We’ve already seen that MINI has given its new MINI Cooper a slicker, more hi-tech exterior look for the next-generation of EV and petrol-powered models. Now though, the British brand has revealed an overhauled cabin for the first time that features more advanced infotainment and some clever personalisation features.
The new MINI hatch takes on the famous MINI Cooper name for all models in this generation and Like any other MINI throughout history, at the centre of the cabin is a large round lozenge. What was once a simple speedo is now an ultra-slim OLED screen measuring 9.4 inches in diameter. All MINI Cooper models will get this as the centre point of the dash, with the speed, media and all the customisation options – of which there are plenty – displayed. Alongside this information, EV data on the state of charge and range available will feature on the MINI Cooper Electric models.
The car runs a new OS9 operating system, called the MINI Interaction Unit, with owners able to select different themes from the menus which change the look and feel of the screen and interior lighting.
These MINI Experience Modes range from Core to Balance and Timeless, the latter of which gives a digital depiction of a classic Mini speedo on the central screen. There’s also a Personal mode, where users can upload a background photo of their choice; the system will then detect the main colour from the picture and extend this across the screen to better integrate the image.
The sat-nav map can also be displayed in the centre of the screen, while the edges of the Apple CarPlay projection are sampled to extend the view across the entire area of the round screen for iOS users. Android Auto capability is also included, but due to technical factors, this only displays in a rectangular box on the circular screen. MINI tells us that there will also be some ‘Easter eggs’ dotted around the infotainment system, with these surprise and delight features being key to the way every MINI feels.
LED ambient lighting under the fabric dash panel inserts and around the central concealed air vent will combine with LED projections that shine from the roof down onto the top of the dash. The colour and pattern these LEDs shine onto the panels changes depending on mode, with Go-Kart mode showing a sportier design.
There’s a 3D head-up display mounted in front of the driver, as well as a new multi-function steering wheel, which is similar to that used in some BMWs when it comes to the shape and button layout.
It’s ostensibly a two-spoke wheel that features a third spoke made a tensioned fabric, adding a little more design flair. One of the buttons mounted on the wheel is for MINI’s new voice control system, although this can also be activated with a voice prompt and used to control many of the car’s new features.
Auto Express sat in the new car at a preview event in Germany. The driving position is sporty, as you’d expect from a MINI and despite the battery mounted in the electric version’s floor. The trademark ‘panoramic’ view forwards framed by the upright windscreen’s A-pillars remains, and visibility is good.
Need to sell your car?
Find your best offer from over 5,000+ dealers. It’s that easy.
With the MINI Cooper moving to a three-door-only line-up, access to the rear is not the easiest and once you’re sitting back there legroom is compact, but headroom is fine. Given that the MINI EV has been designed with one eye on use in urban areas, at least it helps keep the footprint small.
New MINI Cooper exterior design
We’ve seen the new electric MINI Cooper testing multiple times but now it’s the turn of the hot petrol Cooper S model.
The exterior will follow the design of the electric Cooper SE version, although there are a few small differences that mark this out as having a petrol engine. The front end features more cooling ducts, including an open grille – although one key factor missing is the traditional bonnet vent.
To the side there’s some camouflage covering the emblem on the front wing that’s typically used to denote the hot Cooper S. We usually see the Cooper S utilise a contrasting roof colour, twin strips on the bonnet and black mirror caps to go with a more aggressive widebody and the new car should be no exception.
While we’ve become accustomed to seeing a twin central exhaust system, at the rear of this car there’s a new central, single-exit exhaust. There’s also a rear spoiler to further emphasise the sportiness of the Cooper S.
MINI Cooper Electric
The next generation electric MINI Cooper has also been caught in its full production trim during a filming session in Los Angeles. Sitting on a bespoke EV platform, the new car will sport an equally fresh design that channels the MINI’s iconic design cues into a new look.
Pictured in hot Cooper SE trim, the retro supermini looks much cleaner than prior generations, thanks largely to a removal of the plastic wheel arch cladding that has defined the modern MINI’s aesthetic since its debut back in 2000. The original ‘new MINI’, designed by Frank Stephenson, has become a modern icon in its own right over the years, making any reinvention a tough job to execute well.
This same emphasis on clean design is found in its lighting, grille and other exterior detailing, yet the body itself is actually far more complex with new creases and lines creating unusual highlights and reflections. This is then contrasted against a familiar silhouette and upper body design to that of existing MINIs, with blacked-out pillars and a floating roof that in this case is painted in a contrasting white finish. The rear design has also had an update, with the application of fresh new rear lights joined by a glossy black panel.
Powertrains and hot JCW versions
The Cooper name has long been synonymous with sportier versions of the MINI, but starting from the new generation it’ll be a model name in its own right. The electric MINI Cooper will be built in China on a platform that was jointly developed between BMW and Chinese SUV maker Great Wall.
Petrol-powered MINIs will live on, with a substantial update on the existing model due to arrive in the next 12 months, with production continuing in BMW’s Oxford plant. Despite the different technologies used for ICE and EV versions, the two will continue to share a similar design theme.
Entry-level electric Cooper Electric models will utilise a 40kWh battery, with higher-specification SE versions upping this to 54kWh. Both will offer considerable increases in range over the current MINI Electric, with the E potentially reaching 200 miles and the SE getting close to 250 miles.
MINI has hinted that a high performance John Cooper Works (JCW) version of the new EV is in development, likely going fully electric. Bernd Körber (MINI’s boss in 2019, succeeded by Stefanie Wurst) previously suggested: “We have to go and define JCW in an electrified context and era. But that’s possible, there’s no problem, no contradiction.”
MINI Cooper models will come before the next Countryman and Countryman Electric, with a debut for the electric cars expected in the next two months. Oxford-built petrol models – still using the familiar 1.5-litre engine are due a few months later.
We should expect the petrol Cooper S to come with a bump up in power over the old model’s 176bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.
Now read our list of the best superminis on sale right now…
