper S suite, with all information provided though the HUD or central screen.

All-LED lighting features on the outside, along with a sports body kit, while 17-inch wheels are made from up to 70 per cent recycled alloy. The typically expensive optional panoramic sunroof is also part of the deal for all Cooper S spec levels.

Finally, a sweet-sounding 12-speaker Harman Kardon stereo caps off the long list of kit.

Options have been pared back for the latest model, with more equipment bundled into the three levels of specification. That said, customers can upgrade alloy wheels to a set of 18-inch Night Flash or Slide style rims.

A MINI Connected pack allows customers to upgrade to a personal assistant and conversational spoken controls, as are a range of paint colours, interior trim designs and a black or white roof and mirror cap contrasting paint job option.

The 2024 MINI Cooper has not yet been assessed by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) or its continental cousin Euro NCAP.

Nor is it likely the local outfit will eventually get to a review of the vehicle’s systems and performance as it was not submitted for testing in the previous series.

However, this substantially upgraded model shouldn’t cause too many safety concerns as it’s veritably packed with the kind of safety features and tech that typically rank vehicles that are assessed in high regard.

These include the most sophisticated type of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as well as adaptive cruise control and a very unusual augmented reality feature that presents the driver with animated direction markers over the image of the road via that lovely central screen. It works very well in practice.

There’s also curtain airbags for both rows of seating and a central airbag between the two front occupants, blind spot and lane change warning, rear cross traffic warning and braking, rear collision prevention and an exit warning system.

Other safety features on the Cooper S include a camera-based attentiveness/fatigue monitoring system, tyre pressure monitoring, dusk-sensing headlights with high beam assistance and rain-sensing wipers that certainly got a good workout during our time with the MINI.

The new 2024 MINI Cooper S is equipped with a level of technology that’s as contemporary and cool as its exterior and interior design, with many likeable and useful features dotted about the cabin.

Wireless device charging pairs logically with wireless Android and Apple device connection.

There are USB-C power points along with a 12-volt power point in the front row, DAB radio, an interior wide-angle camera for capturing road-trip selfies, and keyless entry and engine start – but instead of a push-button, firing up the MINI requires the turn of a prosthetic key in the centre of the switchgear.

Unsurprisingly, the beautiful central touch-screen packs in a lot of its own technology too with a charming personal assistant taking the form of Spike – a virtual cartoon dog that adds a personified touch to spoken requests.

The screen has excellent resolution and refresh speeds for a truly premium digital experience while numerous MINI ‘Experiences’ allow the graphics and style to be altered along with a few of the vehicle’s driving parameters as well.

Finally, MINI offers a number of application-based features such as remote information, Amazon Alexa integration and the concierge service.

We also loved the ambient lighting which has a number of modes according to your mood and was easier to appreciate and value on a very gloomy day.

While MINIs once felt like the poor cousin of BMW, getting the hand-me-down technology months and sometimes years after parent brand models were good and done, the MINI of 2024 feels as though it is as bang up to date with Beemer.

As before, the new 2024 MINI Cooper S has a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder powering the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Its power and torque output has increased slightly, however, with 150kW and 300Nm representing 9kW and 20Nm gains.

With a relatively light 1351kg kerb weight, those outputs are more than enough to deliver a fun driving experience and MINI claims the Cooper S will do the milestone 0-100km/h dash in 6.6 seconds.

It certainly feels quick, even though the conditions were making the front wheels struggle for grip.

Nonetheless, the MINI continues to offer a lively front-end with some wheel-slip permitted, a little torque-steer and plenty of attitude before the traction control jumps in to help.

There’s a good note from the engine although we suspect part of that is synthetic soundtrack coming from the speakers which shouldn’t be necessary with a boosted four-cylinder petrol so close to the cabin and a little more work into exhaust and induction sound is always preferable.

Unfortunately, you have to tick the JCW Sport spec box to get paddle shifters on the steering wheel and, while the transmission does a good job of picking the right gear, it would be nice to have the extra level of involvement that shifters offer.

