On the very last day of my September 2023 trip, I spotted a luminescent green MINI Cooper S Convertible, and without thinking the practicalities of the need to get my suitcase in it, just grabbed the keys to test it out for a few hours. That car was brand new and was the first time I had seen MINI models on fleet at Hertz, apart from used Countryman models that came during the chip supply crisis in 2021, for some years. On this, my November trip, I noticed that there are also some Cooper S 5 door cars that have joined the fleet. Looking for something a bit more agile after having had a series of very large SUVs on this trip, a bright red (MINI call it Chilli Red) car was just too tempting, so I went to my friends on the outdoor Gold/Presidents Circle desk to see if it was available. And it was.

This car was also pretty new and actually a 2024 model year car. Changes from 2023 are few, with the reintroduction of a manual gearbox for the five door and convertible and the removal of the option of the JCW engine with the five door body. Very little had changed for 2023, either, so the last significant update came in 2022 with what BMW call a Life Cycle Impulse. The rest of the world probably refer to it as a facelift. This gave us refreshed exterior styling with reprofiled bumpers, LED headlights and the rather gimmicky Union Jack features in the rear lights as well as some interior alterations, the addition of some new ADAS features and an upgrade to the available kit across the range. The five door MINI, which Americans refer to as a four door saloon, rather perversely, made its debut back in 2014, a year or so after the launch of the third generation F56 cars. It aimed to broaden the appeal of the car, with the extra six inches aimed at making the car a little more spacious in the back and enlarging boot capacity.  Unlike previous attempts to diversify beyond the popular three door hatch and two door convertible, It has sold well and is now seen as important part of the range.

Unlike the entry level Cooper, which has a three cylinder engine, the Cooper S has a completely different unit with an extra cylinder. This is a 2.0 litre turbo four, related to the B48 engine seen in many BMW models. It generates 189 bhp and it coupled as standard to a six speed manual box, or, as was the case for the test car, a seven speed dual clutch automatic. Fire the engine up and it certainly sounds purposeful, though the fizzes and pops that you used to get on more performant earlier generation MINI models are no more. The Cooper S proved pleasingly bris but ultimately not as fast as you might expect from that power output. Just look at the weight to see why! The engine is smooth though and the torque is available even from quite low revs. It is well matched to the transmission. There are paddles if you want to change gear yourself, but the auto box does such a good job that there is little to be gained from so doing. Underway, there is some noise from all of the engine, the road and the wind, so this is not the most relaxed freeway cruiser. I covered a not insignificant 327 miles in my day with the Cooper S and it needed 8.75 gallons to fill it, which works out at 37.37 mpg US or 44.65 mpg Imperial, a good result, and more than 10 mpg better than I achieved in the Convertible.

MINI has built up a great reputation for their cars being fun to drive, and in many respects they are just that. The steering is excellent. Direct, light enough to make manoeuvering easy but while retaining plenty of feel on the road, it is a strong suit for this car. On the move, it can actually feel quite heavy, especially around the straight ahead position, but this helps to make the Cooper S feel such fun to drive.  The handling is almost certainly the car’s biggest asset. This really is a car that relishes the bends. There is lots of grip and no body roll and you can take the twisty sections of road with more zeal than almost any other modern car. There can be a price to pay, though. The suspension is stiff and so the ride can go from being acceptably firm to a bit uncomfortable. The test car came on 205/45 R17 tyres, the smaller of two sizes offered in Cooper S and JCW cars, but a couple fo inches larger than the entry level models. They were not run flats, but I understand that the stiffer sidewalls on these can really make the ride quite punishing. There were no issues with the brakes which did just as you would want. This is one of relatively few cars that still features a traditional pull-up handbrake between the seats. All round visibility is decent enough, with the short overhands making it quite easy to judge the extremities of the car.

MINI has always had a very stylised interior, and you get the feeling that form is more important to the designers than function. That said, the ergonomics of the third generation car are better than those of its predecessors. There can be little criticism of the materials used as there are some good quality plastics and plenty of soft touch surfaces along with some metallised features such as the row of toggle switches and there is a chunky leather-wrapped wheel. In true BMW tradition, this is probably a bit too chunky, really but you get used to it. Thereafter, though the story is not so good as the ergonomics really are patchy. Attached to the steering column, so it moves as you adjust the position of the wheel, there is an 8.8” digital display in front of the driver and this is customisable to an extent. There is a digital speed reading in the centre and there are revs shown to the left and fuel level to the right.  The centre of the dash contains a massive circular screen. Although it is based on the BMW iDrive system, which is one of the less challenging ones to operate, I found this really quite difficult to use and setting things like radio waveband and channel selection were far from intuitive. There are some buttons below this unit and also in the central console. Signature trim gives you navigation as well as HD and XM Satellite radio with six speaker audio and all MINI models since the 2023 model year have the expected Apple Car Play but still lack Android Auto. Beneath this are three dials for the automated dual zone climate control and then below these there is a row of toggle switches, which are low down, and not that easy to access let alone to tell apart. Among them is the one you need to start the engine. I am sure that once you are familiar with everything, you probably don’t see the challenge, but as someone new to the car, I found the whole ensemble far less intuitive than most. At least the column stalks, for indicators and wiper are easy to use. The lights are mounted low on the dash and hard to see.

