2022 Mini Cooper Hardtop

The story of Mini Cooper goes back to 1959 when it was owned by the British Motor Company, and later British Leyland and the Rover Group. Its claim to fame was that with such a small engine, 80% of its floorplan space was used for passengers and cargo. In 2000, BMW bought the Rover Group and started producing Minis itself.

After dozens of variants, the third-gen Mini appeared from BMW, and in 2022 it gets heavily updated inside and out. We were given a Cooper S Hardtop to test drive, which comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 189 horsepower and 206 lb-ft of torque, up from the 134 hp and 162 lb-ft from the base model's 1.5-liter three-cylinder. A six-speed manual is standard across the board while a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission is optional. But the Cooper Hardtop range finds itself in an awkward position with no direct rival. From a performance standpoint, the closest you'll find are the much cheaper Volkswagen Golf GTI and Hyundai Veloster N.

But the Cooper has something those don't, though, namely a little British flair, if such a thing exists. Or at the very least, nostalgia on its side. And if you don't want to compete at an autocross or a track day for lap times, a little flair might be all you need.

Numerous stylistic changes have been made to the Mini Cooper hatchback this year. In front, there's a new bumper, a hexagon grille that extends lower down, and new air curtains. Mini has removed the fog lights and says that this, together with the new air curtains, improves aerodynamics. We're not sure that a lot of buyers will be happy with losing fog lights for a claimed aerodynamic advantage that won't be noticeable from behind the wheel, but there you have it. There's also a new rear bumper, and all models get standard LED headlights and LED taillights with the distinctive Union Jack graphic. The Mini with 2 doors looks better proportioned than the 4-door version, but both models are attractive.

The base model comes with rather small 15-inch alloy wheels, while upgrading to the Signature sub-trim gets you 16-inch alloys and a panoramic moonroof. The Iconic sub-trim offers a choice of 16- or 17-inch alloys. The quicker Cooper S gets 16-inch wheels from the cheapest sub-trim, as well as red S badging and a centrally-positioned dual-exit exhaust system.

Whether in two- or four-door form, the Cooper Hardtop remains one of the smallest vehicles on the market. The two-door's dimensions include a length of 152.2 inches, a width of 68 inches without the mirrors (75.9 inches including the mirrors), a 98.2-inch wheelbase, and a height of 55.7 inches. The Cooper S is slightly longer at 152.8 inches but shares all the other dimensions with the base model.

In its more practical four-door guise, the Cooper has a longer 101.1-inch wheelbase and a length of 158.5 inches, or 159.1 inches in the case of the Cooper S.

Whereas the base two-door's curb weight is 2,711 pounds, the four-door Cooper S weighs 2,963 lbs with the automatic gearbox.

Island Blue and Rooftop Grey, and Zesty Yellow have been added to the Cooper's color palette for 2022. The Cooper Classic misses out on these, though. It can be had in two non-metallic exterior colors called Chili Red and Pepper White, and both cost $500. The metallic range includes Moonwalk Grey and Midnight Black, the latter costing $500. This trim also limits you to a body-color roof and mirrors.

The Signature sub-trim is a lot more interesting. Here, the non-metallic shades won't cost extra. You can also add metallics like British Racing Green IV, White Silver, and Island Blue. Depending on your choice of main body color, the roof and mirrors can be finished in silver, body-color, white, or black. Finally, there's the Iconic sub-trim that adds MINI Yours Enigmatic Black Metallic as another option.

The faster Cooper S adds the new Rooftop Grey Metallic but only if you go for at least the Signature sub-trim. The Cooper S Iconic can also be had with a striking multitone roof for another $500. This roof features a color gradient that blends Soul Blue, Pearl Aqua, and Jet Black.

Mini didn't make any changes to the Cooper's powertrain choices for 2022. That means that the base model sticks with a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 134 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, whereas the Cooper S has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 189 hp and 206 lb-ft. In all cases, power is directed to the front wheels only. If you still want more power, take a look at the JCW model that we review separately.

The 2022 Mini Cooper S 2-door will take 6.4 seconds to get from 0 to 60 mph with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and the less powerful Cooper two-door needs 7.6 regardless of which gearbox it's fitted with. The heavier four-door model isn't too far behind, taking 6.5 seconds in Cooper S guise with the dual-clutch and 7.9 seconds with the three-pot engine. In both Cooper S models, going for the six-speed manual increases the 0-60 time by a tenth of a second. All Cooper S variants can reach a top speed of 145 mph.

While the Cooper is fun enough, the Cooper S we drove proves that the extra money is worth it. This model's bigger engine simply adds to the car's grin factor.

Two turbocharged engines continue to service the Mini Cooper Hardtop lineup. The first is a 1.5-liter three-cylinder with 134 hp and 162 lb-ft. It's paired to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The more potent Cooper S has a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 189 hp and 206 lb-ft, and comes with the same transmission options.

It should come as no surprise that the combination of the S model's more powerful engine and the manual gearbox is our favorite. However, even the 134-hp model feels sprightly considering the car's weight of under 3,000 lbs. The dual-clutch gearbox is responsive but changing gears yourself in a Mini simply feels right.

The catch point on the clutch is right in the middle of the stroke, which makes for easy, smooth shifts at any speed. The throw on the stick shift is comically long though. It likes to be launched hard at about 2,500 rpm - but then get ready for second gear because it comes quickly.

As this car is not overpowered, you will have to downshift from cruising gears to lower, attack gears when passing. Or, if you hang in fifth gear on the expressway, you can get from 70 to 90 mph pretty quickly. We'd maybe ask for a little more engine and exhaust noise in the cabin, though.