Speaking of self-service… The volumes would have likely been outsold significantly by the excellent dual-clutch auto, but it would have been good to have a manual option for those driving enthusiasts, offering another traditional line drawn to the Cooper’s past.

With the introduction of the new MINI, several drive mode ‘Experiences’ are offered with Core, Gokart, Balance and Timeless offering choices of interior lighting and digital designs, as well as altering driving dynamics in some cases.

MINI claims the 2024 MINI Cooper S can use as little as 6.2 litres of fuel per 100km on the official combined driving cycle, which is pretty good for a performance-focused car.

What’s more, on our launch drive it returned a consumption figure of almost exactly the factory claim, despite some spirited driving.

With dry conditions we could have pushed a little harder and likely made a bigger dent in the fuel reserves, but we’re still impressed with the MINI’s efficiency.

If economy is a real concern then the entry-level Cooper is even more frugal with its 1.5-litre three-cylinder returning a figure of just 6.0L/100km.

Or perhaps consider the fully-electric MINI Cooper E, which never needs to visit a fuel pump at all.

Don’t be misled by the new 2024 MINI Cooper S. While its Cooper E and SE electric siblings share the same pretty (but somehow simultaneously handsome) exterior design, they are very different under the skin.

For 2024, the electric Cooper has been developed from the ground up in partnership with GWM Ora.

However, the 2024 petrol-powered Cooper is an evolution of the previous-generation model.

This needn’t necessarily be regarded as a criticism because the previous Cooper S was a hoot – and so is the latest one.

MINI describes the driving experience as ‘go kart-like’ but, as there’s no engine to bash your right elbow on and the MINI doesn’t spin if you press the brake pedal mid-corner, we can happily report driving a Cooper S is far nicer than a kart.

Steering is sharp, precise and not too heavy, while the steering wheel is chunky and sporty.

The ride, too, strikes a good balance of comfort and performance with a purposeful feel. It’s firm but well damped.

Road noise is very low with better-than-expected levels of roar coming through, even when on very coarse surfaces, and the general level of comfort is of a higher standard than many might expect from a small hatchback and, indeed, better than plenty of other manufacturers can manage.

The new Cooper S is a true MINI. It offers excellent driving dynamics packaged up in a design that honours the original better than the previous model, but has a solidity and confidence-inspiring manners that defy the segment.

There’s no other car on the market that has a cabin quite like the 2024 MINI Cooper S, with a balance of interesting materials and cool design that is both contemporary and traditional.

There are a few more scratchy plastics creeping back compared with the previous model but materials are generally high-quality.

The central touch-screen and toggle switch panel below is superb in aesthetics and function, but serves as a nod back to the original’s speedometer and ignition key.

Front seating is supportive and comfortable with flexible adjustability even for taller drivers, although the massage function feels like little more than a slow shove in the lower back. We’ll reserve judgement for a longer road trip.

It’s fair to say the interior is cosy but not claustrophobic and the visibility out is decent.

Rear seat room is not so good. Cramped at best or, at worst, impossible, the second row is only permissible if the front two occupants also suffer with seating rolled almost as far forward as it goes.

And the same theme of scant space continues in the boot where you’ll find just 210 litres of volume, which is small for the segment and only increases to 725L once the rear seats are folded.

MINI has done an impressive job of skinning two very mechanically different models in the same attractive exterior, but while the new electric Cooper SE gets the most significant evolution, both it and the 2024 MINI Cooper S are proper driver’s cars.

What certainly has taken a big leap forward is the suite of technology, including both information and entertainment, as well as safety and driver assistance.

Despite that focus on the modern, however, the Cooper S has not lost sight of its core as a rewarding and fun car to own and drive.

If you can overlook the obvious practical limitations that are mostly caused by the design team’s deliberate choice to keep the MINI mini, it’s a sharply priced car-lover’s three-door hatch that will make you smile whether you’re driving it and looking out, or parked up and looking in.

2024 MINI Cooper S Favoured at a glance:
Price: $52,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 150kW/300Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.2L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 144g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested