What Happened to the Mini Cooper S?

• The 2025 Mini Cooper S recently visited the Edmunds test track, where our team put it through our usual ringer.
• From a numbers standpoint, the new Cooper S hasn't made any considerable gains over its predecessor. In fact, in some ways, it's worse.
• What's more, around our handling course and out on the road, this car just doesn't entertain us like it used to.

Let’s look at the numbers

The new Cooper S has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine putting out 201 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. It routes power exclusively to the front wheels and has an eight-speed automatic transmission. (You can't get a manual anymore.) In our testing, we ran the Cooper S from 0 to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds at 97.8 mph. Our hard braking test brought the Mini from 60 to 0 mph in 120 feet. We also achieved 0.89 g around the skidpad.

Those numbers seem fine on their own, but they lose their luster when some context is applied. In 2015, we tested a similarly equipped Mini Cooper S. A decade later, this car should be better, right? The 2015 Cooper S hit 60 mph in 6.8 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds. That’s almost the same as the new model. The 2015 Cooper S braked down from 60 mph in 101 feet and pulled 0.92 g on our skidpad — that's better than the new car. Mini hasn't improved the Cooper S' performance. In some ways, it's actually worse.

Trouble around the track

The Cooper S is not the most aggressive version Mini's two-door hatch; the forthcoming John Cooper Works version will take that spot. Anyone who wants to defend the Mini can easily say that the JCW is the best choice for track use, and we agree. But it still doesn't change the fact that the Cooper S isn't what it used to be.

Senior vehicle test editor Kurt Niebuhr had the following to say: “The all-season tires hold the Cooper S back. But I think the Mini's constant switching from over- to understeer doesn't do it any favors on the skidpad either. At the limit, you're initially greeted with understeer (the tendency for the car's nose to push wide). Thankfully, the Cooper S responds well to steering and throttle inputs to mitigate understeer, but even light corrections cause the tail of the Mini to step out. The steering is quick enough to catch it but this makes it essentially impossible to hold a tight, consistent line. This is a far cry from a Cooper S from only a generation or two ago, when the handling and agility felt more natural and a function of chassis and suspension tuning, not electronics.“

"Other hot hatches, cars like the VW GTI, Elantra N or the Civic Type R, have playful handling but can be driven neat and tidy when desired," Niebuhr added. "The Cooper S cannot."

Bad vibes on the road

Between the all-season tires, mandatory automatic transmission (with no option to shift gears manually) and the underwhelming brakes, this Cooper feels unrecognizable from its predecessors.

Off the track, the experience is more of the same. Director of editorial content Steven Ewing noted, "The Cooper S was the perfect little sport compact for scootin' through suburbs, but those days are gone. The trade-off for this car's stiff ride used to be sharp turn-in and fun-at-all-speeds flickability; now it just feels heavy and dull. Sure, it's still punchy, what with all that turbocharged torque delivered way down low. But those cheeky-cute looks are no longer backed up by rambunctious antics. Giving back the Cooper S' enormous key fob was a very easy thing to do — and I've never felt that way before."

But there's redemption inside

Mini put a lot more effort into this car's interior, and it shows. As a commuter car, the Cooper S is still a well-rounded choice, featuring a lovely cabin and tech suite. The seats are comfortable, the materials are creative and full of color, and the overall design looks super clean. Of course, it's still tight inside, and the Cooper S' interior dimensions haven't grown any — headroom and legroom are exactly the same as before — despite the car being slightly larger (and heavier) overall.

The new infotainment system has one of the best screen resolutions we've ever seen. Its circle shape is unique in the industry and comes with a bunch of fun customization options, including a throwback theme. We also love the Harman Kardon audio system that fills the little car with huge sound. The tech is a big step forward for Mini and puts it a step ahead of many of its competitors in this segment.

Then again, considering this Cooper S test car costs $37,295 (including $995 for destination), it ought to feel super nice. This Mini is more expensive than the larger, better-driving Golf GTI we tested earlier this year.

If you have no interest in driving fast, then don't be dissuaded by this story. But if you're like us and yearn for that familiar, fun-to-drive Mini-ness, you aren't going to find it here.