2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop: What's It Like to Live With?
Read the latest updates in our long-term road test of the 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop as our editors live with this car for a year.
What do you want to know about?
- Introduction
- Loads a Little
- Interior Fun Without Foolishness
- Onboard Help
- Still Mini
- Performance Testing
- Fuel Economy Update for September
- Some Kind of Service Alert
- Three Cylinder Engine
- Armrest vs. Handbrake
- Drivetrain Malfunction Fixed
- Small Engine, Big Fun
- Why a Loaded Base Cooper Now Makes Sense
- Vastly Improved Cargo Area
- EPA Orders Fuel Economy Downgrade
- From a Whisper to a Wail
- Stiff-Legged Ride
- Fuel Economy Update for October
- Tiny Gear Indicator
- Fuel Economy Update for November
- Yep, a Rear-Facing Infant Car Seat Fits
- 5,000 Miles Already
- Sassy Yet Well-Behaved
- Low Tire Pressure
- Tires Are Fine
- Keyless Ignition, But Not Entry
- Secret Storage Bin
- Fuel Economy Update for December
- A Rear-Facing Convertible Car Seat Fits if You Have the Right Seat
- Auto-Headlights Tied to Wipers
- View From the Driver Seat Isn't as Good
- What's That Whine?
- Fuel Economy Update for January
- Temporarily Rough Engine
- Quiet on the Highway
- Enough Room in Back for Little Legs
- Hopefully, Your Daily Commute Looks Like This
- Mini Connected, Powered by BMW
- Much Improved for Wider Appeal
- Hauls Leaf Springs
- Road Trip
- Fuel Economy Update for February
- Great Seats, Weak Heaters
- Service at 10,000 Miles
- Can't Block the Sun
- Road Trip Pictures
- Loves the Rain
- The Bike (Sorta) Fits
- Road Trip Driving Impressions
- "S" Model No Longer Required
- Fuel Economy Update for March
- Coachella's Answer to the Bus and Beetle?
- Time-Lapsing L.A. With LEDs
- Excellent Visibility Makes Small Cabin Feel Large
- Obsessing and Twitching Over the Volume Control
- Wish It Still Had 50/50-Split Rear Seats
- Driver Seat Borders on Luxurious
- It Grew Up a Little, But It's Still Fun
- DTLA Sunrise
- Time To Upgrade
- Mini Goes Out for Maximum Miles
- Gets Grabby With Driver's Clothes
- Fuel Economy Update for May — Quiet Spell Shaves Our Lifetime Averag
- Dial of Doom Frustrates on Long Trip
- Tall Man's Blind Spot
- The Mystery Pipe
- Sunvisor Malfunction
- Rides Rough for a Base Model
- Backseat Passengers May Get a Little Antsy
- Still Got It
- Great Horn
- Solid Cargo Room for a Small Car
- Same Steering, Sharper Throttle in Sport Mode
- June Fuel Economy Update - Average MPG Climbs One Point
- Dismal Door Pockets
- Long Cargo Makes It a Single-Seater
- Borrego Springs Tire Delivery Service
- Fuel Economy Update for July — Hard Driving, Soft Penalty
- The Minis I've Never Bought
- Hauls Stuff and Butt
- Bam! 20,000 Miles
- Tire Wear After 20,000 Miles
- Makes Long Hauls Better than Before
- White Leather - Great for Stoned Pop Stars, Not for Cars
- Mini Road-Trip, Massive Wings
- I'd Spend More for the S
- Worst Air Conditioning Vents Ever?
- TPMS Gremlins Got Us Good
- Due For Second Service
- Second Service Surprises
- A Fix for the Sun and Checking Our Hair
- Still Good Form, But Better Function
- Fuel Economy Update for September - Creeps Closer to EPA Rating But Still Far Off
- Gonna Miss Ya
- Wrap-Up
Introduction
What Did We Get?
Peppy engine. Playful demeanor. Corners flat and goes like stink around curves. These are sentiments often attributed to Mini Coopers, especially the hardtop model synonymous with the Mini brand.
Cooper Hardtops are some of the best-handling front-wheel-drive cars on the market, if not the most comfortable or spacious. Every new iteration of the Mini Cooper is an event, and the 2014 model year brings a long list of improvements to the diminutive hatchback.
The Hardtop boasts a mildly redesigned look, a brand-new base engine, and rides on an all-new platform for 2014. The hatch looks nearly identical to the outgoing model, and you'll have to get up close to notice the revised front and rear fascias. The interior is also reworked, with the most obvious change being the merciful relocation of the speedometer from the massive central infotainment circle to a more natural position in front of the driver.
What makes this Mini completely different are the changes you don't see. Under the hood, the old four-cylinder engine is replaced by a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder. Output goes from 121 horsepower/114 pound-feet of torque to 134 hp and 162 lb-ft. Despite the increased power, this Mini earns higher EPA fuel economy numbers: 33 mpg combined (29 city/40 highway), versus the 2013's 31/28/36/ mpg.
The Hardtop also rides on a new platform that will provide the underpinnings for other upcoming Mini models, as well as BMW's first-ever front-wheel-drive car, the 2 Series Active Tourer.
With so many changes, we figured it was a great time to reacquaint ourselves with the Mini Cooper. Once we decided to get one, it was time to face the lengthy options list. Better sit down for this one....
What Options Does It Have?
Back in 2009, when we wrapped up the long-term test on our 2007 Mini Cooper S short of its 20,000-mile goal, we issued a warning to ourselves:
"The best Mini on paper is not necessarily the one you want to own and drive for a year. Yes, the quality will be better, and the ride will have improved, and it will probably be faster and more fuel-efficient, but if you make the wrong choices on the options sheet, hitting that magic 20,000-mile mark is going to be a problem."
Back in 2009 the specific options we found most disagreeable were the 17-inch wheels and sport suspension. manual transmission also didn't play nice with our slog through L.A.'s freeways. We kept our previous follies in mind as we optioned our new Mini, but we didn't take all of our own advice.
First we grabbed the $1,500 Sport package, which adds sport seats, LED lights and 17-inch Tentacle wheels (which ran an additional $500). We ditched the manual this time around and selected the six-speed automatic transmission, which set us back $1,250. Also on tap were the Cold Weather package ($600 — power-folding mirrors and heated seats), Premium package ($1,750 — panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon audio and automatic climate control), MiniWired package ($1,750 — center armrest, navigation system and Web apps) and Park Assistant package ($1,000 — front and rear sonar sensors and parallel parking aid).
We didn't stop at performance and comfort packages. We also ordered a few à la carte pieces, including a cargo package ($250), LED foglights ($250) to match the headlights, and satellite radio with a 1-year subscription ($300). We wanted our Hardtop to have a customized feel, so we checked the boxes for chrome interior accents ($250), chrome mirror caps ($100), dark gray headliner ($250) and real wood dash trim ($350).
The damage was finally done after the Hardtop received a Deep Blue metallic paint job ($500) and was fitted with Satellite Gray leather seats ($1,750). The Mini Cooper Hardtop started with a base price of $20,745 after destination. That was before we went a little overboard with the options list. Our tester rings in at $33,095.
Why We Got It
Our Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds' First Drive of the 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop was the first indication that the newest Mini was something special. Dan returned raving about how good the base 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder was. We all wanted to experience firsthand how this unusual engine performed in one of the sportiest small cars on the market.
In a sense, we also wanted to redeem ourselves for the sub-20,000-mile exploits of our past long-term Mini Cooper. We went for the automatic transmission this time and skipped right over the available sport suspension (a separate option from the Sport package). Our choices will hopefully help usher our Hardtop past the milestone we always strive to surpass.
Will our new 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop break its predecessor's 20,000-mile curse? Will the automatic tranny and standard suspension make the Hardtop more livable? How many of the options selected are worth the dough, and which ones are undercooked?
We have 12 months and 20,000 miles to explore this new Hardtop and all its features. Follow along on our Long-Term Road Test page for our impressions.
Best MPG: 27.9
Worst MPG: 22.9
Average MPG over 390 miles: 24.6
The manufacturer provided this vehicle for the purpose of evaluation.
It's still technically summer, and the concert season at the Hollywood Bowl is still in full swing. That calls for a car that will tote a picnic bag, seat cushions and a backpack or two.
The 2014 Mini Cooper accommodated our small amount of gear without having to fold down the rear seats.
The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a movie character type who exhibits "psychotically bubbly" kookiness for no apparent reason. The Mini vehicles that we've had in our long-term fleet were Manic Pixies of the automotive variety.
The problem for me was never Mini Cooper exterior styling (Countryman bloat and the hat-backward top of the Mini Cooper Coupe are another problem altogether). For me, the Mini's fail was mostly an interior issue. It was the giant Mickey Mouse-themed speedometer, the fussy, useless utility rail system, the misplaced controls and an overall sense of a car trying too hard to be cute and quirky.
Would things be any different in our 2014 Mini Cooper?
They would be, and what a relief. The speedometer now sits where it belongs, and includes information on average speed and mpg, along with a useful miles-to-empty indicator, just like you'd find in cars from Mini's parent, BMW.
How nice to see that the plate-sized space in the center of the dash is now inhabited by all the various information sources you'd expect: navigation, entertainment and car settings, as well as the onboard owner's manual. It's also pleasant to have storage spaces that are functional and controls where you'd expect them to be.
Instead of being a Manic Pixie, it's a Pragmatic Sprite. And I like it.
Owner's manuals should be on paper. This is a truth universally acknowledged. But I have to say that the 2014 Mini Cooper has an onboard manual and related content that are useful and easy to access. Some things are just interesting, such as this animated explanation of the parking assistant feature.
Depictions of vehicle systems that click through to more detailed menus and explanations also are handy ways to get answers to your questions, such as "How do I get the right-side mirror to dip when I'm parallel parking?"
A downside of the system is that it's inaccessible when the car is in motion. Not even your passenger can access the online manual. This is silly and another reason why the printed version of the full manual should be mandatory equipment.
So the 2014 Mini Cooper is a little bit bigger. In the name of crash safety, comfort and stability, it's picked up a few inches, in more than a few places, but there's one area where it feels the Mini is still...mini.
Yeah, you're looking at it. And yeah, this is another trunk post.
A quick glance at that beautiful trunk shot (I'm particularly proud of my trunk shots) shows the standard, small Mini cargo area. But there's an under-floor addition to the trunk, one that Carroll's update didn't touch on, that should make everything better.
Or Not.
That's my camera backpack. Ok, so it might be a little bigger than your JanSport but it still fits in an overhead bin on an airplane. And as you can see, it takes up two-thirds of the trunk's width, most of its depth and prevents the compartment lid from closing. Taking that backpack out, I imagine the trunk's good for a few bags of groceries, but beyond that, you'll be storing stuff in the back seat. Don't worry, it's not like anyone can fit back there anyway.
It's been a while since we've had a long-term vehicle so perfectly suited for performance testing at our test track as the 2014 Mini Cooper. The miniscule footprint and low weight of past Minis made them a joy to send bombing down our slalom course. But this new one's longer, wider, heavier and has a three-cylinder motor. Does this new Hardtop live up to the expectations set by its predecessors? Read ahead to find out.
Vehicle: 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop
Odometer: 2,410
Date: 09/23/2014
Driver: Josh Jacquot
Price: $33,095
Specifications:
Drive Type: Front-Wheel Drive
Transmission Type: six-speed automatic
Engine Type: turbocharged inline-3
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 1,499 / 91
Redline (rpm): 6,500
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 134 @ 4,500
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 162 @ 1,250
Brake Type (front): One-piece ventilated with single-piston sliding calipers
Brake Type (rear): One-piece solid with single-piston sliding calipers
Suspension Type(front): MacPherson strut
Suspension Type (rear): Independent multilink
Tire Size (front): 205/45R17 84W
Tire Size (rear): 205/45R17 84W
Tire Brand: Continental
Tire Model: ContiSportContact 3 SSR
Tire Type: Run Flat, Summer
As tested Curb Weight (lb): 2,807
Test Results:
Acceleration:
0-30 (sec): 2.6 (w/ TC on 3.1)
0-45 (sec): 4.6 (w/ TC on 5.2)
0-60 (sec): 7.4 (w/TC on 8.3)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 7.1 (w/TC on 7.9)
0-75 (sec): 11.3 (w/TC on 12.3)
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 15.6 @ 86.9 (w/TC on 16.1 @ 85.8)
Braking:
30-0 (ft): 28
60-0 (ft): 114
Handling:
Slalom (mph): 67.8 (66.7 w/ESC on)
Skid Pad Lateral acceleration (g): 0.86 (0.85 w/ESC on)
RPM @ 70: 2,400
Comments:
Acceleration comments: Surprisingly, even the base Mini offers launch control which is activated by selecting Sport mode then wooding the brake and wooding the throttle. Though it still doesn't leave the line as quickly or efficiently as a manual transmission equipped car might, there's some punch out of the hole. Shifts are aggressive enough to spin the tires going into second gear which is both surprising and unusual. Rapid boost response gives a big surge of acceleration as it builds but then leaves the little three-cylinder fairly dead in the high reaches of the rev range. Still, this is a big improvement in performance over the old base engine. Sounds cool, too.
Braking comments: Solid, consistent pedal with minimal idle stroke stop after stop. Good directional stability considering wheelbase. Some distance fade, but nothing to be concerned about.
Handling comments:
Slalom: Though it's not as frenetic as previous Minis, this is still a remarkably quick responding car. Impressive steering response coupled with good stability makes it fairly easy to drive through the slalom. Also, the Mini's good sightlines, thin pillars and upright position make it an easy car to place in the slalom. As FWD cars go, it's fun and easy. Stability control is modest in its interruption.
Skidpad: Modest limits and only OK balance. Surprised to see such conservative chassis tuning on a car with such obvious sporting intentions. Refuses to rotate off throttle but communicates well enough up to those limits. Relatively heavy steering weight and good feel. I can tell what's going on at the front tires. I don't necessarily like it, but at least I can tell.
Our new long-term 2014 Mini Cooper has only been with us for a month and we've managed to log 1,072 miles on it. In the absence of any long distance trips, our fuel economy numbers are well below the EPA's combined estimate, and even below the City estimate. With more highway miles in the coming months, we expect our average to improve.
Worst Fill MPG: 22.6
Best Fill MPG: 28.5
Average Lifetime MPG: 24.5
EPA MPG Rating: 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 236
Current Odometer: 2,732
Among the service alerts I've seen pop up in our long-term cars over the years, the 2014 Mini Cooper's is the most cryptic.
At first, while driving I noticed a tiny orange triangle had appeared in the upper right corner of the odometer display. I mean tiny. No other information was shared with said triangle at this time. It was a mystery.
Once I parked and stopped the engine, the words you see above flashed up in the Mini's gigantic central display. Still not very specific, is it? So, I went digging through the car's various menus to see what I could find. I managed to dig this up:
Talk about inscrutable. We'll get it checked out. I suppose in that respect the alert achieved its desired end result.
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper has a three-cylinder turbocharged engine. This is certainly unusual today, but in a few years three-cylinder mills will be ubiquitous.
What is the Mini's three-cylinder engine like to live with? Hit the jump.
The first thing you need to know is that this little engine (all 1.5 liters of it) has an impressive amount of grunt. It delivers plenty of torque and has zero trouble keeping up with or passing traffic. It's punchy even, although it tends to run out of steam near redline just when you're thinking it's on a real tear. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly this thing moves out.
Quick though it may be, it doesn't sound very good. It emits a kind of grumbly indifference, though at a cruise it mellows out nicely.
Okay, but what about vibration? Three-cylinder engines are notorious for shaking like paint mixers. Well, forget about that, because the Mini's I-3 is smooth. Very smooth. Shockingly smooth. Whatever balance shaft and engine mount magic BMW's engineers developed for this engine has really paid off. Only when the engine restarts (it has stop-start) does the engine betray its nature with a lumpy shudder. Once the crankshaft rotation reaches idle speed the smoothy-smooth-smoothness is back.
As an aside, I'm not sure why the marketers decided "TwinPower" was an appropriate moniker for a three-cylinder engine with one turbo. Any theories?
Here's something that bugs me about our long-term Mini: the center console. On one hand, I'm glad there's a handbrake instead of a button or pedal, so I can reenact scenes from the Italian Job. Ahhh, Charlize... Where was I? Oh, right, the Mini. The problem is, it doesn't clear the armrest. And the issues don't stop there.
The armrest is hinged at the rear so it'll flip up out of the way. Lift the handbrake and it bumps into the armrest. Every time I drop the handbrake I also have to lower the armrest in order to operate the iDrive-like controller because the dial is mounted a bit too low to reach, otherwise.
Seems to me that Mini should have shaped the armrest to accommodate the handbrake, or vice versa. Or perhaps they could have positioned the iDrive-y controller in a better spot?
Jay posted about the odd "Drivetrain: Check Soon" warning on our 2014 Mini Cooper. The car said it was okay to drive, so we did. We drove it to Long Beach Mini to find out what was going on...
As it turned out, our advisor didn't have much of an explanation. "Mini issued a software update last week that might fix your problem," he told us, but didn't know exactly what it updated. He added, "Your car is not the first we've seen with this problem recently. Some of the other cars stopped running when they got the warning light. It's good that didn't happen to yours."
Our car required an overnight stay to complete the work, which included two open service campaigns:
100112770300 — Update software for US-spec control units.
0071120200 — Install a new self-locking flange nut to attach the spare tire.
Codes were cleared, nuts were torqued and we were on our way. No charge for the work, as all was covered under warranty.
We've driven just 1,300 miles (the Mini loaner arrived with miles on the odometer) and already a warning light. It's a tough way to start. Here's hoping it's trouble-free for the remainder of our test.
Go-kart or slow-kart?
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper is powered by a 1.5-liter, turbocharged three-cylinder engine. This is the new base engine for the Mini (it's also the same basic motor that provides half the sauce for the BMW i8) and though it only produces 134 horsepower, thanks to the responsive throttle and the 162 pound-feet of torque, it's really fun to drive.
Despite the lack of cylinders, this motor's more potent than the lump it replaces. The old base motor was a 1.6-liter, naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine that put out 121 horsepower and 114 pound-feet of torque. In Edmunds performance testing, a base Cooper hardtop with that engine took 8.9 seconds to reach 60 mph, It weighed in at 2,542 pounds. Our long-term Cooper hardtop tips the scales at 2,807 pounds, but it made the sprint to 60 in just 7.3 seconds. That doesn't exactly make the Mini a rocketship, but by three-cylinder standards it's pretty impressive.
The 2014 Ford Fiesta is available with a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder and the 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage comes standard with a 1.2-liter three cylinder. Those cars took 9.3 and 11.7 seconds, respectively, to get to 60 mph. Sure, they're tuned with fuel economy in mind, but the Mini does pretty well there too. It's rated at 33 mpg combined compared to the Fiesta's 36 and the Mirage's 37. Combine the Mini's three-banger with the electric powertrain in the larger, more powerful i8 and you get 28 mpg combined (or 76 MPGe with the electric motor) and 357 horsepower.
But let's face it, nobody drives around at full-throttle all the time. Around town, you can hear a muffled rumble from the Mini's engine bay at low RPM and it's got more than enough low-end torque to keep up with impatient Los-Angeles commuter traffic. The Mini redlines at 6,500 rpm but its sweet spot at about 4k, before it seemingly runs out of torque and the power drops off dramatically. In the canyons, this makes it feel fantastic, eagerly climbing up hills and maneuvering through chicanes. There's no need to bang off the redline around every corner, so you can stay right in the Mini's preferred powerband. Even with the base motor, this Cooper feels sharp. It definitely embodies the go-kart cliché.
More than a few folks welcomed our 2014 Mini Cooper to the long-term fleet with raised eyebrows and incredulity. "Why would you spend $33,095 on a base Mini Cooper?" they wondered.
I'm here to lay it out for you.
First, the brand-new base 1.5-liter turbo three is no slouch. This is not the slug you may have encountered before. The new mill makes 134 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque, and our automatic-equipped version recently scooted to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds.
That's about 2 seconds quicker than last-year's 1.6-liter base car with an automatic. Suddenly the more-powerful Cooper S is no longer the knee-jerk upgrade it once was. That's even true if you live at altitude, because the 2014 base engine now has a blower just like its stronger sibling.
And the 1.5-liter turbo is less thirsty, too. Our automatic is rated at 33 32 mpg Combined (29 28 City/40 39 Highway), which is 2 mpg better on the highway than the thriftiest base manual-equipped version of last year's car. It's also 2 mpg better than a 2014 Cooper S automatic in a combined sense and 4 mpg thriftier on the highway.
If we were comparing manual to manual the 2014 base Cooper's advantage over the 2014 Cooper S would be 5 mpg city and combined and a full 6 mpg on the highway. It's hard to ignore 34 33 mpg Combined (30 29 City/42 40 Highway) versus 29 28 Combined (25 24 City/38 34 Highway) when you're talking about an entry-level engine that can now dish out plenty of merging and passing power.
For us, there really wasn't much of a choice. We simply had to try out the new base Cooper engine. But it's true we could have one for as little as $20,745.
Why so much more?
We consciously chose to try out the automatic this time around. More shoppers buy them (even in Mini-land) and we wanted to live with one on the basis that the little engine that could, could. This selection added $1,250 and brought the price up to $21,995.
Everything else is there because Mini has a long list of available options that are available on any new Cooper or Cooper S, and probably on the next go-round of every other model in its lineup, too.
But we can't try things like LED headlights, vastly improved navigation, parallel parking assistance, Harman Kardon audio, the big sunroof and other options if we don't load them onto our test cars. A stripped example with nothing on it doesn't help readers that might be interested to read how some of this stuff pans out. So, in the interest of science (and heated leather seats), we went a little nuts. If this were my own personal Cooper I'm sure I could have stopped at about $25,000 or $26,000 and been thoroughly satisfied.
That said, the new entry-level 1.5-liter turbo engine doesn't drive like the el-cheapo version. There's enough grunt to allow a new kind of Mini math: Take the money you would have spent on a Cooper S (and the fuel to feed it) and plow it into options on a 2014 Mini Cooper instead.
That's the theory I'm working on, at any rate. To me that's the heart of the story of the 2014 Mini Cooper.
Editors Note: Mini Cooper window sticker ratings were lowered by the EPA just one day after this was originally published. The mpg numbers in this article have been updated accordingly. But the Cooper versus Cooper S point is perhaps even more valid. The numbers are generally lower, so the Cooper's advantage is actually greater on a percentage basis. And the Cooper manual is now 6 mpg better on the highway than a Cooper S manual, up from 5 mpg better.
Sure, the 2014 Mini Cooper is a small car. It's right there in the name and everything.
It's very unlikely the Mini Cooper will ever be named the Official Car of Costco. This is nothing like a Tardis. It's small on the inside, too.
But it's not nearly as small as you'd think, and nowhere near as small as last year's model. Last week I was able to do a fair amount of errand-running and item-toting in ours thanks to a laundry list of improvements over the previous model.
For the record, that's one of those large 34-pound bags of dog food on the right and a medium-sized 17.5-pound bag on the left. No sweat.
They fit easily because there's a lot more space behind the rear seats than there ever used to be. The 2014 Mini Cooper has 8.7 cubic feet of room for stuff back here, up from just 5.7 cubic feet last year.
Some of this is due to a basement level beneath the rear floor, which can either be removed outright or folded up and snapped against the rear seatbacks.
This movable floor can also be laid flat at one of two levels.
The higher of the two choices is dead even with the new fold-flat rear seatbacks.
Said seatbacks are now split into 60-percent and 40-percent portions instead of 50/50, which gives results in more load floor width to work with when you have but a single passenger back there.
These new rear headrests flop over in place to better clear the front seatbacks during the folding operation, and said seatbacks have generous knee-clearance sculpting that helps the process along.
The result is a full 38 cubic feet of maximum seats-down cargo space, up from just 24 cubic feet in years past. That works out to a massive 58-percent increase in cargo space for the 2014 Mini Cooper.
Maybe Costco runs aren't out of the question after all, so long as you control yourself. Oh, right. Never mind.
Small cars like the 2014 Mini Cooper are appealing for a variety of reasons, not least of which is their potential for good fuel economy. But earlier this week the EPA forced BMW/Mini to downgrade the MPG figures on all 2014 Mini Cooper and Mini Cooper S window stickers as shown above.
Our 1.5-liter turbo automatic appears on the second line. It lost 1 mpg in each of the three rating categories. All three other Cooper variants suffered the same 1-mpg loss in the all-important Combined category, but things look worse for them because they took a hit of 2 to 4 mpg in the marquee Highway test.
The EPA says this came about after it "performed a fuel economy audit on the BMW Mini Cooper and obtained values that differed from those BMW submitted to EPA for certification." In short, EPA ran a spot check on its own dyno and got a different result.
BMW was then asked to repeat its internal tests with EPA oversight. Meanwhile, the EPA ran another set of tests in parallel on its own dyno in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The end result boils down to this statement: "The EPA is requiring BMW to re-label four of its Mini Cooper models with lower fuel economy values."
But that's not quite the whole story...
In the midst of this I stumbled upon the fuel economy ratings of the 2015 Mini Cooper while checking to see if the downrated 2014 Mini Cooper numbers had already appeared on the EPA's fueleconomy.gov website. The 2014 changes were there, but the weird part was the 2015 Mini Cooper ratings were even lower.
What's up with that? I fired off an e-mail to a Mini representative to find out.
He told me this apparent second downgrade for 2015 doesn't reflect an actual reduction in efficiency or a calibration change on the 2015 Mini Cooper coupe. It came out that way because the 2015 Mini Cooper lineup now includes a longer and heavier 4-door version, and the 2-door and 4-door share the same EPA certification.
In other words, the 2015 label is based on a sales-weighted average of the Mini Cooper 2-door we know today and the new 2015 Mini Cooper 4-door. I don't yet understand why they aren't certified separately.
So even though the 2015 Mini Cooper 2-door looks less efficient than a 2014 Mini Cooper on paper, it shouldn't perform any differently than a 2014 model. The 4-door, well, that's another matter. It has to be thirstier if it dragged the average down.
The situation is like that of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. They share the same rating even though one is substantially longer and heavier than the other. The smaller one is getting hosed while the bigger one catches a break.
See also Edmunds News: BMW Drops Fuel Economy Figures for Four 2014 Mini Cooper Models
I listen to a lot of podcasts. I play them when I'm getting ready in the morning, on my commute, when I'm doing chores and when I'm working out. When I first played one on the Edmunds long-term 2014 Mini Cooper, I wasn't sure it was working. The volume was too low. Duh, right? Problem was, when I turned up the volume, I still had trouble hearing it.
In case you think I'm hard of hearing, let me explain.
I was listening to the podcast via Bluetooth audio. See how high the volume is turned up in the photo above? This was a comfortable volume with the windows up, and no AC on. But if I wanted to crack a window or drive on the highway, the podcast was blotted out by competing noises. My podcast ended and I later switched over to the radio. The speakers blasted me with a wave of sound appropriate for the volume being up at 90 percent. This happened to me a couple of times over the weekend. If I wasn't hard of hearing before, I am now.
The issue seems to be isolated to auxiliary audio sources. I tested it with my iPhone wired via USB and had the same issue. Satellite and terrestrial radio sounded just fine. I'm not sure this is a defect in the system. My guess is that the Mini's audio system has a poor streaming component. I've run into this on other cars before. This is why it's important to test systems you frequently use on a car, such as Bluetooth and navigation, when going for a test-drive. I'm not sure this streaming volume issue would be a deal breaker for a Mini buyer, though. It's still a fun car.
I have one more nit to pick with the Mini's audio interface. The control knob turns the wrong way, counter clock-wise. In other words, you turn it to the left to scroll down. I never seem to get used to this. It reminds me of plugging in a USB cable: nine times out of 10, you have it turned the wrong way. Same goes for this control knob.
The only other automaker I can think of that does this is Audi and even that carmaker has seen the error of its ways and will have a traditional clockwise turning knob on its upcoming TT.
What makes this more puzzling is that Mini is essentially using BMW components and the same user interface for its infotainment system. Perhaps it was deliberately programmed this way as a "quirky" way of breaking from the norm.
What would bother you more, low streaming volume? Or the counterintuitive knob?
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper isn't plush. The ride quality is constantly busy, feeling stiff-legged over all of those minor road imperfections. This became a trait of the BMW Mini so many years ago when the decision was made to adopt run-flat tires.
But I don't know if the run-flat tire excuse is really valid anymore.
Run-flat tires (RFTs) have come a long way. While in the past they had iron-like sidewalls (and rode like it), the RFTs used today in other modern cars are able to mask this characteristic to the point that you might not even guess they're RFTs.
Yet our 2014 Mini, equipped with run-flat ContiSportContact 3 SSR summer tires, still rides like it's on old-school RFTs. This is unfortunate, as the Mini's apparently nervous and fidgety ride is tiresome and doesn't inspire confidence.
I'll say this though: it's deceptive. Even though you grimace and grit your teeth in anticipation of what you expect to be a major ker-THWACK upon seeing a big, nasty road imperfection looming ahead, it never really happens. This Mini is better at soaking up the big hits than its usual ride quality suggests. You think it's going to get knocked several inches off line, but it stays glued. Despite the aforementioned routine ride quality, this new car seems to have a bit more suspension travel and/or tuning finesse than previous Minis.
October has come and gone, and with it our 2014 Mini Cooper has covered a little more than 1,000 miles. We're still coming to grips with our Mini, which is a nice way to say we're still nailing the throttle at every opportunity to hear this rorty little three-cylinder do its business. Well ok, maybe that's just me.
You know the drill.
Using the revised fuel economy figures, the ones mandated by the EPA, and covered by Dan here, we're still quite behind where we should be. While our worst fill got worser, and our best fill got bester, our average stayed just about the same. Fun cars always suffer in the city, but a couple of honest highway trips should determine if that 39 MPG number is attainable.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 33.6
Average Lifetime MPG: 24.7
EPA MPG Rating (revised): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 236 miles
Current Odometer: 3,905 miles
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! The manual gear indictor within the instrument panel (can you even see it in this photo?) of the 2014 Mini Cooper is the smallest ever created.
It's possible that could be an exaggeration, but certainly it's one of the smallest (and no cracks about my eyesight getting worse with age). Plus, the readout is in a sea of other numbers, including the digital speedo, time and temp. Not sure if anyone else cares, but I think it should be bigger, especially in a car like this new Cooper, which has the kind of dynamics that make you want to drive it with some aggression. And drive it in Manual mode.
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper only picked up 1,336 miles in November 2014, but still raised its lifetime average one full mile per gallon from 24.7 to 25.7.
This was no thanks to yours truly, as I got about 20 mpg while the car was in my care. That's a pretty low number, but the actual driving portion of my 20-mile commute is short. Also, some well-meaning editor who had driven the Mini previously disabled the start-stop feature, and the car remembers that preference on startup, and it didn't dawn on me to turn it back on. Had it dawned on me, though, I might still have left it off for the sake of sanity. Once traffic cleared, the gas pedal got a great deal closer to the carpet.
But never mind me. In the hands of other editors, the Mini touched 30 mpg twice this month and was consistently in the high 20s. Of course that's way off the pace set by the car's EPA fuel economy rating. But I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect big fuel mileage out of this engine: First and foremost, this turbo three-cylinder is a major power upgrade for the Mini Cooper. Quite simply, it's the best base engine this car has ever had, and it's far easier to drive in traffic than, say, the supercharged 1.6-liter in the 2002 Cooper S.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 33.6
Average Lifetime MPG: 25.7
EPA MPG Rating (revised): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 271.1 miles
Current Odometer: 5,047 miles
I've wanted a Mini Cooper since about late 2001 but never bought one. That was probably a mistake. Now I am married, and we have a 7-month-old, so I won't be getting one anytime soon. (I have no interest in the larger Minis with four doors, by the way.) Instead, I decided to sign out our 2014 Mini Cooper over the Thanksgiving holidays, hoping I could make it work for such a short period of time.
And the good news is that I can. My daughter will get her first ride in a Mini Cooper this week.
It certainly helps that our rear-facing infant car seat (fits babies under 22 pounds), a Maxi Cosi Mico, has a reputation for fitting well in small cars. Although access to the backseat is never going to be great in a two-door car, the Mini's easy-entry feature works well enough that I was able to climb all the way into the back and put my knee on the car seat's base to tighten it down.
If you've never installed a car seat, well, infant car seats have a separate plastic base with two metal clips that attach to the lower LATCH anchor points in a car. You need to get it snug enough that there's less than 1 inch of movement if you try to wiggle the base. The actual seat snaps onto the base.
I should note that not only are the Mini's lower LATCH anchors easy to find, the actual metal fittings are deeply recessed in the seat. Not only does this give you an opportunity to get the car seat base really snug against the seat, it lessens the chance that an adult or older child riding in the backseat would ever rub up against the metal.
Although our 2014 Cooper's dished seat is on the narrow side, it was just wide enough to accommodate the Maxi Cosi's base, which rests nice and flat against it. And I was able to get the correct angle (there's an angle indicator on the car seat itself) without using a towel.
Getting the seat into the Mini's backseat is the tricky part. The basket handle has to be down to wedge through the doorway, but then it has to come back up if you want to set the front-passenger seat in a position fit for a human being, and still lock the car seat's handle back into place. At this point, my daughter is almost 20 pounds so finagling the seat into the car while she's in it is not really workable. So my solution is to leave the seat in the car and load her from the driver's side.
How's the room in the front-passenger seat? Uh, not bad, sort of. At 5 feet, 10 inches, I can sit there without my knees touching the dash, but my thighs are elevated off the seat-bottom cushion and the seat-back has to be very upright. But then, I'm impressed that I can sit there at all.
We're in the process of transitioning the kiddo to a larger convertible car seat. One of the seats I've purchased is a Safety 1st Guide 65, which is supposed to fit well in smaller cars like my better half's 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX. I plan to install that in the Mini later this week and I'll report back.
I passed the 5,000-mile mark in our 2014 Mini Cooper over the November holidays and never even noticed until I refueled. I wasn't surprised really, because although the analog speedometer is properly located in front of the driver in this generation of the Cooper, I grew accustomed to using the trip computer's digital speedo display in the previous Cooper. When you bring up this display, you don't see the odometer readout. So 5,000 miles came and went without fanfare.
Still, there's plenty to celebrate in the third generation of the modern Mini Cooper.
This is by far the best base engine ever to find its way to a Mini Cooper. No, this turbocharged three-cylinder isn't very revvy, but who cares when you have so much useful torque at such low rpm? (Actually, I know a few people who would care, people who would complain about this engine's relatively narrow power band, but they're not people who would buy a base Cooper.) Point is, this is the first base Mini Cooper I've driven that really isn't any work to drive. You just press that right pedal and the power is there. And our 7.4-second 0-to-60-mph time reflects this reality.
Of course, I'd love to have the six-speed manual transmission just for kicks, but I could live with this six-speed automatic transmission. The power delivery is not so smooth at low speeds, as if the Mini engineers wanted this car to feel quicker than it really is. I imagine that I could do a better job of sorting that out if I had the manual and, consequently, full control over the shift points.
Ride quality, I feel, has also advanced in this generation of Mini Cooper. Indeed, this is still a noisy little car that has all occupants sitting very near the wheels (which are still wrapped in run-flat rubber), and with the $33K as-tested price on our long-term car, maybe the Mini hardtop doesn't have a right to be this noisy anymore.
But the ride is more compliant, more relaxed and more like a big car. That bite-size Mini feel is a thing of the past, but 2002 was a long time ago, and now that I have a sleeping kid in the backseat, I can't say I mind that extra measure of cushioning.
If good things come in small packages, does that mean the slightly larger 2014 Mini Cooper has lost some of its playful spirit?
Not at all. It's still a bundle of fun wrapped up in a small car. Despite being highly revised for 2014, the Mini retains its sporty character and eternal cuteness.
Our long-term Mini Cooper does not have the Sport suspension, but it still rides plenty stiff, which I don't mind at all. While you may feel like you're bouncing around a little on the freeway, the Mini maintains its composure. Its eager steering keeps you engaged as it enthusiastically follows even your slightest movement of the steering wheel.
The word pert comes to mind. But you can trust it to not get too raucous.
What's your favorite small car?
It was 8:00 a.m. as I started up the 2014 Mini Cooper for a coffee run. L'Amande Bakery in Torrance makes the most wonderful cafe au lait, breads and croissants. They are worth braving the morning chill air to get the French yummy goodness.
But our Mini gave me a low tire pressure warning as I drove down my street. Our Mini is equipped with run-flats so you can't tell by looking at them which one is low. And the Mini wasn't telling me which tire to check, and all its pressure warnings on screen were blank.
I consulted the manual which told me to add air to the tires, then run the tire pressure reset procedure. I went to the gas station, checked the pressures which were reading low on all the tires, and added air to the Mini's specifications. They suggest 35 psi. According to the station's gauge, the Mini tires were all about 25-28. I added air to all of the tires as close to 35 psi as I could get using the station's gauge.
Then the manual and the in-car messages told me to drive around while the car makes a reading. This takes an uncomfortably long time for a car that may have a tire issue. It counts from 0-100% and the car needs to be moving. It took about 10 trips around the block to get through it.
According to the car, the tires were all between 34.3-35.5 psi (not bad for a self-serve station gauge). I then made my trip to the coffee shop to see how they would hold up. They seemed to be fine. The weather was cold and wet so maybe that contributed to the low psi reading just enough to fire off the warning. But we'll be keeping an eye on the tires and will double-check the pressures with our own gauge at the office.
In my last update I reported that after getting a low-tire warning in our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper I followed the car's instructions to fill up the tires and run its in-car diagnostics.
This happened on a Friday morning, and for the rest of the weekend the tires were fine, no more warnings received. I even drove the Mini at freeway speeds on the way to work Monday morning and all was well.
I figured when I found all four tires were low, the problem was more likely to be someone balancing the tires with a faulty gauge than actually being a problem with all four tires at once.
I know not everyone likes run-flats, but if I did have a problem, the Mini owner's manual said I would be able to continue driving for approximately 50 miles at speeds below 50 mph.
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper has keyless ignition. Great, there's no need to fish the key fob dingus from one's pocket/purse/jacket/hair! Just walk up to the Mini, get in and fire it up! The ultimate in convenience!
However, our Mini doesn't have keyless entry. So one has to fish the key fob dingus from one's pocket/purse/jacket/hair anyway. And considering that the dingus ultimately ends up in one's hand anyway, keyless ignition winds up being, well, kinda dumb.
It's true, in the absence of keyless entry, keyless ignition is fairly useless. In the Mini's case, keyless ignition is standard equipment. Keyless entry (Comfort Access) was a stand-alone option on our 2014 model year car but was not in the Premium Package (for 2015, Comfort Access is now offered as part of the Premium Package or as a stand-alone option).
Everything about the interior of our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper looks and feels expensive. From the flat wood trim to the piping on the seats to the chrome bezels on the gauges, the Mini's interior is undeniably impressive, even for the Mini's $33,000 as-tested sticker price.
Every time I drive the little hardtop I think, "This interior would not be out of place in a $60,000 luxury car."
Even the Mini's storage bins are extraordinary. Watch the video on the next page and you'll see what I mean.
Notice how the bin door is damped perfectly and moves on its complex hinges. Cool stuff. And it's a small but wonderful example of why the Mini is so desirable. This little car is filled with such engineering and artistic excellence.
I wish more automakers would put this much sweat into the details.
We accumulated 1,278 miles on our 2014 Mini Cooper in the month of December, which was 500 miles short of our monthly mileage goal. Despite this, we achieved a best single-tank range of 316 miles and increased our lifetime average to 26.4 mpg. Take the jump to see lifetime fuel economy figures...
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 33.6
Average Lifetime MPG: 26.4
EPA MPG Rating (revised): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 316.2 miles
Current Odometer: 6,670 miles
The last time I drove our 2014 Mini Cooper, I was delighted to find that my daughter's rear-facing infant seat would fit in the backseat. But that was two months ago, and now I'm dealing with a larger child who rides in a convertible car seat.
For any non-parents out there, convertible seats have a five-point harness and are used from infancy through the preschool years. They are "convertible" in that you can install them front- or rear-facing. Right now, my kid is rear-facing and because of the way you have to angle the seat, this type of installation is very space-intensive. In other words, no more legroom for the front passenger.
After installing my gigantic First Years True Fit C680 SI in our Jeep Cherokee and our Nissan Rogue, I didn't even bother trying to squeeze it into the Mini. It would have been an ordeal even to get that big seat through the door opening. Fortunately, I have a back-up car seat that's a whole lot more compact and it fits well in our 2014 Mini Cooper.
And maybe the best news of all is that I can still fit in the front-passenger seat with the seat installed. I just fit, of course. And I wouldn't ride here for trips longer than 30 minutes, but I do fit, which is cool.
My back-up convertible seat is a Safety 1st Guide 65. It's made by Dorel Juvenile Group, which is the same team of engineers that designed my kid's Maxi-Cosi Mico infant seat (which I really liked), so even though I only paid $80 before tax, there's some peace of mind to be had there. I bought the seat primarily because I wanted to make sure we had something that would fit in our 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan. Secondarily, I wanted a smaller, lighter seat we could travel with and that wasn't so expensive I'd be sad if the airline baggage handlers threw it around a bit.
Save for its adjustable headrest, it's not a deluxe seat, and it has basic metal LATCH connectors. That said, getting it installed in the 2014 Mini Cooper is difficult only because there's not a lot of space in which to maneuver while you're tightening the LATCH strap and simultaneously compressing the seat. This isn't an operation you'd want to be doing every day or even every week. If I owned the Mini, I would install this seat once and leave it be until I was ready to switch it to forward-facing.
You'll notice that I used a pool noodle to achieve the proper angle. This is nothing to do with the Mini, really, because I think with this seat, you'd need a noodle or a rolled-up towel in pretty much any backseat. Also, as the government notes in its ease of use rating for the Guide 65, routing the LATCH belt through the rear-facing belt path is a real pain if you have larger hands, which I do.
Still, I would certainly recommend this particular convertible car seat to any parent with a 2014 Mini Cooper (or another really small car), simply because it fits quite well. The Combi Coccoro is another tiny-car-friendly seat that comes up on Mini owners' forums. But it's quite a bit more expensive than my Safety 1st seat, so I doubt I'd spend the extra money unless this Mini was my primary baby-transport vehicle and I wanted a prettier car seat.
The use of headlights is required either when it is raining or when the wipers are in "continuous use" in 23 U.S. states. A further 11 require headlight use during periods of "adverse weather," which to me implies rain, which in turn implies wipers. Do the math and we're talking about 34 of 50 states.
Wait, what are we talking about? The automatic headlights in our 2014 Mini Cooper are tied in to the windshield wiper switch. They're programmed to come on whenever the windshield wipers are on.
"What about the DRLs?" you may be asking.
They don't count. I asked. Daytime running lights are oftentimes weak. And when they're on the taillights and side marker lights are not. It's not about you, the driver, being able to see. It's about being seen, about not being rear-ended or T-boned when your car's outline gets lost in the spray.
It took me awhile to work this out. Last week I drove into a driving rain squall that cloaked the cars ahead in spray. With taillights off they were nearly invisible. Was I appearing the same to those behind? I couldn't tell, so I manually switched my headlights on to make sure.
Back home, the manual was no help. I couldn't find a reference that spelled out if the Mini had this feature or not. The on-screen settings menus made no mention of it, either.
A few minutes of hopping in and out of the car with various combinations of wiper and headlight switch position confirmed that, yes, the headlights and taillights do come on about 5 seconds after you switch the wipers on, just enough delay to avoid an unwanted flash if you tug the stalk for a single wipe.
It makes sense. It's a good feature to have, and the BMW and Mini headquarters are in New Jersey, one of the 23 states that require headlight use when the wipers are on.
Is your state one of them? Find out at the AAA Digest of Motor Laws webpage.
My most vivid memory of the first generation of the new Mini Cooper is a frantic freeway commute. I was late for an off-site meeting, or thought I was. It turned out I had my days mixed up and I arrived to find the hotel taken over by a political fundraiser. Not my kind of crowd. I was so relieved. But I've never before (or since) had so much fun being stressed out trying to get somewhere. Our (very) old long-term 2002 Mini Cooper S was in its element in cutthroat traffic situations.
No, it wasn't very potent below 4,000 rpm. Nor was it especially comfortable or well made (the rubber pads were always coming off the pedals), but it had quick steering and the visibility was amazing. The glass area was huge and I could see the corners of the car and this was very empowering. It was like the old days that I never lived. I loved every minute of it.
When I get into our 2014 Mini Cooper (yeah, that's how it looks when you enter the cockpit from my driveway in the morning sun), I realize how much time has passed since November 2001. I find myself measuring the passage of time by the reduction in visibility.
When I compare interior photos of the three generations of the modern Mini Cooper, it's hard to see how the sight lines have changed. But there's no denying it when you're sitting in the cars, or looking at all three generations side by side.
2011 Mini Cooper (second generation)
2005 Mini Cooper (first generation)
I noticed a difference when the Mini hardtop was redesigned for 2007. I couldn't see out of it quite as well. But overall, the visibility was still very, very good. I could still spot the corners of the hood from the driver seat. I still felt like I was driving a small superhero of a car even though I knew the hood was taller.
Sitting down in our 2014 Mini Cooper is a wholly different experience. It's roomy and more accommodating than its forbears, for sure, but I have no idea how big this car is from the driver seat. I know it's still a small car, but I don't feel it anymore. I could be driving something as small as a Fiat 500 or as large as a Honda Civic, but since I can't see to the end of the Mini's longer, taller nose, I just don't feel as definite about its proportions.
And so I don't feel as confident or as fearless as I'm threading it through traffic. I drive this Mini more conservatively and I have a bit less fun. Which is maybe as it should be since I am now a parent. But I'm not sure the Mini Cooper should have been allowed to grow old right along with me.
There is only one thing worse than a troubling car sound. And that's a troubling car sound you can't replicate.
I was driving our 2014 Mini Cooper from Long Beach to Irvine at 6:00 a.m., and from the Mini's right rear, I heard a high-pitched, whistling whine that I usually associate with someone else's car in need of a power-steering fluid transfusion. But as I accelerated away from the car I thought had the problem, the pitch rose and stayed with me. I realized it wasn't someone else's car, but the Mini. The whine persisted throughout the trip whenever I exceeded 40 mph.
The whine wasn't coming from the engine compartment and the steering felt normal, so I preliminarily ruled out the power steering as the culprit. On the return trip, I turned off the radio and listened again. Same thing, an airy whining noise with variable pitch. At home, I checked some Mini discussion boards, and came across this, in reply to a very similar complaint:
"My hatch whistles sometimes when it is especially dry outside and the seals don't stick 100%. My driver's door does it too, sometimes."
The author recommended using some Mothers Back-to-Black trim treatment or peanut oil to lubricate the rubber around the front windows and around the hatch. "My Mini hasn't whistled all summer," the writer concluded.
Peanut-oil-averse vehicle testing manager Mike Schmidt offered me different advice:
"Here are some questions I'd have to try and diagnose it. Is it a whistle like wind? Or is it a whine like gearing? Is it completely absent below 40? Does it change if you crack a window? Most importantly, is there a condition under which you can recreate it 100 percent of the time, or near that? That's where I'd start."
Let's hear it for the scientific method. As luck would have it, I could not recreate the sound, not in the same conditions (early morning, temperatures in the mid-50s) or at any other time or temperature. Windows up, down or cracked. Nada. As Schmidt says, no replication, no chance of repair. All we can do now is see if the noise recurs.
How do you diagnose atypical noises in your car?
January loaded up another 1,500 miles onto our 2014 Mini Cooper but it didn't move the needle (ha!) (sorry) in terms of fuel economy. The Mini is still punching well below its EPA mpg rating on all fronts. Maybe it's the ebb and flow of L.A.'s traffic. Maybe it's just too much fun to drive...fun-like. Or maybe the EPA's rating is completely wrong.
The numbers are on the other side.
Up 0.1 from last month, our lifetime average is now 26.3 but that's still nearly 6.0 mpg off where the EPA thinks we should be in combined driving. We did push our best fill up to 34.4 but, again, that is still considerably below the EPA's highway number. Maybe we need a road trip. Maybe we need more realistic EPA ratings for this thing.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 34.4
Average Lifetime MPG: 26.3
EPA MPG Rating (revised): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 316.2 miles
Current Odometer: 7,905 miles
Remember when I said our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper's three-cylinder turbocharged engine was, and I quote:
"...smooth. Very smooth. Shockingly smooth. Whatever balance shaft and engine mount magic BMW's engineers developed for this engine has really paid off. Only when the engine restarts (it has stop-start) does the engine betray its nature with a lumpy shudder. Once the crankshaft rotation reaches idle speed the smoothy-smooth-smoothness is back."
Well, yeah. About that.
There are other times when the Mini's is uncharacteristically coarse. It happened when I fired it up first thing in the morning and got underway, and at the first traffic signal 100 yards away as it rolled to halt. That's when I noticed it. It was a thrumminess that I'd not observed previously.
A few seconds later, like a switch, the coarseness stopped. Just like that, it was back to its usual unusually-smooth (for a 3-cyl) self. All while I waited at the red light.
So, what's going on here? First off, it's completely normal. During a cold start modern engines run very retarded ignition timing in order to introduce additional heat into the exhaust stream. More specifically, to help light off the catalyst, which needs to cross a certain threshold temperature before it functions in earnest.
This highly retarded ignition timing results in increased combustion instability during idling conditions. In other words, each combustion chamber's "burn" wants to do its own thing, relatively speaking. There's a wider variation in output among all cylinders, and also a wider variation in each cylinder's output from one burn to the next.
This combustion instability manifests itself to the vehicle's occupants as rougher operation.
Once the engine controller is satisfied that the catalyst is lit off (a decision that involves the input of air temperature sensors, the oxygen sensor, coolant temperature sensor and more), it switches the ignition timing out of cold start mode and reverts to a less-retarded ignition calibration. It's a switchover you notice in the Mini, more so than in some other cars.
Normally, a subcompact car with a fairly upright profile and a three-cylinder engine would not be an example of an agreeable highway companion. But this new-generation 2014 Mini Cooper hatchback is more refined than ever before. And compared to many other small cars we've tested recently, our Mini Cooper is actually one of the quieter vehicles out there.
I logged about 250 miles, and during that time the Cooper seemed pretty quiet to me. Once I was back at the office, I looked up our instrumented testing numbers for a decibel reading at 70 mph. Sure enough, we recorded a 64.0 db rating for our Mini Cooper. That's better than cars like the Honda Fit (66.2) and Toyota Yaris (68.2), which I suppose I'd expect given the Mini's higher price and upscale status. But it is right in the mix with the Volkswagen Beetle, Golf and GTI (all of which are in the 63-65 db range), the Mercedes CLA250 (65.1) or even our long-term BMW 328i Gran Turismo (64 db).
The Mini Cooper does have that stiff-legged ride that Jason Kavanagh wrote about previously but, like he said, the big impacts aren't as big as they used to be. There's also the reduced outward visibility on this generation car. But on the upside, I found our car's sport seats and driving position to be comfortable.
At least from a comfort standpoint, long road trips should be pretty feasible in our new Cooper hatchback.
If you have kids, Mini offers a couple of family friendlier vehicles these days: the Cooper Countryman crossover, which has been out since 2011, and the four-door Cooper hatchback, which is new for 2015. But if you want to stay traditional in your choice of Mini Coopers, the two-door hatchback might still work out all right. I've come to that conclusion after taking my two kids to school each day for about a week.
I remember a former Edmunds employee purchased a 2002 Mini Cooper back in the day and his wife carted their young kids around in it, so, yeah, I'm not really doing anything new here. But this new generation Cooper hatchback is bigger than both previous generations. In the interior, the size increase mostly shows up in the hatchback's improved cargo capacity, but rear seat legroom is up a bit, too. The 2015 car has 30.8 inches of rear legroom compared to 29.9 inches for a 2013 example.
Of course, 30.8 inches still isn't much, but when you're dealing with little kids, incremental changes can make a difference. Pictured in the photo is my four-year-old son. When I position the driver seat for me (I'm 5-feet 10-inches tall), there's enough room for my son's feet behind the seat, albeit just barely. The way his feet have to stick out actually takes up about the same amount of room that my seven-year-old needs over in her booster seat. The front seats also slide forward enough to provide a decent-sized walkthrough to let the kids in and out of the car and their seats.
If you're wondering about child safety seat fitment, I'll point you to Erin Riches' earlier update about fitting a rear-facing child safety seat in our Mini Cooper.
Driving our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper around town can be fun, but it's not until you hit up a road like the one pictured that you can fully enjoy the Mini experience. As the ad tagline goes, "let's motor."
Even though our test car is just a base Cooper hatchback with an automatic transmission, it still has more spirit than most other subcompact or compact hatchbacks. It responds quickly to your steering inputs and feels pretty flat and stable when you're going around turns. Our car is also equipped with the optional 17-inch wheels and summer tires, and that certainly helps overall grip.
Along this driving road, though, I did find that the car seemed too subdued for my tastes in its default driving modes. Selecting the Sport mode, which adjusts the steering, transmission and gas pedal responsiveness, helps it liven up, as does using the dynamic setting for the traction control. The transmission also has its own Sport mode, but I actually like using the gear selector for manual upshifts and downshifts as it has a pretty solid feel to it.
If I owned a Mini Cooper, I think I'd often be finding excuses to take the long way home.
One of the design changes for the new-generation 2014 Mini Cooper was the elimination of the distinctive, but often unloved, oversized speedometer right smack in the middle of the dash. This time around, all Coopers have a circular outline fitted with a display screen and buttons. Base 2014 and 2015 Coopers get a basic audio display screen, but when you upgrade to the Mini Connected option (available as a stand-alone option or as part of certain packages such as the Media or Wired packages) you get a larger 6.5-inch screen and a variety of technology upgrades.
Our long-term car has the Mini Connected system. If you're familiar with the newest versions of BMW's iDrive, you'll also quickly realize that Mini's Connected system is just the Mini version of iDrive. I, for one, happen to think this is a pretty good deal.
Mini was offering Mini Connected in the previous-generation Cooper as well, but what we have in our car is pretty much identical to the latest version of BMW iDrive. There is an iDrive-style touchpad controller knob between the front seats as well as a collection of hard shortcut buttons, just like iDrive. Admittedly, that knob isn't ideally located. The gear shifter is perfectly placed for my right hand and the knob is a few inches behind it, so I have to move my arm back more than I'd like. But it's still a lot better than the smaller knob in the previous-generation car.
The Mini Connected screen menu structure is the same as iDrive, which means it flows from left to right to provide more detail and gives the option of having split-screen content. The iPod interface works the same way, as does phone pairing.
I wrote an earlier post about our 328i GT noting how I do enjoy iDrive. So, yeah, I like our Mini Connected system, too. Entering addresses into the navigation system is quick and easy. The iPod interface is smooth and responsive. Phone pairing is a snap. There are plenty of customization and setting options for the car available through Connected, too. Plus, Mini Connected, just like iDrive, is one of the most comprehensive systems out there for smartphone app integration. Social media (Facebook and Twitter) is included as well as a lot of audio and music (Web radio, Pandora, Spotify, Audible and Rhapsody).
Considering how much stuff comes with Connected, I'd certainly recommend looking for a Cooper so equipped if you're shopping for a new Mini Cooper.
A few days ago, I read some of the updates we have on our old 2007 Mini Cooper S. I have fond memories of that '07 car, but I was concerned that I was thinking back and only remembering the good parts, which would be like saying I really liked Star Wars: The Phantom Menace because all I remember is the light saber battle between Darth Maul and Obi Wan/Qui-Gon. And sure enough, there were Jar Jar Binks aspects about that car that we didn't like. Reacquainted with all things Mini, I came to the conclusion that our 2014 Mini Cooper is a much better car for the majority of small car shoppers.
Mainly, our new Cooper is more livable. The base engine is no longer underpowered, and upgrading to the S version isn't a must. Comfort is superior, too. Our car doesn't have the sport-tuned suspension (like our '07 did), but we do have the bigger 17-inch wheels. Yes, the ride quality is still stiff, but not as bad as before, and the car's handling is still respectably nimble.
Inside, the cargo area is bigger and has added storage possibilities. There's a little more room in the back seat. The infotainment system is another big step forward. Order Mini Connected and you pretty much get a full-boat BMW iDrive system. Heck, now there's even a four-door Cooper for the 2015 model so you can't complain about getting people or stuff in and out of the back seat.
Still going strong is the customization factor. If you don't mind ordering your Cooper (instead of picking one off the lot), you can get a very distinctive car that's just the way you like it and not an identical twin of others you see on the road.
True, you're still going to be paying more for a Cooper, most likely. But if you're shopping for a small hatchback like a Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Kia Rio or Volkswagen Golf, a base Cooper hatchback shouldn't just be your alternative choice anymore. It could very well be right in the mix of cars to consider.
After seven years of missing all the fun, I've decided to take my 1976 Pontiac Trans Am on this year's The Bandit Run. The event, which takes place this May, is an annual road trip tribute to Smokey and the Bandit, the greatest movie of all time.
It should be "redneck heaven" to quote the great Bo Darville.
But a four-thousand-mile road trip in a 40-year-old car takes some preparation. And the scramble has begun.
Good news, replacement Trans Am leaf springs (four leaf) fit easily in our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper.
I was concerned. I was envisioning some huge box wedged into the Mini's cargo bay, both sides of its rear seat folded and its passenger seat pushed ahead on its rails. Every inch of the little car's available space would be needed. That's what I thought.
I was wrong.
The springs weren't boxed. The long, heavy hunks of steel were loose, which helped, and I only had to flatten the small side of the Mini's rear seat to fit them easily. Incredibly three adults could have still fit comfortably in the car.
On a recent fuel economy update for our 2014 Mini Cooper, LTRTB reader Darex made a comment that stuck with me. "It is a FANTASTIC road trip vehicle. The sport seats are a 10/10 for comfort, and it's plenty fast and potent for the interstates...I've taken road trips in my MINI. It's as pleasant as you could want for this purpose."
My brain called bull. I'd driven our Mini for extended periods of time and while it's not rough, the ride sure is firm and I was sure it would be nothing but tiring on a long drive.
So, to prove Darex wrong, when the time came for me to hit the road for a Vegas weekend, I signed out the Mini.
...and now I have to apologize. Darex is correct. 100%. Our long-term Mini is a superlative road trip car not just by small car standards, either. It's genuinely pleasant.
Let's start with the ride. It's a Mini, not a Lexus and as such the ride isn't floaty, nor is it quiet (we'll get to the quietness later). But when hauling up the freeway, all of those little bumps and wiggles the Mini amplifies at 35 mph are gone. It's smooth and controlled at freeway speeds and even big wrinkles in the pavement don't throw it off course.
Wind doesn't faze the Mini either. Judging by the speed of the tumbleweeds racing across the 15, I'm guessing the wind was a constant 40 crosswise with gusts around 60. This could be completely wrong, but that's how it looked. The Mini stayed steady. Same goes for passing big rigs. No buffeting. No shake.
Power isn't a problem either. Because I was on a boring road trip, I slid that cheesy lever into the Mini's eco setting, but never needed more power. (I always WANT more power. There's a difference.) It passes with ease and, if you're not paying attention, has a tendency to cruise just a few MPH above what the California and Nevada highway patrol thinks is a reasonable speed. The Mini also has very little mechanical drag at freeway speeds. Lifting off the throttle doesn't cause an immediate reduction in speed.
The seats are great, too. So good they deserve their own post. Look for that in a couple of days.
The final Pros include the Mini's quick steering and tiny footprint which allow you to sneak into any gap in traffic safely and confidently.
OK, a minute on the negatives which are not bad enough to make me forget how much I enjoyed the Mini on this boring highway slog:
The Mini's quietness is more dependent on road surface than bigger cars with more sound dampening. On something like asphalt, it's fine. On concrete, it's loud. Wind, too, is an issue. On a concrete freeway with stiff winds at highway speeds, it was too loud inside the cabin to effectively use the built-in Bluetooth. Most of the noise was coming from the tires and from the top of the windshield.
The car is largely very stable on the highway, but the tires tend to hunt grooves and follow those instead of your intended direction of travel. Keeping a hand on the wheel solves this problem.
Fuel economy. After 710 miles of driving, most of it on the highway, I managed 30.6 mpg with a best tank of 34.5 mpg. This average is below the EPA average of 33 and well below the Mini's highway rating of 40 mpg. Sure, the drive to Vegas is littered with hills, traffic snarls and brodozers chewing up their Super Swampers at 60 mph. Still, on a mostly highway ride, mostly sticking around 70 mph I expected to get a tick better than 1.5 mpg above combined.
So, sorry for what I muttered when I read your comment, Darex. The Mini really is a great road trip car.
Our 2014 Mini Cooper isn't hitting the MPG estimates set by the EPA. This is not surprising as tiny turbocharged motors tend to nail the test and then struggle when faced with things like 70 mph freeway speeds and hills.
February's a short month, but thanks to Brent living in the middle of nowhere and my trip to Vegas, we managed to throw 1,800+ miles on the Mini this month. I've included the first two days of March because that was the end of my road trip and I want credit for our new highest-ever calculated mpg of...
...34.5 mpg. That bests the old record by .1. Huzzah!
Other than that, average lifetime mpg is up by less than 1 mpg and best range didn't change at all.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 34.5
Average Lifetime MPG: 27.0
EPA MPG Rating (revised): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 316.2 miles
Current Odometer: 9,756 miles
Somewhere in the post about my road trip in our 2014 Mini Cooper, I briefly mentioned the seats and said I'd give them a full post.
Here's why: They're great and I didn't want that greatness to be buried in a post about a long drive.
Let's start at the bottom. The seat bottoms have my favorite feature a seat can have: extendable thigh support. I don't have long legs, but I've got a long hip-to-knee length which means on most seats, my legs are mostly unsupported and I feel like I'm only half-sitting.
Not in the Mini. This thing's got manual thigh support that extends out a fair bit. Love it.
Beyond that, these optional (included in $1,500 sport pack or $300 on their own) seats are very well structured. The bolsters are supportive, not tight. The leather feels strong, but not stiff and there's no intrusive lumbar support or wonky lumps. Over 800-ish miles over three days, neither I nor my passenger had any complaints. Lots of adjustability. No fidgeting. No sore spots. No complaints. Seriously, these seats are great and are worth the upgrade price.
There are a couple of complaints, however. First up is the breathability. These seats don't really have any. After a few hours in the seat, you've got a serious case of back-and-lower sweat. (Sorry, anyone who drove the Mini after me.)
Considering this, it's a bit surprising at how bad the seat heaters perform. On more than one occasion, one of us would reach to turn on the seat heater only to realize it was already on. Considering these are an additional $500 (or included in the $600 cold weather pack which also includes power-folding mirrors) I'm a little disappointed. It's more like sitting on someone's lap than sitting on an electric blanket. If it were my car, I'd still get them, but they're nothing to write home about. Better than nothing.
In short, if you're considering a Mini, spend the money and get these seats. And if you're not considering a Mini, spend the money and have these seats installed in whatever it is you're buying.
At 9,800 miles the service light in our 2014 Mini Cooper illuminated. We tried a little something different this time, utilizing the early bird drop-off at Long Beach Mini...
We pulled into the service drive at 5:30 a.m. A day earlier the service rep on the phone explained the process, "If you arrive before we open there is a drop box. Envelopes are by the service entrance and the slot is right next to them. Just fill out your information and we'll call you when we get in." The concept seemed easy enough, but it wasn't.
