MINI Cooper S Resolute 2022 Review – International

Already on sale in Australia, but with first deliveries not expected until later this year, the 2022 MINI Cooper Resolute special-edition is available with the five-door Cooper, Cooper S and the three-door Cooper S, as well as the all-electric Cooper SE and Cooper S Convertible.

Pricing kicks off at $45,800 plus on-road costs for the MINI Cooper Resolute 5-Door Hatch.

Need more power, and the punchier Cooper S 5-Door will oblige but boosts the price of admission to $55,450 plus ORCs.

We drove the smallest Cooper S Resolute 3-Door Hatch that costs $53,800 plus ORCs, while the drop-top Cooper S Convertible version is priced from $59,880 plus ORCs.

At the top of the Resolute tree is the all-electric Cooper SE that MINI charges a pricey $63,825 plus ORCs.

In the case of the three-door Cooper S we drove, that means the Resolute special commands a $7000 premium over the most basic Cooper S that we imagine only appeals to a specialist audience.

Included in the price is a distinct lack of choice. The Resolute comes only painted in a dark ‘Rebel Green’ paint but gets extra ‘Resolute Bronze’ exterior trim around the headlight surrounds, radiator grille, front air intakes, rear lights, kick plates, door handles and fuel filler cap.

There’s also a pair of Pepper White door mirrors, thin black pinstriping along the lower edges of the window lines and gold bonnet stripes and, finally, blackened MINI badges.

The cars we’ll get in Australia also ride on 18-inch black alloy wheels and will come with black leather sport seats and a Nappa leather steering wheel.

Other goodies include a panoramic roof, Harman Kardon premium sound system and heated seats.

Already included on lower-spec models is the 5.5-inch half-digital instrument cluster and the 8.8-inch infotainment system that’s supposed to include wireless Apple CarPlay, when it works…

Our car also came with the six-speed manual, which is a no-cost option next to the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

So what’s missing? Other MINI model grades come with the option of up to 57 different paint options, so you’ll have to like green.

The MINI Resolute range also misses out on adaptive dampers, so make sure you try before you buy because you’ll have to live with the ride.

Like the rest of the MINI 3-Door Hatch range, the typical gripes remain. The front seats remain narrow, the rear legroom is miserly and the 211-litre boot is downright tiny. (The latter expands to 731 litres when the rear seats are folded.)

Luckily, the cabin feels well-made and special in a way that rivals, like the Ford Fiesta ST, just don’t.

Ownership costs are typical for a European car, with a below-average three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Capped-price servicing is there if you want to pay up front, costing $1640 for this model, covering five years or 80,000km.

That’s the basic plan. There’s also a Plus plan, which includes things like replacement brake pads, discs, clutch and wiper blades, but jacks up the price to $4276 over five years.

There’s no mechanical changes introduced with the new special-edition, so the 2022 MINI Cooper S Resolute 3-Door Hatch we tested makes do with the same twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine found in the regular model.

That means total output is, with over-boost, 141kW of power and 280Nm of torque, which means it’s completely outgunned by almost any rival you care to mention, including the Fiesta ST (147kW/320Nm).

Against the clock, the quick MINI takes just 6.6 seconds to screech from 0-100km/h – except that’s with the swift seven-speed dual-clutch transmission installed.

The car we drove had the slower six-speed manual fitted that, if you time gear changes to perfection, can only manage a 6.7sec 0-100km/h dash.

Top speed is claimed to be 235km/h but our car sustained 240 on the limit-free autobahn for long extended periods.

If you’re looking for the sweet spot in the MINI hatch line-up, you’ve found it, especially with the engaging six-speed manual that even the fastest MINI JCW GP doesn’t offer.

Despite being a little notchy and all-too-easy to select ‘reverse’ (instead of first), the manual ramps up the driver engagement level in the 2022 MINI Cooper S Resolute 3-Door Hatch, and has well-chosen ratios that keep the engine on the boil.

Speaking of the turbo four-pot, the 2.0-litre lacks many of its rivals’ synthetic pops and bangs but makes up for its lack of aural excitement with plenty of pace.

The Cooper S actually feels quite a bit quicker than its claimed times but that’s partly because its turbo-petrol engine delivers most of its might lower down in the range, giving you little reason to rev it anywhere near its 6000rpm-plus max.

There’s noticeable wind and tyre noise on the highway but that’s easily forgivable when you peel off and find a decent country road where the Cooper S remains an utter joy to thread along a challenging piece of tarmac.

Quick to change direction, the MINI’s chassis always seems to be on your side, telegraphing just how much grip is available. And when you push too far, a simple lift sees it pivot around your hips.

We could do with more steering feel, as the tiller is dead off-centre, but there’s plenty of joy to be extracted and, importantly, you don’t have to drive flat-out to have fun.

Unfortunately, the MINI’s old-school character is also accompanied by some very unwanted crashiness in the ride when you find a nasty bump or crest.

But, in isolation, for those few hot hatch purists out there, the Cooper S remains a loveable thing.

It’s truly an incredible feat how much fun the MINI Cooper S remains after all these years and how desirable it remains as a package, even for those who will rarely venture out of town.

The biggest problem, of course, is what happens when you begin comparing it.

In short, the 2022 MINI Cooper S Resolute 3-Door Hatch makes little sense.

Even with its fancy paint, and bronze and gold highlights, it’s hard to justify the painful $20,000-plus premium over the faster, better-handling Fiesta ST or, considering the fast Ford micro is on the way out in Australia, the Hyundai i20 N.

Of course, that all goes out the window if you value the Cooper S hatchback’s character, classy cabin and sheer sense of fun that to some people will make it feel like good value.

Would we make a beeline for the special-edition? Probably not, especially when part of the fun of buying a MINI is, for better or worse, the level of personalisation offered by the British car-maker.

That said, the Resolute looks great and adds lots of value for not a lot of extra money.

How much does the 2022 MINI Cooper S Resolute 3-Door Hatch cost?
Price: $53,800 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 141kW/280Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 144g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Four-star (ANCAP 2014)