While the Mini Cooper may well be the quintessential fun-to-drive small car, its diminutive footprint and snug cabin may not make sense for every buyer. Those who can make a subcompact car work in their lifestyles will find the Cooper a real creampuff, with a fun-loving nature that begs you to take it on a brisk drive on twisty roads. The standard setup is a three-door hatchback, but a five-door hatchback and a convertible are also offered, and all of them feature Mini’s iconic retro-modern styling. If you’re easy on options, you can get into a base-level Cooper for the price of a well-equipped Honda Civic, but as soon as you start adding desirable options—including swapping the standard 134-hp turbo three-cylinder for the punchier 189-hp turbo four—the Mini suddenly wears a price tag similar to that of an
Audi A3 or a BMW 2-series. If you have even more money to spend and want to ramp up the performance and handling, check out the Cooper JCW (reviewed separately), which uses a 228-hp version of the Cooper’s turbo four-cylinder engine.
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What’s New for 2024?
Mini added the manual transmission back to the lineup last year, but only on the three-door hardtop models. Now, the six-speed stick is available across the entirety of the Cooper lineup, including convertible and five-door hardtop models. Last year’s Resolute Edition package sticks around for the 2024 model year due to its popularity. Based on the top-spec Iconic trim, the Resolute Edition package adds Rebel Green exterior paint, bronze-colored hood stripes, and yellow and cream tweed interior upholstery.