There was a slight problem with the plan outlined on the phone. There were not any envelopes. After looking foolish for a bit we walked over to the BMW service portion of this shared dealership. And by chance we encountered the only other person on the lot, a dealership employee. He very politely directed us to the envelopes, which were only on the BMW side, and to the proper slot to deposit the key, on the Mini side.
Our advisor, Phil, called at 7:30 a.m. "Good morning," he began. "I am calling to let you know we received your car. I see the maintenance light is on. Do you have any other concerns we can address today?" I told him that was it and he added, "It looks like your car is due for two recalls. We'll complete those also."
Three hours later the phone rang. Phil recapped, "Your car is ready for pick up. We changed the oil and reprogrammed the controls for one recall (M61-09-14). Another (M71-01-15) asks us to replace the VIN and tire stickers. We had to order those parts and I'll call you when they arrive."
There was a moment of uncertainty in those wee hours. But thanks to a helpful employee we found our way. This was an easy service experience. We would use this service center again. Now that we know the process, we would definitely use the early bird drop off again, too.
Temperatures have been in the high 80s in Los Angeles this past week. When I get into our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper after it's been parked in my driveway, the interior is pretty hot.
Not only is the air conditioner weaker than I would like, but the sun roof has this mesh screen to filter the sun, instead of a solid cover to completely block it.
As someone with fair skin and a tendency to freckle, this is not acceptable to me. I didn't notice this when I drove the car in cooler weather. But in the warmer months, this would be a deal breaker for me.
On a whim I drove our 2014 Mini Cooper 600 miles for a loaf of bread and beef jerky. Take the jump for photos and a recap of the trip...
Our annual goal for long-term cars is 20,000 miles. The Mini was behind schedule and I was going to do something about it. I searched locations about 300 miles away, figuring that was the longest I could comfortably last for a one-day drive. The distance to Bishop, CA was just about right. It's home to Erick Schat's Bakkery and Mahogany Smoked Meats, two must-stops on the road to Mammoth Lakes. I made them my destination and set off.
Word of my trip got out. By the time I arrived my grocery list expanded considerably. I ultimately left town with two pounds of beef, buffalo, elk and boar jerky in addition to 8 loaves of bread, pastries and fresh turkey sandwiches. It was overkill for sure, but it was fun. And there was no need to stop for lunch on the way home.
I'll post another blog with driving impressions. For now, a visual tour:
Rain + our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper = Fun.
I discovered this during a very wet late night McNugget run a few weeks ago. Traffic was light and it had been raining all day, so the roads were clean. Wet but clean.
The Mini was a blast.
Traction was high. The Cooper wears summer tires, a set of Continental ContiSportContact 3 SSR sized 205/45R17, and they provided more traction than I could use. Even when my inner Gio Bromante grabbed the wheel.
But it was more than that. This car talks to you. The Mini's steering, brakes and other connections to the driver provide the feel real drivers need to be precise. Suddenly a rainy run to McDonald's is a great drive. An event. An excuse to eat 20 McNuggets.
Not many cars can do that.
Push it too far and the electronic stability and traction control systems were there to save my skin, but they were kind and didn't spoil my fun. After a while I was confident enough to turn off those systems and feel the true limits of the machine. And me.
I returned home with a big grin and a big bag of fried stuff. Extra sweet and sour sauce. Cool car.
It's been quite some time since the last installment of my (future) award-winning 783-part series, "Will the Bike Fit?"
So how hard is it to put a mountain bike into the now-larger 2014 Mini Cooper? It's far from a cinch, that's for sure. Not that the 29-inch wheels of my mountain bike were helping anyone. Well, except for me out on the trails. Then they're nice to have.
It took more finagling to stuff the bike into the Mini than I'd envisioned, even with a dropper seat post. Plus, my goal was to do this without taking the rear wheel off.
Finally, with the front passenger seat slid as far forward as possible and the forks resting on the back window sill (protected by a blanket), the bike was in. The handlebars just barely cleared the hatch.
It worked, but definitely had me longing for the 2015 Mini Cooper four-door model.
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper needed miles. So I took it on a one-day, 600-mile road trip to Bishop, California. A few days later I added another 600 miles driving to Laughlin, Nev., and back. The days between were spent commuting to and from the office and accounted for another 500 or so miles. The trips gave me plenty of time for driving impressions.
Seat Comfort
The driver seat fit me great. A considerable amount of traffic on the Bishop run kept me on the road for about 11 hours. Leg stretching breaks were minimal. Yet it wasn't until the 10th hour that I succumbed to road rump. At that point I was forced to shift positions regularly to maintain any level of comfort. The seat was a pleasant surprise. I did not expect so much support from the flat and visually unwelcoming companion.
I don't care for the armrests. My right elbow was happy enough on the softer center console but my left grew tired of the plastic door armrest. Further, the two surfaces appear to be positioned at different levels. They are a half-bubble off according to my level. Over shorter distances this was imperceptible. But as the miles added up and my elbows rested, unmoved, I developed a kink in my neck. I think this was the reason why.
Noise
This car is loud. I can see some considering it unbearable. Conversation requires a raised voice, even over smooth pavement. Rough roads increase the volume considerably. The steady level of noise left a slight hum in my ear by the time I made it home on the 11-hour stretch. Radio offers some relief from the drone of the road, if not just a louder distraction.
Ride Quality
The ride is firm. Around here, freeways consist of a mixture of asphalt, grooved concrete and expansion joints. This conglomeration of road surfaces are a ride comfort challenge that the Mini does not handle well. It tends to amplify imperfections.
I encountered a particular section of degraded I-5 freeway through downtown Los Angeles that energized me more than any cup of coffee. Its combination of bumps, dips, turns and neighboring 18-wheelers required all the early morning concentration I could muster. When I eventually merged onto the smooth asphalt of highway 395 it was like flipping a switch. Aside from infrequent flaws in the road, ride quality was good for a car of this size. And to my recollection, it's better than the previous-gen Mini.
Around town and notably on local freeways, the Mini's ride could be grating. Once on the open highway, it was just fine. I would take another long distance trip in the Mini without hesitation. And I may need to. It's still a little behind our mileage goal. Now I just need to come up with a new destination.
In the past if I saw a Mini Cooper running around without the dual-outlet central exhaust that comes on the S model, I'd usually snub it as "just the base car" and move on with my day. Yeah, I know. I'm a jerk.
It wasn't pure snobbery, though. That base car was pretty gutless in a straight line. But those days are over thanks to the 2014 Mini Cooper and its standard 134-horsepower three-cylinder turbo engine.
Normally we'd consider this kind of small engine/automatic transmission combination a sure recipe for lethargy, but with 162 pound-feet of torque on tap, this thing is actually pretty peppy (provided you run it in Sport mode). I like the different sound that three-cylinder motorcycles make, and the Mini's engine also has a unique, if subdued, character.
I'd still want the Cooper S if I could get it, but it's nice to know the base car can now put up a decent fight at the stoplight wars.
In March we made an effort to add miles to our 2014 Mini Cooper, which had fallen out of step from its 1,700-mile per month pace. We ultimately covered more than 2,600 miles and smashed previous records for single-tank fuel economy and range. This also raised its overall average by 1 mpg. Take the jump for details...
Headed into March, our best fill was 34.5 mpg and the longest range 316 miles. With such a poor showing 9,700 miles into our test, I set out to see just what the Mini could do. One extended highway trip (42.2 mpg, 353.2-mile range) with cruise set to 67 mph was enough, but I did a second (40.0 mpg, 408.7-mile range) for good measure. At this rate the instant-mpg read as high as 44 mpg and the range projection 450 miles.
All this proved to me was that the EPA figures were attainable. I drove like a granny (no offense, Granny) in mixed, but mostly city, situations for 150- and 180-mile stretches and yielded just 26.0 mpg. As has been said, this 1.5-liter turbo-3 seems to be sensitive when it comes to fuel economy.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 42.2
Average Lifetime MPG: 28.0
EPA MPG Rating (revised): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 408.7 miles
Current Odometer: 11,848 miles
The annual Coachella music festival isn't only known for being an epic congregation of music fans, but for a particular kind of fashion sense: BoHo style, girls with the wispy hair and flower crowns, and guys with the man buns. Likewise one can't help but think that a road trip to Coachella requires a certain kind of car. Woodstock had the VW Bus and Bug, so what would work for Coachella?
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper did a pretty good job with its wide-eyed fascia, adorable compactness, and fun, millennial appeal. But did it deliver more than looks as a Coachella car?
The compact trunk did a decent job of containing weekend luggage of sandals and desert wear for two people. Fortunately, for any extra purchases like concert tees, records and more water bottles, the small backseat serves as bonus cargo space, better than extra passenger space anyway.
Since we're music fans, the satellite radio, especially the channel playing the live performances at the festival, was much appreciated. But the audio controls aren't very intuitive. The placement of menu, nav and radio buttons in the narrow space between the seats took some time to notice. I won't say how much but let's just say we broke out the owner's manual, which still didn't help. However, once we figured out how to hook up our phone, the sound system delivered and made us question our decision to leave the air-conditioned car for the desert heat of the event.
In terms of ride, the Mini was smooth on flawless road, but the dirt parking lot at the festival definitely required more care. Imperfect highways also required turning up the volume due to all that road noise.
The seats were comfortable enough to last a non-stop drive from L.A. to Indio, about 135 miles.
The mesh top, as previously noted, is lousy for blocking out the sun, but at least there's "MAX A/C" to the rescue. The full-blast, air-conditioner function cooled down the cabin from 100-degree temperatures in no time, while the white leather seats made easing behind the wheel, after the Mini sat all day in the desert sun, a not-so-scary proposition.
The only other points that count against the Mini as the perfect Coachella conveyance is that it only has one USB port up front. How can Millennials charge up all their smartphones, iPads, or whatever kids depend on nowadays with a single port? And two cupholders up front are not nearly enough to contain our date shakes and pour-over coffees.
Otherwise, a fun road trip car all around. Coachella or bust.
The interior LED lighting is one of my favorite features of the 2014 Mini Cooper. With 10 different colors and varying degrees of brightness, the accent lights give the Mini a clubby ambience while driving at night.
For fun, the video and photo team took the Mini out for a night drive and did a time-lapse of the experience. With Canon 5Ds and GoPros in hand, we started off in Malibu and made our way through Santa Monica and Venice, before ending in downtown Los Angeles.
Malibu at sunset is a must in the Mini.
This blue light rail along the driver door gives the Mini interior an icy glow at night.
Green accent lighting on the passenger side door gives the cabin a quasi-urban, futuristic feel.
Door lights and center console, after some fun in Photoshop.
Our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper is an excellent city car, partially because of its scant dimensions, but also thanks to excellent visibility out of the cabin. As Erin Riches has noted, it's not as easy to see the edges of the car, but the outward view still makes for a good driving experience.
When the seat is adjusted for my 5'9" frame, the front windows feel long, extending behind me by several inches. The windshield is tall and the A-pillars relatively thin by modern standards, so seeing out of the front is easy as well. With the sunroof retracted, the Mini feels larger than it is inside the cabin. It isn't on-par with the airy feel that our long-term Impreza had, but it definitely fools me into believing I'm driving something with much more room.
Basically, I can see clearly out of the Mini at almost every angle and it enhances an already-enjoyable driving experience.
The weirdest things bother me. Girls that say "like" more than once in a sentence. Sunglass lenses that aren't perfectly spotless. Wristwatches not set to the exact second. And this. The volume knob/power button in our 2014 Mini Cooper.
I swear, I don't suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The mess that I call a home is proof-positive of that. But the power button that rotates with the volume knob makes me bonkers. That off-kilter power symbol makes my right eye twitch, maybe because I used to be a graphic designer.
I'd prefer the button remained in its correct orientation while the knob rotated around it. Is it just me? Probably. I'm going back to the cabin to finish my manifesto now.
Our 2014 Mini Cooper has 60/40-split folding rear seats. That represents a change from the 50/50-split rear seats in the previous two generations of the Cooper. Ordinarily this isn't something I would care about, but now that I'm a parent, I have an opinion on this change. And I'll warn you: Most likely, I represent the minority.
You kind of expect to get 50/50-split seats in a car with a two-passenger backseat.
2007 Mini Cooper's 50/50-split rear seats
But the rear seats in the third generation of the reborn Mini Cooper are more sculpted and don't necessarily lend themselves to a partition line in the dead center. Plus, a 60/40 split usually gives you more flexibility for carrying a mix of people and cargo. That is, unless you've installed a rear-facing car seat on the passenger side.
As you see, my big bruiser of a convertible car seat fits just fine in here and tidily occupies its half of the backseat. Getting it through the doorway was no picnic, though, much as I predicted after installing my secondary convertible car seat, which is much more compact.
But then I wanted to bring along a stroller, and on this particular day I only had my bulky full-size stroller. No problem, I thought. I'll just fold down the other half of the seat-back cushion. But my daughter was on the 40 "half" and the 60 section was physically obstructed from folding by the car seat itself. I abandoned the idea of taking the stroller and took our Ergobaby carrier instead.
Fortunately, all is not lost for the rest of my time with the Mini. I've found our third stroller, an ultra-compact Maclaren Triumph, and it just fits in the hatch area with no need to fold the seats.
The increased size and refinement of the 2014 Mini Cooper compared to the two previous generations of the Mini is undeniable. I'm already on record as a skeptic, because the visibility out the front and back of our long-term car isn't as good.
But darn it, I'm smitten with the driver seat in our Mini.
Our car has the optional Sport package which, among other items, equips the car with sport seats. These seats fit me (5'10" and about 145 pounds) perfectly. They are very comfortable on a 90-minute commute, and there's useful lateral bolstering for the occasional moment of fun driving around a tight turn. I have about a 34-inch inseam, and there's more than enough seat-track travel. The telescoping steering wheel fits easily into my slightly bent arms at max telescope.
Any complaints? Well, I could do without the pull-out, seat-bottom cushion extender, because I don't have long thighs and I don't like the debris that inevitably collects in the crevice.
If I was shopping for a Mini, I would absolutely option it with the sport seats.
I've managed to hang around Edmunds.com a good long time, so I still have memories of driving our long-term 2002 Mini Cooper S (it was Electric Blue) and our 2007 Cooper S (Chili Red). I wasn't as (modestly) skilled behind the wheel as I am today and I'm sure I made all kinds of dumb mistakes while driving those cars, but man, were they fun. I think I'd finally hit my stride with heel-and-toe downshifting when the 2007 came along, and I was always looking up remote back roads when I had the key to it.
During my first few commutes in our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper, though, I just wasn't feeling the old excitement.
Partly, it was the superficial stuff. We didn't get the S. We went with the mainstream six-speed automatic transmission, rather than an old-school manual gearbox with a clutch pedal. We didn't get a very whimsical paint option. Deep Blue Metallic is way too serious for a Mini (as are all of the 2014 colors, but fortunately this is rectified for the 2015 model year. Electric Blue is back).
And partly, it was the realization that I've grown up. I have a family now and can't take long drives on scenic roads on the spur of the moment.
But the more I drive our 2014 Mini Cooper, the more I like it. The turbocharged three-cylinder engine feels like it has almost as much usable torque in normal driving as the turbo four-cylinder in the previous Cooper S. And compared to our 2002 Cooper S, which had a 1.6-liter engine that was pretty gutless below 4,000 rpm, our 2014 Cooper is much easier to drive.
I do typically use Sport mode, though, to get the throttle and transmission response that I prefer. I also often disable the auto start-stop feature because the restarts feel so unrefined that I start to get annoyed.
And even though the ride quality is relaxed in this car, this third generation of the new Mini Cooper still feels pretty athletic at a moderately brisk pace on public roads. It feels good going around turns, and there's still some steering feel to enjoy. You can have fun in this car in the midst of your daily errands just like you could in previous Mini Coopers, and that's what matters to me. Best of all, I haven't gotten any complaints from the backseat so far.
I recently drove our 2014 Mini Cooper through downtown Los Angeles and it reminded me of a video we did not long ago that highlighted our favorite Mini feature: the LED interior lighting.
