The Mini Cooper is a sporty compact hatchback that has been an enthusiast's favorite since it hit the American market in 2000, and the Mini Cooper S is its sportier version. The compact dimensions, distinctive styling, and the peppy supercharged motor coupled with go-kart-like handling made it an instant hit. The same quirks and qualities have been carried forward unchanged to both the second and third generations of the moniker too. With the launch of the 2022 Mini Cooper S, which is part of the third generation, Mini has brought in many upgrades to make it more enticing.
The 2022 Mini Cooper S Hardtop version can be had for an MSRP of $27,750, and the changes come in the form of a revamped exterior design and upgraded cabin with a tweaked design, minor material changes, and added features. The infotainment duties are handled by the larger 8.8" display too. Competing with the likes of the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Hyundai Veloster Turbo, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Mini Cooper S.
8 Fast Acceleration
What makes the Cooper S so special in the eyes of the enthusiasts is due to what lies under the hood. The 2.0-liter twin-power turbocharged inline-4 motor comes mated to a slick-shifting 6-speed manual transmission, providing 189 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. The power is put down through the front wheels and the car achieves 0-60 MPH in 6.9 seconds.
Even though the performance numbers aren't as impressive as the ultimate John Cooper Works trim, the wide torque curve and the low curb weight of 2,813 lbs make sure that the Cooper S puts a smile on the driver's face. However, both the competitors came out with better acceleration times than the 2022 Cooper S.
7 Quirky Exterior
Like all the other offerings from the Mini stable, the 2022 Cooper S receives endless exterior customization and personalization options, making it more beautiful than anything else on the market. We adore the iconic British racing green color palette, the silver streaks, and the subtle chrome elements on offer.
The unique LED headlights with circular LED DRLs give it the required character when out on the road, and we also loved the clean lines on the side profile, 17" alloy wheels with run-flat tires, and subtle S badging on the fenders. The updated front and rear bumpers are ravishing to look as well. However, the Cooper S is much shorter than all the segment rivals. The customization options are relatively expensive too.
6 The Cabin Has A Youthful Design
The cabin quality and design of the 2022 Mini Cooper S are almost perfect for such a sporty hatchback that is priced at a premium when compared to its rivals. There is soft touch injection molded on the dashboard and the Signature trim 2.0 comes with a blacked-out cabin with subtle surface aluminum inlays and silver chequered accents.
If you want an even more premium cabin experience, the 2022 Cooper S can be had with the Iconic trim 2.0 which gets the Chesterfield leather malt brown or satellite gray color combination. The soft leather upholstery with contrast piping and the diamond stitching come out well. The ambient lighting and sunroof look elegant too.
5 Small, But Comfortable Interior
Get the standard Signature 2.0 trim of the Cooper S and the cabin comes with carbon black leatherette upholstery. The front seat offers excellent comfort with excellent under-thigh and lower back support coupled with top-notch headroom and legroom. The ergonomics are decent, and this Mini doesn't compromise on the cubbyholes and storage spaces as well.
However, do not consider this as a four-seater hatchback as the rear seats are best suited for kids. Getting in and out is going to be difficult due to the low height, and there isn't enough legroom. As expected of a Mini, the cargo area is pretty small with a space of just 8.7 cu ft. However, Mini has provided split rear seat functionality, providing close to 34 cu ft of space.
4 Decent Gas Mileage
With the soaring gas prices in the recent price, fuel efficiency is going to be reasonably high up on the list of prospective buyers who look at the 2022 Mini Cooper S. Thankfully, the Cooper S doesn't disappoint much. Even with no mild hybrid assistance on offer, the 2022 Cooper S could do 23 MPG city and 33 MPG highways.
With a fuel tank capacity of 11.6-gallons, the 2022 Mini Cooper S could do a combined tank range of close to 313 miles. However, the rivals like the Honda Civic Sport Touring and Hyundai Veloster Turbo offered superior tank range and combined gas mileage than the Mini Cooper S.
3 8.8" Infotainment Misses Out On Android Auto
The 8.8" Mini Connect touchscreen infotainment system does a decent job of making the cabin more modern, and it is pretty good in terms of interface and touch response. The vivid and bright screen and the funky colors on offer help it to hide the infotainment's age very well. However, we wish there were minimal gloss black elements surrounding it.
When it comes to the features list, the 2022 Mini Cooper S with the Iconic Trim 2.0 comes with Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM satellite radio, digital gauge cluster, in-dash navigation, and wireless phone charging. However, Android Auto is still not on board the 2022 Mini Cooper S.
2 Not All The Driver-Assistance Techs Are Standard
Like many of the other offerings from the Mini stable, the 2022 Cooper S misses out on most of the driver-assistance features from the standard list. This includes features like adaptive cruise control, front and rear park assist, and a few more goodies.
However, the features like forward-collision monitoring, automated emergency braking, lane departure warning, and blindspot monitoring comes as standard. The car is constructed mostly in high tensile steel and that helped the car to score a good rating in most of the subsections of the IIHS crash test.
1 Sharp And Progressive Brakes
Even though the 11.6" front rotors and the 10.2" rear rotors of the 2022 Mini Cooper S is not segment-leading by any stretch, the braking performance was as good as it can get. The 70-0 MPH braking could be done in just 158 feet, which is the best of the sporty hatchback segment.
The braking features like automated emergency braking, brake assist, ABS with EBD, and ventilated rotors do help the 2022 Mini Cooper S to come out with sharp and progressive braking. It has the lowest curb weight of the segment as well, which is about 300 lbs lighter than the Volkswagen GTI.