The five door MINI has shorter doors than its three door stablemate, but even so you would not expect it to be hard to get in. When I first tried to do so, as the seat had been very high, the combination of a relatively low car and a seat with a very pronounced side bolster meant it was actually really surprisingly difficult. Of course, I tend to put the seat as low as it will go and once this was done, then there were no problems and there is a surprising feeling of space. Seat adjustment is all manual, and the steering column telescopes in/out as well as up/down, so it was not hard to get the driving position I wanted. The test car featured a sun roof, included as part of the spec on Signature cars, and this did not have much impact on available headroom. The seats are comfortable and grip you quite tightly, which is something you will appreciate if you take advantage of that engaging handling. Signature trim also includes seat heating. The leather trim is standard on top spec Iconic models but an option for the Signature version I tested.

Rear seat space has never been a strong point of any of the BMW-era MINI models, with accommodation being a struggle even for children. The five door hatch aimed to improve things in two regards: easier to access through separate rear doors, and a longer wheelbase to give a little more room. Whilst this car is better than the three door models in both regards, space here is still extremely tight. Adults really would not be comfortable as legroom is still lacking especially if the front seats are set well back. Although there are three seatbelts fitted, it is definitely a case of only two people here as there is a large cupholder on the central tunnel which would conflict with the thighs of a middle seat occupant. There are map pockets on the back of the front seats, but oddments space here is as limited as the passenger rooms is.

The boot is equally meagre, though at 13.1 cubic feet with the rear seats erect, it does have 4.5 cubic feet more than in the three door model. As this test was not on the last day of my trip, unlike when I had the Convertible model, I had no occasion to fit my suitcase in. I think it would probably have fitted, but not with much space to spare. There is a false floor which can be set so the load area is flush with tailgate which would make it easier to slide heavy items inside. The rear seat backrests are asymmetrically split and drop down to give more luggage space, though there is a step up for the extended area. No load cover was provided on the test car, which seems on the mean side. Inside the passenger compartment, there is not much provision for odds and ends. The glovebox is modest, as are the door bins and whilst there is a central armrest cubby, it is also very small.

For the US market, the 2024 MINI Cooper comes in three trims: Classic, Signature and Iconic. There are also three body styles available: a two-door hatch, four-door hatch and a two-door convertible. Finally, there are three engines on offer: a turbocharged 134 bhp three-cylinder (Cooper), a 189 bhp turbo-four (Cooper S) and a 228 bhp turbo-four (John Cooper Works). Notably, the most powerful engine is only available on two-door models. MINI employs a mix-and-match approach with the Cooper, allowing you to build a vehicle based on your preferred amenities, body style and performance specs. Most engines, trims and body styles can be combined, with a few exceptions. The MINI is also highly customizable in terms of styling, with various interior and exterior colour combinations and accessories on offer. Just be aware that these extras can cause the MINI’s price tag to balloon in a hurry. The MINI Cooper Classic starts at $25,800 for the two-door model and $26,800 for the four-door hatch. Standard equipment includes a 134 bhp engine, a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (Cooper and Cooper S) or eight-speed automatic (John Cooper Works) can be added for $1,500. Upgrading to the Cooper S’ 189 bhp engine will cost you an additional $3,300, and the John Cooper Works 228 bhp engine will cost an extra $9,600. Opting for the John Cooper Works motor will also net you front sport seats with extra side bolstering, a stiffer suspension and larger wheels and brakes. Standard features include cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, an 8.8-inch touch screen, a 5-inch digital gauge cluster, Apple CarPlay, HD Radio, satellite radio, Bluetooth, a six-speaker audio system, a USB port, remote keyless entry and 15-inch alloy wheels. Standard driver-assistance features include a rearview camera, forward collision warning, forward automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, rear parking sensors and rain-sensing windshield wipers. Heated seats can be added for $500. The MINI Cooper Signature is priced from $30,800 for the two-door hatch, $31,800 for the four-door hatch and $35,700 for the convertible. Upgrading to the Cooper S engine costs an extra $3,300, and John Cooper Works models cost an additional $5,200. The Signature trim gains heated front seats, navigation, dual-zone automatic climate control, proximity keyless entry, ambient LED interior lighting, larger alloy wheels and a panoramic sunroof (hardtop models only). Models equipped with an automatic transmission also gain adaptive cruise control. Options include a Nappa-leather-wrapped steering wheel ($250) and a heated steering wheel ($250). The top-tier Iconic trim starts at $33,200 for the two-door hatch, $34,200 for the four-door hatch and $42,000 for the two-door convertible. The Cooper S engine will run you an extra $3,300 for hardtop models, and it comes standard with the convertible. John Cooper Works variants cost an additional $5,600. Additional standard features include leather upholstery, a Nappa-leather-wrapped steering wheel, wireless device charging, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, a universal garage door opener, front parking sensors, hands-free park assist, a head-up display and 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels. A heated steering wheel ($250) and dynamic damper control ($500 on Cooper S models) are available.

I’ve never made it a secret that I am not the greatest fan of the modern MINI. The poor packaging and challenging ergonomics of the first couple of generation cars combined with a less than stellar driving experience from the low-end cars that I got to sample did nothing to endear to me a marque which has been hugely successful in the market. It was once stated that well in excess of 50% of buyers never bother to test one, they just know they want a MINI. Long ago I concluded that just as with parent company BMW, where you need to go well above the bottom version of any model to get the best out of the car, that has always also been true for MINI. And of course that adds to the cost quite considerably and a MINI is not particularly cheap anyway. This Cooper S is undoubtedly the best of the modern MINIs that I’ve driven. It is definitely a car with personality and there are few of those around these days. I still would not want to swap my Abarth for it, but when there is one of these on offer at the rental car counter and the swooping canyon roads are only 30 minute away, it is easy to overlook the firm-ish ride, the challenging interior layout and lack of space in the back as this car is about as much fun as there is in the US Hertz fleet at present.