Not all of the footage we shoot makes the final version, and the time-lapse below ended up on the cutting room floor. I wish it hadn't been as foggy and the downtown skyline could have stood out more clearly.
If you haven't seen the complete video, check it out. Promise, it's more fun than a cat video.
I think our 2014 Mini Cooper is trying to tell me to upgrade.
And while I'll admit to owning a (cough) classic iPod, the thing works just fine in any number of other cars we've had in our fleet. And before you ask, yes I checked the cable. I think the Mini just doesn't want to deal.
But before I let the un-burnt hydrocarbons and fumes from all the carburetors and two-strokes in my garage send me into some conspiratorial anti-technology rant, let's use this as a teachable moment.
It would be a damn shame to go and buy the car you really want, only to find that your favorite electronic devices don't play nice with the car's OS (I know some of you still own Zunes). So remember to take that stuff with you to the showroom. Bring your cables, try out the connection, and then try the interface. For many people, as it may be for you, the way a car lets you access your playlists might be just as important as the way it goes down the road.
And on that note, I'm going to go back into my garage and huff some pre-mix.
It's time for our 2014 Mini Cooper to get some miles! You won't be hearing much about the Mini for a short while. I'm taking the Cooper north from Santa Monica to Olympic National Park in Washington. The trip should tack on around 2,400 miles by the time I'm back at Ed-Quarters.
Expect a recap of how the Cooper cooperates, along with epic photos of the rugged West coast, two national parks and three major cities!
At first glance, I thought the door pockets in our 2014 Mini Cooper came with some sorta hipster snap straps. Wasn't sure what they'd secure in that narrow, shallow pocket, but seemed like an interesting touch.
Looking closer, I realized the strap wasn't factory equipment at all.
Seems our Coop got a little grabby with someone's pants or jacket. The snap lodged in between the panel pieces, and the strap ripped clean off the driver's clothes.
Our 2014 Mini Cooper did a lot of sitting around in April and May. In the two months, we only drove it about 1,325 miles. In May, we only filled up twice. But it wasn't all idle time. We drove it out to Coachella and found it a good cultural successor to Woodstock Nation's VW Bus and Beetle. Erin used it in the day-to-day and found some things she liked and some things she didn't. And Mark found something that set his OCD to quivering.
But even though we came up short on our monthly mileages, we moved the needled a little bit.
In April and May, we averaged 27.3 mpg combined. That's not a stellar achievement given the Mini's EPA rating of 32 mpg combined, and it shaved the Mini's lifetime average to 27.9 28.6, an incremental drop from March. The rest of our key stats remained the same.
The Mini wouldn't sit quiet for long. One of our video guys, Joe, took it out for an extended tour of the west coast and the Pacific Northwest earlier this month. More on that trip, which should help explain the earlier irregularities in this post, very soon.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 42.2
Average Lifetime MPG: 27.9
EPA MPG Rating: 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 408.7 miles
Current Odometer: 16,886 miles
In early June, I set out in our 2014 Mini Cooper on what I expected to be a 2,400-mile road trip up along the west coast. As with most road trips, things changed. We ended up totaling 3,014 miles!
As with any epic road trip, music is a must. I synced my iPhone 6 to the Bluetooth with relative ease, then my friend and I hit the road. We had a little more than seven hours before making our first camp in Coloma, Calif., and during that time we discovered the frustration of the Mini's menu dial.
The dial of doom can be turned and also toggled to make selections through the menu. What happens most of the time is it toggles when you want it turn, and turns when you want it toggle. Thus you end up shuffling through a litany of screens that you're not interested in.
Couple this headache with the parking brake's relationship to the armrest and I'm one unhappy driver with bruised knuckles and no tunes. There's not a lot of real estate on the parking lever to begin with and when I would pull it up, my hand was pinched under the armrest.
This whole region of the car is generally pretty dissatisfying.
Come back for additional impressions and a bunch of photography to follow in next updates.
After 1,054 miles, we finally make it to Portland, Oregon. This was my first time in the city and I loved it: the food, the people, the scenery. Then I noticed something while at a stoplight, a blind spot in our 2014 Mini Cooper I've never experienced before.
I'm 6'2 and had the seat as far aft as it would travel and reclined enough to be comfortable for long hours on the road. The ride was comfortable. I normally start getting back pain an hour into driving my 2012 Mazda3. It wasn't until I noticed a neck ache at a stoplight that I realized there was a problem in the Cooper.
The photo above is my field of view from my comfortable seated potion. Notice anything missing? Like the stoplights?
But when I dip my head...
Voilà. The terrific traffic tamers appear. This became a game of peek-a-boo: Peek-a-red, peek-a-red, peek-a-green! Since I couldn't adjust the seat anymore, I just learned to slump while driving on surface streets.
What would a 2014 Mini Cooper road trip be without a quick photo essay? The Cooper roamed cities {above}...
Traversed peaks and valleys...
Sailed seas...
Navigated us through rural towns where our phones couldn't get reception...
We were on our return leg of the journey, having spent 30 hours in the Mini, and thought we'd seen it all. Then this happened:
We were just about to reach Astoria, Ore., when we hit a rough patch of road and out from under the passenger-side dash jostled a black plastic pipe.
"That just fell out!" my passenger exclaimed. We quickly pulled over and documented the occurrence. The tag on the pipe has a part number and a tag that identifies it as an air vent pipe. We took a long look under the glove box, but couldn't find any pipe-fittings to where this part might attach. We played with the A/C for a bit and didn't notice any difference in performance. What could it all mean?
More to come.
I thought for sure that someone would have already noticed this odd flaw in our 2014 Mini Cooper by now. It's literally right in your face, provided you flip down the sunvisor down.
That flap you see hanging down isn't the visor. It's the cover for the mirror on the inside of the visor. When you flip the visor into position, that little cover just flops open. It almost looks as though it's supposed to work as an extended sunblocker, but it's simply a lack of something holding it closed.
Weak magnets? A broken clip of some kind? I didn't see any signs of either.
Any Mini owners out there have the same issue?
This may sound like a broken record for anyone who has followed our experiences with the Mini over the years. I think it rides too rough.
I know, I know. It's supposed to be a sporty hatchback for drivers who like sharp handling. It certainly delivers on that promise and then some. And I realize that we opted for the slightly larger-than-stock 17-inch wheels and more aggressive tires.
But when you're not ripping corners or otherwise having fun behind the wheel, our Mini feels unnecessarily stiff, especially on the concrete freeways we have here in Southern California.
It doesn't isolate small bumps well and the tires track grooves in the pavement too often. For comparison, our Volkswagen GTI has larger wheels and even shorter side walls, yet it rides and drives just fine over similar pavement.
It's not so stiff that enthusiast drivers would find it objectionable. In fact, if you like road feel, this Mini has more than some sports cars. If you're not in that camp, however, I would consider sticking with the 16-inch wheels. It'll save you some money, and some headaches.
"This is not a family car," she grumbled as she wormed her skinny, 5'4 frame into the 2014 Mini Cooper's tiny backseat.
"Where am I supposed to put my feet?!" she asked.
Since my kid spends most of her time sprawling in the rear seat of minivans and SUVs, even a 10-minute drive in the Mini seemed like punishment to her.
"Relax," I told her. "We're not going far. Just slide your toes under my seat."
Wiggling her Keds-clad toes up into my seat-bottom, I squirmed with every dig.
"OK, now this is fun," she declared.
Next time, someone's staying home.
I thought for sure that my first post on our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper would be about its unacceptably bulbous nose. To my eye, the original R50/R53 generation had a perfectly sleek and clipped front end, the R56 swelled up a bit but still looked cool, and the current F56 just went off the rails with that ungainly, overinflated schnoz.
But now that I've driven the thing a few times, my stance has softened.
Why? Because even though the F56 is bigger and rolls on a new modular BMW platform and so forth, it's still got that rambunctious, fully-caffeinated character that has made every modern Mini feel special. I'm relieved that BMW cares enough to maintain the Mini's personality, even as its own cars arguably veer toward soullessness. You don't have to look at it when you're driving it, as the saying goes, and provided you're in Sport mode, this Cooper is exceptionally engaging from behind the wheel.
I'm not totally over that nose, though. What a honker. European pedestrian impact standards, I'm guessing. Oh well. I'd buy one anyway now that I know how it drives. In fact, I might rather have a Cooper S than a GTI, which I certainly wouldn't have said a generation ago. I'll get back to you on that one.
The California Vehicle Code has four sections on horns (and two on horse-drawn vehicles!) Pretty much they just say that you need to have one, you should use it when coming around corners on roads without center lines, when overtaking another vehicle, or "when reasonably necessary to insure safe operation."
The California Driver Handbook has even more detail on horns. You're apparently not supposed to use them if people are going slow, made a mistake, are on a bicycle or because I'm angry.
That's a bummer because our 2014 Mini Cooper has a great horn. It's loud, deep and not at all cutesy. Not using it every day would be the real crime.
As you're all likely aware, I didn't grow up on the West Coast and the driver handbook I got on the East Coast didn't have any of this touchy-feely business about not using the horn because it's loud. On the East Coast, you use your horn. All the time. Any time. Someone does something good? Beep. Something bad? Beep. No change in anything for a while? Might as well send out a honk or two and see if anyone's paying attention.
Some people can't walk down a crowded street without smiling and saying hello to passersby. I can't drive without using the horn. I'm social. Sue me.
I owned a Mazda 3 for a brief period and that car had a high-pitched horn you'd expect from a Barbie car or a Fiat. I would beep and then hide in shame. It was more of a "pardon me" horn compared to the Mini's "YO!" Although if we're doing a full horn evaluation, it must be said that the Mini's doesn't toot well. You can really lay into it, but getting a friendly little beep is tricky.
This post would be pointless without some proof. So here ya go!
Does our 2014 Mini Cooper have enough cargo room to haul a sizable wall-mirror home? No. I learned that the hard way when I took the tiny hatchback to the furniture store to pick up a few things. I figured that if the rear seats folded down, there might be enough space to wedge the big mirror in there.
After taking one look at the size of the box I lost hope. It wasn't going to happen.
Thankfully, the trip wasn't a total bust.
I was able to toss a couple pieces of artwork and a lovely fake succulent in there with room to spare.
For the record, the Mini's total cargo space is 38 cubic feet with the seats folded down. Not bad for a car of its size. The load floor is completely flat, but there's a sizable gap between the seatbacks and the rear cargo floor. Our Mini also has the cargo package that adds additional cargo nets and a two-tiered load floor if you really need the space and flexibility.
Certainly not the best vehicle to pick up housewares in, but not the worst either. Compared to an average compact sedan, there's way more room with the seats folded and it's easier to access that space thanks to the large hatch opening.
It's easy to miss the fact that our 2014 Mini Cooper has adjustable driving modes. The switch to dial up your choice is an inconspicuous slider on the front of the transmission hump that doesn't stand out. There's the default standard mode, a Sport mode and a Green mode for increased efficiency.
I like the idea of options, but over the years I've found these systems vary in their usefulness. Some systems transform cars, others are barely noticeable. Our Mini is somewhere in between.
In our base Cooper, switching to Sport mode does two things: makes the steering heavier and the throttle more responsive.
I find the steering plenty responsive as it is, so whatever weight it adds doesn't make much of a difference. The change in the throttle program is a little more noticeable. It adds a little more kick to what is already a reasonably quick-reacting pedal. I like the overall feel in Sport mode so I usually keep it there.
On Cooper S models, sport mode also changes the transmission programming, adjustable damper settings, interior lighting and even the sound of the engine. That might make a more discernable difference, especially if you prefer a stiffer ride and quicker shifts. It's nice that Mini was able to incorporate this new feature, but I wouldn't call it a game changer, at least on the base model.
So did a long road trip finally deliver the mileage numbers we've been expecting from our 2014 Mini Cooper? Not quite.
Over most of the trip, the Mini delivered highway numbers in the 34-36 mpg range, which is well short of the EPA rating of 39 mpg on the highway. Our numbers are typical, though, as the Mini had two adults and their stuff on board. They also weren't trying to nail down the best numbers they could. We've seen a tank that averaged 42 mpg, so we know what the Mini's capable of when you're really trying.
When it was touring the left coast, our Mini earned praise for its useful cargo bay, solid chassis and even a great horn. On the down side, I think it rides a little rough while others noted than even kids will find the back seat a little tight. Oh, and it has a floppy sunvisor, not sure yet if it's supposed to work that way.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 42.2
Average Lifetime MPG: 28.7
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 408.7
Current Odometer: 17,046
The Mini's interior has always seemed more concerned with style than actual usability. Although the 2014 Mini Cooper has a less gimmicky interior than the previous version, it still lacks decent small-item storage.
Case in point: The door pockets. I usually keep my sunglasses in a semi-hard case, but the Mini's door pockets are so slim it won't fit.
That means I have to put the case in the center armrest bin. It barely fits in there, and if I don't place it just right the lid won't fully close. But the bigger problem with doing this is that the case takes up the entire bin, so where do I put my wallet?
Sure, it will fit in the door pocket, but that means the wallet will be in plain view if I leave the car to go mountain biking or running.
Bottom line: I know the Mini is a small car, but this interior storage thing could definitely be done better.
We've ordered some new parts from Ford Racing for our long-term 2015 Ford Mustang GT. The different bits arrived on different days over the course of about a week and gave us a nice opportunity to test the cargo space on various Edmunds long-term vehicles, like our 2014 Mini Cooper.
When the Mustang's new exhaust came in, we decided to stick it in the Mini, one of the smallest cars in our fleet. The hatchback Cooper has 38 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats down, but our concern was the length of the 52-inch box.
The box fit, but barely. Both rear seats had to be dropped and the passenger seat slid all the way forward, reducing the Cooper to a single-seater. The box didn't need to go far, so the diminished seating capacity wasn't a big deal. The Mini might not be the ideal choice for moving cargo, but it is capable if it's the only choice.
Bill and Linda, my friends in Borrego Springs, bought some new tires for a first-generation Mazda RX-7 that they own and are restoring to running condition. We'd all been at Buttonwillow Raceway at a track event and they got a deal on some tires from the resident tire vendor.
But they were headed on vacation after the event, or maybe they had no room because they were picking up their German Shepard from the sitter, I forget which. Maybe both. I volunteered to take the mounted tires home, stash them in my garage for a bit and bring them the rest of the way next time I was in the mood for an early morning drive.
There was a precedent at work. I'd driven down to their place on a whim in our 2015 Volkswagen Golf GTI, leaving before sun-up and arriving in time to share morning coffee on their porch. The route there is laced with some amazing roads, especially the final plunge down S22 to the floor of the remote valley that contains Borrego Springs and the Anza-Borrego State Park.
This time I had the keys to our 2014 Mini Cooper, another great choice for eastern San Diego County's back roads. But it doesn't have nearly as much cargo space as our GTI. Was I getting in over my head?
No problem. MPS to the rescue: Mini Parcel Service. What can Blue do for you?
I had to fold the seat down, of course. And the cream-colored interior needed protection from the tires in the form of a couple of strategically-placed cardboard scraps. This reminded me why I hate light-colored interiors. The driver's seat is beginning to take on a hint of the dreaded blue-jean tint, too.
But I digress.
The base model Mini and its new 1.5-liter turbo mill has plenty of poop for these flowing roads, which are filled with momentum corners that come one after the other. High horsepower isn't needed, just a light and nimble chassis that can maintain speed into turns and carry it through to the exit. At this, the Mini is expert.
There isn't a ton of shifting out here, but on several occasions I wished our automatic had the paddle shifter option. Or let's take it another step: make mine manual.
Like the Golf GTI, the Mini Cooper has plenty of stretch-out room for tall guys, as well as a generous telescopic steering column. My main gripe is the sunroof's porous fabric sunshade, which does not block 100 percent of the light and heat. To me, it's opaque or nothing. And quite frankly I'd rather take nothing and pocket the cash. I've never been a sunroof fan.
Even though this trip to Borrego Springs was more premeditated than the last one, it was no less enjoyable. The Mini was an absolute blast, the company was great and the coffee was delicious.
