MINI Cooper S | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

MINI Cooper S | Test Drive

18 February 2025 Redazione News, Tested

STILL A GO-KART?

Seems like a now obvious refrain, but every time a new MINI comes out, all we care about is knowing if it will continue to boast the go-kart feel that every MINI lover expects. After all, we are talking about one of the last hot hatch ever.

Words Andrea Albertazzi / Photos Bruno Serra

Ok, I promise, we won’t go back to the 60s, also because I’m sure that when you say MINI – at least for us enthusiasts – you immediately think of that red and white silhouette that rallied along the tight hairpin bends of the Monte-Carlo stages, lining up much more powerful sports cars. In that moment everything changed and no one would have dared to underestimate a small, peppery sports car derived from that unsuspecting little hatchback so skilled in London traffic. After more than fifty years, it is reasonable to expect changes and those brought by the latest generation identified as F66 are many and profound. Shall we start investigating?

First of all, breathe a sigh of relief, given that despite this series being presented as 100% electric, MINI has agreed to curry favor with lovers of the smell of petrol for a little longer. The Cooper S is obviously the spearhead of a model that continues to exist with two proposals that are substantially at opposite ends of the spectrum, in terms of mentality and destination use, and therefore full electric and full petrol. No JCW (at least for this very test drive) – as in our recent test of the new Countryman – but that step immediately before which is actually differentiated much more than in the past compared to the diamond tip represented by the John Cooper Works. It is extremely easy in fact to notice a less angular look, orphaned by aerodynamic appendages that in turn make the traditional Cooper S the perfect hatchback for everyday commute.

We haven’t even started to get to know each other that I immediately notice two aspects of the new design that I really don’t like, namely the lack of an air intake on the bonnet and the lack of exhaust pipes at the back, which on the Cooper S have always been two and positioned in the middle of the bumper, regardless of the possible diffuser offered by the JCW spec. The Cooper S lettering – complete with a red S – makes it clear that we have 4 cylinders, a turbocharger and 204 horsepower, but I’m not entirely sure about the abandonment of an emotional and identifying characteristic of this type: it is a mistake. For the rest, the new F66 is really different from what we have seen up to now with the excellent F55. We have a front look that is still very massive and that revolves entirely around that soft profile that incorporates the grille and most of the bumper, while at the rear the new triangular lights stand out, offering the perception of enjoying larger dimensions and confirm a design that is as fresh and inspired as it is faithful to the MINI tradition.

Cooper S means that we combine aesthetic pleasure with driving involvement that – thank goodness – continues to focus on the 2-liter 204 horsepower. It is a versatile engine that enjoys a notable torque curve: 300 Nm from 1,450 to a good 5,000 rpm, which translates into brilliant road behavior and capable of continuing to worry much more powerful sports cars, always by virtue of its compact size and a weight that does not exceed one and a half tons (1,360 kg). The Cooper S is equipped with a 7-speed automatic transmission that works perfectly on its own, if used in the various driving modes now called Experiences. A more delicate matter concerns the one that enhances the dynamic value of the Cooper S, namely the so-called Go-Kart (Sport, to clarify any doubts). Without paddles on the steering wheel or even a lever that allows us to act on the various speeds, we too often find ourselves in a high area of the rev counter, an annoying situation when you choose Go-Kart mode to have more readiness and reactivity, without necessarily having to pinch the red line as if we were escaping from the apocalypse. This is where a different calibration of the transmission, perhaps capable of interpreting our desire to remain in the sportiest mode and still switch to the next ratio even at just 3,000 rpm, would have granted a driving experience without flaws. The point is that – without paddles – I essentially found myself driving with the intermediate Core setting, leaving the more dynamic one only for the most hectic moments.

This leads to two possible scenarios. Abandon all hope and write off the latest incarnation of the Cooper S as a misstep, or find the right path and try to understand where the performance limits of the F66 are. Drum roll and I find myself gripping that fat steering wheel, swallowing bends that I know so well that the Go-Kart mode reflects exactly the feeling of being here, ready to push myself to the limits, mine and of the car. The Cinturato tires – certainly not among my favorites – prove to be better than I thought, especially when pushed hard, guaranteeing a grip 20% better than I expected, this thanks to a soft compound that on warm and perfectly dry asphalt allows sudden changes of direction in perfect MINI style.

Yes, the perfect MINI style that we long for so much. The same that driving in Core lets us glimpse a huge extra gap, still allowing the Cooper S to be quick enough to move around the city and out with ease. Once far from the last town I move the lever to Go-Kart and the 24 cm Oled display changes graphics and color. The transmission drops two gears and I step on the gas like a madman. From this precise moment and for the next few kilometers I finally realize that the lack of paddles on the steering wheel is not as annoying as it seemed. The gearbox is precise and allows me to concentrate on where to point the front wheels, the only ones that take on the task of unloading power onto the asphalt. The 204 hp are felt much more than the numbers on the technical sheet might suggest and the fact of favoring the upper part of the rev counter allows the engine to always be in full swing.

The Cooper S is therefore not only precise entering through corners and pressed to the ground much more than the generation it replaces, but it is also incredibly faster than I remembered. Where I would have increased by a ratio it remains there, with the engine in traction and this allows me to exit faster, entering the following straight with more back and admit that I was wrong, because the Go-Kart mode should not be understood as a simple sporty streak, but rather as the switch that deactivates common sense and rewards the driver on condition that actually means something sporty. In this sense it is damn exceptional.

After all, to realize something, there is no better way than to understand it with strong methods. And the new Cooper S goes much faster than before, and not only for a handful of extra horses, but for how it makes you understand that if you want to race, you have to be the one to take the first step. It knows how to indulge you with all the trimmings. If, for the record, you are one of those who like to nitpick, it is true that some of the interior plastics are cheap and that I would have spent a little more time studying the transmission levers, but these are details that in the adrenaline-filled wake offered to me by the Cooper S fade into the background, at least as much as the exceptional infotainment system, exasperatingly complete, but at the same time less direct than I would have preferred now that I see a few white hairs appearing in the morning. Pros & cons, after all it always comes down to the balance of the parts, but this time the Cooper S, even if it is not a JCW, was able to make up for the lack of an air intake and two exhausts – that can always be part of the game with an aftermarket kit. What matters to respect the MINI tradition is there and the awareness that as I write there are fewer and fewer alternatives in this segment of little hot hatches does nothing but increase the respect for a model that I would like to have here even in another fifty years. Always with its desire to entertain, because it really knows how to do that well.