With just a few weeks to go in its 12-month test, our very blue 2014 Mini Cooper continues to peg our fun meter as its odometer approaches 20,000 miles.
In July, we drove the little hot hatch another 1,800 trouble-free miles, mostly in and around Los Angeles with an urban mix of city streets and clogged freeways. This type of driving is perfect for the small and responsive Cooper, as it fits in tight spaces and zips in and out of holes, especially in Sport mode. But it doesn't exactly make for eye popping mpg numbers.
For the month of July, the Mini averaged 27.0 mpg, which didn't have much of an impact on its lifetime average; it dropped from 28.7 to 28.6. Its EPA city rating is 28 mpg, so we're right on considering our high percentage of urban driving. Miles-per-gallon for individual tankfuls ranged from 24 mpg to 30.4.
Some may be disappointed by those numbers, but please keep in mind that we drive this little car like it's meant to be driven: hard. The Mini Cooper begs for it. This is a little hot rod and it rewards a skilled driver with perfect responses and high levels of grip and power. You can't help but throw it around.
This of course comes at a material expense in fuel economy. We don't care. It makes us smile.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 42.2
Average Lifetime MPG: 28.6
EPA MPG Rating (City/Highway Combined): 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 408.7
Current Odometer: 18,799
I've thought about buying a Mini Cooper many times over the last 13 years, but I've never committed. Now that I have a house and a child, the window for buying toy cars may have closed for a decade or two. Nevertheless, after rereading the comments in the Introduction for our 2014 Mini Cooper about how our long-term car has a ridiculous list of options and an implausible MSRP of $33,095, I decided to see how much my hypothetical Mini would cost.
I couldn't remember the last time I built a Mini. It was bittersweet to open my "garage" on the Mini USA site and find this base 2011 Cooper already parked there. I have no memory of building it, but the car is green so it's definitely my work.
I'd go with Electric Blue if I bought the current-generation Mini Cooper. Notably, that color wasn't offered during the 2014 model year (which had a limited palette), so new or used, I'd have to go '15 or later. As you see, this 2016 Cooper would cost a hair under $26,000 when equipped to my taste. I didn't even consider the S or new John Cooper Works model, by the way, because I enjoy the car so much with the base turbocharged three-cylinder engine.
I didn't try to talk myself out of ordering the Sport package ($1,750), because I'd of course want the extra lateral bolstering on the seats and the upgraded LED headlights. Adaptive dampers have been added to this package for 2016, and obviously, I can't say how exactly the car will feel with those fitted.
I really thought about going with 16-inch wheels. But I don't care for any of the available designs and I think our long-term Mini rides fine with its 17s. I've selected the Silver Cosmos design ($500).
Lighting is important to me, so I've also tacked on the adaptive cornering functionality for the headlights ($250) plus LED foglights (another $250). The $1,250 I'm saving by choosing the six-speed manual transmission over the optional automatic (as on our long-term car) helps defray the added costs.
The $750 Media package is perhaps unnecessary in any sort of focused driver's car, but smartphones are a reality now so I might as well have the most possible connectivity when I want it, plus there's a center armrest included in that package.
You'll notice I've added a truly snazzy set of all-weather Speedwell floor mats ($165 total). That might seem like an unnecessary expenditure, but in my household, this is a mandatory add-on. My better half is obsessed with all-weather floor mats. Every car we own has all-weather floor mats. So I might as well get a set I like up front, because he's just going order a set later anyway.
I almost didn't spend $250 on the Comfort Access upgrade. Then I thought about how annoying it is to dig around in my pocket for our long-term Mini Cooper's keyless remote, then hit the tiny unlock button all while holding a baby and at least one bag. Indeed, this is one of the few options our long-termer doesn't have. And I believe it's worth the spend.
Unlike the Porsche website, the Mini USA site doesn't really make it easy to share cars you build with its configurator, so I've offered only these screenshots. Still, if you bought a Mini, how would you equip it?
First of all, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that these boxes would not have fit in a first-generation Mini Cooper. I'm not talking about the original Mini Cooper, although they wouldn't have fit in there either, but about the first generation of the modern Mini Cooper, which debuted in 2002 thanks to the folks at BMW, which of course owns Mini.
Some complain that the 2014 Mini Cooper, like our blue long-termer, is a bloated mutation of the best little car ever made. They say it's no longer a Mini. They say it has morphed into something else entirely, something that puts comfort and convenience above fun.
And while it's true that the Mini has gained size and weight with each redesign, those complainers are wrong. Dead wrong.
This car is a blast to drive, maybe the most fun car in our fleet. Yes, more fun than the Viper, Mustang or GTI. When you drive it, you end up driving it. Really driving it. You can't help but fling it around. The car loves it, begs for it. And you just can't resist.
All of the above was true about the first- and second-generation Mini as well, only now you get the fun with the space. Now adults can fit inside the Mini, front and back. And cargo, like my daughter's new bedroom furniture, can be tossed in the back. Don't get me wrong, this is no minivan. But it's a small car that nails the balance between usability and personal enjoyment.
Just be warned, that if you buy a Mini with the Leather Lounge Satellite Gray upholstery, which is essentially white, cargo leaves a mark. For 12 months we've been throwing boxes and bikes back there and the seatbacks are looking a bit beat.
Did you think we'd get there? It was certainly questionable.
As we noted in our introduction of our 2014 Mini Cooper, we failed to meet our long-term-test goal of getting 20,000 miles for our last Mini Cooper, a 2007 Cooper S. A lot of our staff just didn't like driving it. But this time we've got it in the bag and we've still got a few weeks before this test is over.
We've driven our little blue Cooper on a lot of road trips in 11 months, so perhaps we've padded the odometer a bit (our city-bound BMW i3, in contrast, will never make it to 20,000 miles even though we like it quite a bit). But that also means our team hasn't minded taking the Cooper on road trips, and that demonstrates that the latest-generation Cooper is indeed more refined and pleasant to drive. It hasn't come at the expense of completely selling out either, as we've noted in a few updates that it still has plenty of Mini moxie.
Our Cooper has also been pretty trouble-free, if checking out the maintenance section of our updates is any indication. It looks like this long-termer is going to end its Edmunds.com season with a "W."
I happened to look at our 2014 Mini Cooper's Continental ContiSportContact 3 summer tires not long ago (run-flat). The front tires looked a lot more worn down than the rears and I wondered how much life they had left since we recently passed 20,000 miles.
It was time to investigate further.
Looking closer, I realized none of the Mini's tires are down to the wear bars yet. According to a TireRack article, the wear bars indicate the legal minimum tread depth of 2/32-inch (TireRack also recommends additional minimum depth for wet or snowy conditions.)
Since I have a tread depth gauge, I used it to measure the remaining tread. The front tires measured 6/32 and the rears measured 8/32.
So, they still have life in them. But the increased wear on the fronts initially seemed a little odd to me. On one hand, some extra wear on the fronts is expected given it's a sport-oriented, front-wheel-drive car. On the other hand, maintenance-based tire rotations are supposed to keep your tires wearing evenly.
Looking back at our service history, our Mini has been to the dealer just once at the 10,000-mile service. The tires weren't rotated during that visit. Presumably the front tire wear we're seeing is based on the full 20,000 miles we've driven. I find that a little interesting since most other cars include tire rotations with scheduled the oil changes.
The Mini's next service is coming up in just a few hundred miles. We'll have to ask about it then.
Makes Long Hauls Better than Before
A couple of weeks ago, I needed to make an 800-mile round trip drive to San Francisco. Ideally I'd have a vehicle that could get out of its own way and wouldn't occupy two city blocks if parallel parked. Our 2014 Mini Cooper seemed appropriate for such conditions.
Having received a "C" for comfort compared to other hatchbacks on the Edmunds' rating scale, however, I was concerned I'd be over the drive before breaking free of the Los Angeles traffic scrum.
Some years back, a stint I'd done in a Mini Countryman's ergonomically-challenged cockpit cast a cynical shadow on their form-over-function approach. The central speedometer placement was inconvenient, and the mess of toggle switch controls would sometimes simultaneously activate the seat heater and roll up the window if obscured by a large drink in the cupholder.
Here's the 2013 Mini Countryman's central speedometer. Are the Mickey Mouse cues purely coincidental?
Placement of essential controls/toggles in older Minis invites interference from drink containers.
Our long-term Mini Cooper's cabin preserves the look of this unique design but improves its functionality tenfold.
No more central speedometer (it's now in front of the driver). Radio controls are also integrated for a more efficient use of space.
New toggles are raised higher above the cup holders and perform less active roles. Window and door lock controls have thankfully moved to the doors.
When it comes to the Mini Connected system, I share the same positive sentiments as Senior Automotive Editor Brent Romans. I find it intuitive and easy to navigate. I also agree that the only real hang up is the location of the rotary touchpad knob, forcing your arm into an unnatural T-Rex position to access it.
Other benefits, especially when spending six-plus hours on a northbound highway in the afternoon, are sufficient armrest recesses. This sounds trivial, but it's actually imperative to avoid frying your window arm with UV radiation for hours at a time.
After four hours on the road, I decided my comfort concerns were unfounded. Out on the highway, the Mini's short wheelbase and slightly stiffer ride aren't optimal for long-hour comfort, but they were far from unpleasant and certainly wouldn't deter me from making the drive again. And once back within city limits, there are few vehicles that feel more adept at dicing through the madness — or parking.
What a garage looks like in San Francisco.
White Leather - Great for Stoned Pop Stars, Not for Cars
The pros and cons for light-colored vehicle upholstery are pretty obvious.
Pro: Looks great when new!
Con: Shows dirt the day after you brought it home!
Such is the case with our 2014 Mini Cooper. Our car's Satellite Gray leather upholstery pairs well with the Deep Blue paint and imparts a premium vibe. But after 20,000 miles, certain parts of the upholstery are looking pretty dirty.
The above photo is of the backseat, which has been christened by my two young children clamoring in and out. There are other spots, too. It's hard to photograph, but the driver seat is particularly grimy as we've been driving our Mini for about a year now. There's also a nice darkened elbow spot on the driver door armrest.
On one hand, it's nice knowing exactly where the dirt is. On the other hand, it'd be "out of sight, out of mind" if we had a black interior that hid dirt.
I tired some Meguiar's leather cleaning wipes on our Mini's dirty spots. The shoe prints on the rear seat came right off, but the driver seat didn't show much improvement, presumably because we've been grinding dirt into it for a year now and haven't done much upholstery cleaning (if we've done any at all). It's going to take more work to get it clean.
What's in your car: light- or dark-colored upholstery?
I had heard recently about the Castle Air Museum, in Atwater, California. It's not all that well-known, but it has an impressive collection of United States military aircraft from World War II and after. All I needed was an excuse to check it out.
Enter our 2014 Mini Cooper hatchback and my four-year-old son.
The Mini Cooper won't be in our long-term fleet much longer. It's a fun car to drive and I wanted to spend some extra time with it. Plus, my son has been interested in planes recently, so I figured I could turn it into a father-and-son road trip.
Our drive to the Castle Air Museum was almost all on the highway. Edmunds editors have taken a few long trips now in the Cooper hatchback, including drives to Bishop, California, the Coachella music festival and Vegas. My drive largely reinforced our earlier opinions. The driver seat is great for long distance driving and the suspension tuning, while not exactly comfortable, isn't overly harsh.
One aspect that stood out more this time was wind and road noise. I went on record earlier this year claiming our Mini Cooper was quiet on the highway. Well, it seemed nosier this time around, which might have had something to do with different kinds of road surfaces. Also, I was often answering my son's "Are we there yet?" questions, which could have influenced me noticing the wind and road noise more. But I wouldn't have described it as quiet on this trip.
My son was otherwise happy sitting in back, and I've come to appreciate the Mini Cooper's boxy profile. Compared to other small two-door coupes with a sloping roofline, the Cooper is easier to step in back and strap little kids into their safety or booster seats.
As for the museum itself, it was great. The collection skews heavily towards bombers, and there aren't any major WWII-era fighters (such as the P51 Mustang or P-38 Lightning). Nonetheless, there's a lot of great stuff to see. I also met one of the museum's visitors the day I went. He was an older gentleman wearing a bomber wing hat. I started asking him some questions and it turned out he used to be a B-52 mechanic during the 1960s. He had some interesting stories to tell.
Here are few photos of the museum's planes.
B-24 Liberator
SR-71 Blackbird
B-36 Peacemaker
B-29 Superfortress
F-14 Tomcat
I enjoyed reading Erin's recent "The Minis I've Never Bought" update. Her proposed build for a new Cooper hatchback seems pretty cool and I suspect I'd come up with something very similar. There's one key difference, though: If I were buying a new Cooper Hardtop, I'd get the Cooper S.
This isn't a decision to make lightly. I do like our Mini Cooper's turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine and agree with prior comments. Jay Kavanagh noted how it's "shockingly smooth," Mike Monticello wrote that it's "pretty peppy" and Travis Langness posted how, despite having just 134 horsepower, our long-term Mini is "really fun to drive."
Plus, you've got to pony up to get an S. A 2016 Cooper hatchback starts at $20,700. An S version rises to $24,100. You don't get much extra for your $3,400 either, other than the main upgrade of a 189-hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
That upgrade does provide a more sporting personality though, and that's one thing that I find a little lacking in our test car. It's fun to drive around town, yes, but when you really want to go drive (or "motor," in Mini parlance), the base three-cylinder just isn't as cool. Power tapers off at high rpm and doesn't provide the energizing acceleration that I want from a hot hatch.
We tested a four-door 2015 Cooper recently. Also fitted with the automatic transmission, it accelerated to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. That's not a huge upgrade compared to the three-cylinder's 7.3-second sprint, but it's noticeable, particularly in high rpm (4,000 to 6,000) personality. With the S, there's more to work with and more incentive to wind it out to redline. I like the look of the center-exit exhaust a lot more, too.
To clarify, I'm not saying that the S is the version to get no matter what. Both are justifiable. It just has more to do with what you want out of your potential Mini Cooper purchase. For me, it's the Cooper S.
Look closely at this photo. Can you see the air-conditioning vents? It's like scanning through the pages of "Where's Waldo," isn't it? I haven't had much time in our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper, but every time I get behind the wheel, I'm annoyed by their placement.
Basically, the vents are right behind the steering wheel and even pointed outward, they blow directly at my hands. Maybe it's my seating position combined with the vent placement, but I can't get them to point towards my torso or face without hitting the steering wheel first.
So, on a hot day, my knuckles are frozen while the rest of me sweats the difference, waiting for the cabin to cool down. The A/C blows cold and there isn't much interior real estate to cool down, so it's a small gripe, but in a warm climate like Southern California, it matters.
TPMS Gremlins Got Us Good
A road trip of significant length will often lead to a spectacular montage of insects plastered across the face of your car. Art installations of this nature usually require a deeper removal process than the four-minute spray 'n go wash stations offer. After taking our 2014 Mini Cooper to a professional bug uninstaller, I buckled back in and immediately received this warning on the vehicle information screen.
Anything look off here?
By a strange coincidence, all four tires managed to simultaneously bleed roughly 5 psi of air during the 15-minute window of bug removal. Not impossible, but I'm not that lucky.
Since we were about 5 psi low of the Mini's recommended 35 psi, I headed for the nearest gas station about 1.5 miles away to find an air compressor and mechanical gauge to validate the TPMS readings. Upon my arrival, I soon found the air and water pumps to be out of order. As I said, not that lucky.
Not far from my house at this point, I decided to live dangerously and huff the Mini back to home base. I made it to the garage without issue, and with mechanical tire gauge in hand, I confirmed my hypothesis.
36 psi, right on the money.
That's right: TPMS gremlins! Unlike our previous low tire pressure warning experience in the Mini, this was a system fault. So after confirming that the tires were at their correct operating pressures, I went through the tire pressure reset procedure. This requires you to drive around, while the system takes measurements and sets the base line readings.
After completing the process, which took about a minute of steady driving around, the Mini displayed the screen below.
The tire warning had gone away, but the system was still reading pressures 5 psi too low. German gremlins can be relentless at times but they occasionally leave on their own. If not, we can always consult the gremlin-uninstallation pros.
We only had one scheduled service on our previous long-term 2007 Mini Cooper S. It requested the first service around the 17,000-mile mark and we returned the car to Mini with just 18,244 miles on the odometer.
Our 2014 Mini Cooper is a little different. It required its first service at 9,800 miles, and we guessed the second service would be due around 20,000 miles. The maintenance light illuminated in the instrument panel as expected and it was time to visit the dealer.
According to the performance-based maintenance tool in the center display, the Cooper only needed an oil change. I don't know if the service includes more work, such as a tire rotation, because the owner's manual does not spell out an estimated service interval or list the recommended work for that interval. The owner instead waits until the IP throws up a maintenance alert and then takes it to a dealer. It's frustrating.
It would be refreshing to see Mini embrace the approach of other performance-based minders, like the one in our 2015 Acura TLX, which displays a code that corresponds to a set of maintenance items listed in the owner's manual.
We made an appointment for service at Long Beach Mini.
We are here at Long Beach Mini delivering our 2014 Mini Cooper in the pre-dawn hours on a Thursday morning. This isn't our first time using the early-bird option. I grab an envelope from the neighboring BMW dealership, write in some basic contact information, seal the key inside and place it in the drop-slot back on the Mini side.
There are no surprises on this quiet morning. Those started a week earlier.
A Mini service advisor answered my phone call and I explained that the service light recently came on and that the odometer read around 20,000 miles. I could hear him typing.
"This may come as a surprise, but there are a few recalls for your vehicle," he said. "I'll need time to special-order these parts. And I'll need to keep the car overnight."
We tossed around dates and times until landing on Thursday. I was offered a loaner car during the conversation but declined.
Back to the present. Our Mini service is complete. A porter pulls the car around front and he too has a surprise. The hood-open warning light is on. He mumbles something, tries to latch it a couple of times, hands me the key and vanishes. Three feet later the light returns. I try to close the hood several times before walking back inside.
I explain the issue to my advisor. The lead Mini technician, who happens to be on break within earshot, replies, "This happens sometimes. It is a quick fix. The hood just needs to be realigned. May I have the key?"
No more than five minutes pass and he returns with a smile. "All set. Have a nice weekend."
Here is a list of the recall campaigns addressed in addition to the basic oil and filter change:
11 05 15 — Replace oil filter housing assembly.
51 09 14 — Retrofit foam rubber shims for side impact performance.
51 04 14 — Retrofit structural molded foam parts, crash pads.
71 01 15 — Replace VIN and tire labels.
The repair order has more surprises. On the final page, I read, "Customer states the front wiper blades streaking" and "customer states the rear wiper blade streaking." I did not say either. Sounds like an issue between BMW, this dealership and the free maintenance plan.
We get a new set of wipers from the deal and hopefully, no more surprises.
Total Cost: $0
Total Days out of Service: None
As reported by Ed Hellwig in July, the mirror cover on the driver side sun visor of our 2014 Mini Cooper had given up the ghost, flopping into view whenever you lowered the visor. Long Beach Mini ordered up a new visor, and I delivered the car for the repair. After about 90 minutes, the service folk had the new sun visor in place, and the mirror now stays closed until vanity calls.
Also, we've just passed 20,000 miles, so it wasn't a surprise that the condition-based service system reported that the Cooper would like a multi-point inspection and a tire-pressure check, please. Now that's done, too.
Total Cost: $0
Total Days Out of Service: 0
Still Good Form, But Better Function
You're looking at the interior of the 2011 Mini Copper. I hated it. It seemed as though a number of decisions on placement of controls prioritized form over function. Our 2014 Mini Cooper, on the other hand, is much more practical and still manages to look cool in in the process. Here's how.
The green arrow indicates where the window switches used to be. Yes, they looked cool and reminded you of airplane toggle switches, but they were hard to find while driving. A plastic divider made them even trickier to reach.
The 2014 Mini moved its window switches to the door — like a normal car. Not as trendy, but far more useable.
The yellow arrow in the first photo shows the climate control on the 2011. I really didn't have a problem with it, but the three-dial setup on the 2014, shown below, is more straightforward. It features dual-zone climate control and looks more upscale, too. Notice that the toggle switches are still there in the bottom row, but aside from the start/stop button, they're reserved for functions that you won't frequently use.
The red arrow in the photo of the 2011's interior shows the old dinner-plate speedometer and the vaguely-labeled audio controls. While the center-mounted speedometer was a nod to the classic Mini, it wasn't really the best place to display that information. Now it's in front of the driver.
Removing the speedometer has allowed Mini to use that real estate as a larger screen. Notice how the buttons are clearly labeled and easier to use at a glance.
Fuel Economy Update for September - Creeps Closer to EPA Rating But Still Far Off
Our time with the 2014 Mini Cooper has been winding down, and as such we only put 2,183 miles on the odometer since our last fuel economy update back in July.
Some time spent with Brent Romans up north and Jonathan Elfalan's 800-mile road trip to San Francisco and back made for a fair fuel economy period for the little blue hatch, which averaged 29.6 mpg on 73.6 gallons of 91-octane fuel. For comparison, we averaged just 27.0 mpg in July. This upped the Mini's lifetime fuel economy from 28.6 to 28.7 mpg.
Our best fill-up in the last two months was 34.3 mpg and our worst was 24.6, neither one records for us.
We also noticed how pathetic the air conditioning system can feel on stifling hot days (of which we've had many lately) and I can personally vouch for that. It seems to be a combination of poor vent placement and a lack of pure blowing-in-your-face power.
Worst Fill MPG: 18.2
Best Fill MPG: 42.2
Average Lifetime MPG: 28.7
EPA MPG Rating: 32 Combined (28 City/39 Highway)
Best Range: 408.7 miles
Current Odometer: 22,076 miles
Just wanted to say a heartfelt "Good-bye, and good luck" to our long-term 2014 Mini Cooper, which, as I'm writing this, is likely on its way back to the BMW/Mini mothership in New Jersey (stay tuned for the long-term wrap-up). Despite the aspersions I've cast on its styling, I like this car. A lot. It's not like anything else, and it stays true to the Mini character that we've known and loved since BMW revived the brand in the early 2000s.
Given that I don't really dig the Mk7 Golf/GTI, I just might end up with a Mini if I were shopping for a premium sporty hatchback sort of thing.
Even this base Mini with its automatic transmission provides a singular driving experience. In particular, its Sport Mode is one of the few genuinely worthy of the name. The transmission is ready to go, right now, and the diminutive three-cylinder finds reserves that you didn't know it had. Getaways from stoplights are transformed from drudgery to delight. It just makes everything more interesting.
How many cars are this engaging? I wager most of them cost multiple times the Mini's asking price.
Farewell, then, friend. You were good.
Wrap-Up
What We Got
A complete redesign of the Mini Cooper Hardtop doesn't happen very often, so when the fully revamped 2014 model arrived, it was a logical choice for our long-term test fleet. It rode on an all-new, slightly larger platform and featured a standard three-cylinder engine that promised more power and torque (134 horsepower, 162 pound-feet) and better fuel economy than the outgoing four-cylinder.
With that in mind we ordered a 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop in base trim. Between the exceptional mileage it promised and the surprising power output from its 1.5-liter engine, it looked like the perfect setup for the new Cooper.
Other than specifying the base trim, we didn't choose the rest of the options since we borrowed the car from Mini. No surprise, then, that it was packed with a long list of optional features. Most expensive among them was Satellite Gray leather seats ($1,750), the Premium package ($1,750), Mini wired package ($1,750) and the six-speed automatic transmission ($1,250). All in, our Mini totaled $33,095, a big step up from its starting price of $20,745. We were expecting quite a bit from a car at this price. Here's what we found.
Performance
"Though it's not as frenetic as previous Minis, this is still a remarkably quick-responding car. Impressive steering response coupled with good stability makes it fairly easy to drive through the slalom. Also, the Mini's good sight lines, thin pillars and upright position make it an easy car to place. As FWD cars go, it's fun and easy." — Josh Jacquot
"The first thing you need to know is that this little engine has an impressive amount of grunt. It delivers plenty of torque and has zero trouble keeping up with or passing traffic. It's punchy even, although it tends to run out of steam near redline just when you're thinking it's on a real tear. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly this thing moves out." — Jason Kavanagh
MPG
"Using the revised fuel economy figures, the ones mandated by the EPA, and covered by Dan here, we're still quite behind where we should be. While our worst fill got worse and our best fill got better, our average stayed just about the same. Fun cars always suffer in the city, but a couple of honest highway trips should determine if that 39 mpg number is attainable." — Kurt Niebuhr
"Headed into March, our best fill was 34.5 mpg and the longest range 316 miles. With such a poor showing 9,700 miles into our test, I set out to see just what the Mini could do. One extended highway trip (42.2 mpg, 353.2-mile range) with cruise set to 67 mph was enough, but I did a second (40 mpg, 408.7-mile range) for good measure." — Mike Schmidt
Comfort
"The driver seat fit me great. A considerable amount of traffic on the Bishop run kept me on the road for about 11 hours. Leg stretching breaks were minimal. Yet it wasn't until the 10th hour that I succumbed to road rump. At that point I was forced to shift positions regularly to maintain any level of comfort." — Mike Schmidt
"My son was otherwise happy sitting in back, and I've come to appreciate the Mini Cooper's boxy profile. Compared to other small two-door coupes with a sloping roof line, the Cooper is easier to step in back and strap little kids into their safety or booster seats." — Brent Romans
Cargo Space
"These new rear headrests flop over in place to better clear the front seatbacks during the folding operation, and said seatbacks have generous knee-clearance sculpting that helps the process along. The result is a full 38 cubic feet of maximum seats-down cargo space, up from just 24 cubic feet in years past. That works out to a massive 58 percent increase in cargo space for the 2014 Mini Cooper." — Dan Edmunds
"That's my camera backpack. OK, so it might be a little bigger than your JanSport but it still fits in an overhead bin on an airplane. And as you can see, it takes up two thirds of the trunk's width, most of its depth and prevents the compartment lid from closing." — Kurt Niebuhr
Interior
"The Mini's interior has always seemed more concerned with style than actual usability. Although the 2014 Mini Cooper has a less gimmicky interior than the previous version, it still lacks decent small-item storage.
Case in point: The door pockets. I usually keep my sunglasses in a semi-hard case, but the Mini's door pockets are so slim it won't fit. That means I have to put the case in the center armrest bin. It barely fits in there, and if I don't place it just right the lid won't fully close. But the bigger problem with doing this is that the case takes up the entire bin, so where do I put my wallet? Sure, it will fit in the door pocket, but that means the wallet will be in plain view if I leave the car to go mountain biking or running. I know the Mini is a small car, but this interior storage thing could definitely be done better." — Mike Monticello
"If you have kids, Mini offers a couple of family-friendlier vehicles these days: the Cooper Countryman crossover…and the four-door Cooper hatchback…. But if you want to stay traditional in your choice of Mini Coopers, the two-door hatchback might still work out all right. I've come to that conclusion after taking my two kids to school each day for about a week." — Brent Romans
Audio and Technology
"The weirdest things bother me: Girls who say 'like' more than once in a sentence, sunglass lenses that aren't perfectly spotless, wristwatches not set to the exact second. And this…the power button that rotates with the volume knob makes me bonkers. That off-kilter power symbol makes my right eye twitch." — Mark Takahashi
"I like our Mini Connected system, too. Entering addresses into the navigation system is quick and easy. The iPod interface is smooth and responsive. Phone pairing is a snap. There are plenty of customization and setting options for the car available through Connected, too." — Brent Romans
Maintenance
"According to the performance-based maintenance tool in the center display, the Cooper only needed an oil change. I don't know if the service includes more work, such as a tire rotation, because the owner's manual does not spell out an estimated service interval or list the recommended work for that interval. The owner instead waits until the IP throws up a maintenance alert and then takes it to a dealer. It's frustrating. It would be refreshing to see Mini embrace the approach of other performance-based minders, like the one in our 2015 Acura TLX, which displays a code that corresponds to a set of maintenance items listed in the owner's manual." — Cameron Rogers
"As reported by Ed Hellwig in July, the mirror cover on the driver side sun visor of our Mini Cooper had given up the ghost, flopping into view whenever you lowered the visor. Long Beach Mini ordered up a new visor, and I delivered the car for the repair. After about 90 minutes, the service folk had the new sun visor in place, and the mirror now stays closed until vanity calls." — Carroll Lachnit
Miscellaneous
"The California Driver Handbook has even more detail on horns. You're apparently not supposed to use them if people are going slow, make a mistake, are on a bicycle or because I'm angry. That's a bummer because our Mini Cooper has a great horn. It's loud, deep and not at all cutesy. Not using it every day would be the real crime." — Mike Magrath
"Despite the aspersions I've cast on its styling, I like this car. A lot. It's not like anything else, and it stays true to the Mini character that we've known and loved since BMW revived the brand in the early 2000s." — Josh Sadlier
Maintenance & Repairs
Regular Maintenance:
Routine service is free on the Mini for three years or 36,000 miles. It occurs at roughly 10,000-mile intervals so in our case, we paid nothing for dealer visits at 10,000 and 20,000 miles.
Service Campaigns:
Numerous recalls and technical service bulletins affected our car during the first year of ownership. Two items, a drivetrain malfunction and droopy sun visor, required separate appointments. These remaining issues were resolved during our two scheduled services: (1) software updates for U.S.-spec control units; (2) installation of a self-locking nut to attach the spare tire; (3) reprogramming and coding of control units; (4) a new oil filter housing assembly; (5) retrofitting foam shims for side impact performance; (5) retrofitting structural foam parts and crash pads; (6) replacing incorrect VIN and tire labels on the door sill.
Fuel Economy and Resale Value
Observed Fuel Economy:
The EPA estimated 32 mpg during combined driving (28 city/39 highway) for the base Mini Cooper. In total we averaged 28.7 mpg over 20,000 miles of driving. Without devotion to the cause, highway projections were unreachable. The only time we met the 39 mpg figure was on a dedicated fuel economy drive, which garnered 42.2 mpg and a range of 408.7 miles on a single tank.
Resale and Depreciation:
Our Mini had an as-tested MSRP of $33,095. After one year and 20,789 miles. its private-party sale value dipped to $21,663 according to Edmunds' TMV® Calculator. That is a surprising 35 percent. For reference, our long-term 2011 Countryman depreciated just 19 percent with about 1,000 fewer miles on the odometer.
Summing Up
Pros: Surprisingly gutsy three-cylinder engine; quick-shifting transmission; responsive steering; plenty of room for taller drivers; much-improved interior layout; free scheduled maintenance.
Cons: Seldom delivers EPA fuel economy estimates; choppy ride on the highway; minimal interior storage space; required several trips to the dealer to resolve multiple recalls.
Bottom Line: Even with its slightly larger size, this is still very much a Mini. It's responsive, surprisingly quick and has a unique style inside and out that none of its competitors can match. Less than advertised fuel economy and some questionable ergonomics are the biggest drawbacks to this otherwise well-rounded package.
| Total Body Repair Costs: | None |
| Total Routine Maintenance Costs: | $0 (over 12 months) |
| Additional Maintenance Costs: | None |
| Warranty Repairs: | Update software for U.S.-spec control units, install self-locking nut to attach spare tire, program and code control units, replace oil filter housing assembly, retrofit foam shims for side impact performance, retrofit structural foam parts and crash pads, replace VIN and tire labels. |
| Non-Warranty Repairs: | None |
| Scheduled Dealer Visits: | 2 |
| Unscheduled Dealer Visits: | 2 |
| Days Out of Service: | 2 |
| Breakdowns Stranding Driver: | None |
| Best Fuel Economy: | 42.2 mpg |
| Worst Fuel Economy: | 18.2 mpg |
| Average Fuel Economy: | 28.7 mpg |
| True Market Value at service end: | $21,663 (private-party sale) |
| Depreciation: | $11,432 (35% of original MSRP) |
| Final Odometer Reading: | 20,789 miles |
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.