The suspension on the Cooper S is stiff. That makes for a tight, reactionary chassis that's probably as fun as the Golf GTI or Veloster N. But the tires are low profile, and this vehicle was on run-flat tires. Those tires are always harsher than the alternative, so you will want to take care to avoid big potholes. It's not as stiff as the old Cooper Coupe, which was downright bone-rattling, but you still should be aware.

The trade-off is hyper-accurate steering where you can aim at the inside edge of a turn and hit it perfectly every time. If you get a chance, take a couple of roundabouts at speed to feel the chassis (and tires) working. There's very little vagueness on center and changes of direction happen quickly. There's no limited-slip differential, so you will feel that outside front tire sliding when you're hammering on it.

The Cooper S has three drive modes: Sport, Mid, and Green. It always starts in Mid mode, which is a balance of steering and throttle sensitivity. Green mode relaxes the throttle, and in automatic cars allows for coasting, decoupling the engine from the gearbox to slow down less when your foot is off the gas. Sport mode turns everything up, making the steering even faster and throttle more sensitive. In automatic cars, it shifts later and faster too.

Gas mileage specs aren't affected by the body style you choose, but the engine and transmission choices do have an impact on consumption. The most efficient models are the 1.5-liter models with the automatic transmission. They will return 29/38/32 miles-per-gallon city/highway/combined. With the 2.0-liter engine and the automatic, those numbers drop to 28/38/31 mpg. Next are the 1.5-liter derivatives paired with the manual that return 27/37/31 mpg. Finally, the Cooper S variants with the manual use the most fuel. These models will manage 23/33/27 mpg.

All models come with a small 11.6-gallon gas tank. However, reasonable consumption means that you can travel 371 miles between refills for the most efficient models, and around 313 miles with the Cooper S manuals. We were happy to land above the city mpg rating in the Cooper S, especially considering how we drove it in a mix of city and highway conditions. We came to 27.4 mpg combined, which is above the EPA average.

The Mini Cooper Hardtop's cabin is as cheerful as ever. If you're expecting cavernous door bins and spacious rear seats, you're definitely barking up the wrong tree, as the Cooper has never pretended to be practical. The circular center design that houses a larger 8.8-inch infotainment screen is a welcome addition for the 2022 model year. Lower down, the distinctive toggle switches remain. All models also get a digital instrument display. Base models come with rain-sensing windshield wipers, lane departure warning, and rear parking sensors, but you'll have to upgrade to one of the sub-trims to get goodies like a panoramic moonroof and dual-zone climate control. Overall, the Mini's cabin does a lot to take the monotony out of the daily commute.

The Cooper Hardtop seats four passengers regardless of configuration, but those back seats are on the small side. It's more accommodating for kids, and the benefits of choosing the four-door version here are slight: There's around 30.8 inches of legroom in the 2-door version for back-seat passengers, and 36.9 inches of headroom. This increases to 32.3 inches of legroom and 37.5 inches of headroom in four-door Minis.

Our tester was a two-door Mini Cooper S, so the backseat is tight. It's even tighter after you wedge two child seats back there, which fit, but the front seat has to be slid and leaned forward and wrestling the seats in did take some effort. We couldn't sit in our normal position (at 5-foot-10) with a toddler behind us in a booster seat. Obviously, getting the kids buckled in is a nightmare, too. Without car seats, front passengers should be a lot happier. Mini always comes through with good seats, and these were well-bolstered and comfortable, and have extra under-knee support.

On the plus side, we did love the new touches and upgrades, which included a heated steering wheel with multi-function controls and the large 8.8-inch display that relays all the relevant information you need.

The base Cooper gets Carbon Black leatherette upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and inlays in a rather plain Hazy Grey. No other upholstery colors or materials are available unless you upgrade to another sub-trim. The Signature sub-trim offers a $2,000 Signature Upholstery package that unlocks several more upholstery choices. By ticking this box, you can choose from a cloth/leatherette mix in either Black Pearl or Black Pearl Light Chequered. Chesterfield leather in Malt Brown or Satellite Grey and Carbon Black cross punch leather are also offered. Another $500 on top of that will get you the MINI Yours Lounge interior with Carbon Black leather. Other than the Hazy Grey, the Signature Upholstery package adds Piano Black, aluminum, and Silver Chequered as other inlay options.

The Iconic sub-trim already commands a substantial premium so customers don't have to spend extra on any of the upholstery options mentioned above. Only MINI Yours Lounge leather will still require $500. This model also gets a Nappa leather steering wheel as standard.

The more powerful Cooper S shares many of the same upholstery options as the base Cooper. However, it gets Piano Black interior inlays as standard in place of the Hazy Grey. The headrests, like the taillights, feature the Union Jack flag.

Anyone buying a Mini that isn't the Countryman must be prepared to sacrifice some practicality. In the Mini Cooper two-door models, there's only 8.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats. If you remove the parcel shelf, one large suitcase or two smaller ones can be crammed inside, but a set of golf clubs will require you to drop down at least one side of the rear seatback. Several sporty coupe models will offer more space than that. If the 60/40 rear seats are folded flat, there are 34 cubes to work with. The 4-door Mini Cooper Hardtop is much better. It has 13.1 cubes behind the rear seats and 40.7 cubes when they're folded.

The door pockets and glovebox are both exceedingly small, so interior storage isn't what one could describe as generous. The two cupholders in front are sandwiched between the shift lever and the lower toggle switches, and any bottles stored in them get in the way of accessing these buttons. The front center armrest is small but offers a convenient spot for your phone via the available wireless charging system. At the back, there's no center armrest and only one cupholder, so hopefully, the two passengers back there are intimate enough to share the same drink.

Even though the price of the Mini Cooper Hardtop 2-door is lower, it's equipped to the same standard as the more practical model. The base Classic sub-trim comes with features like rain-sensing windshield wipers, dynamic cruise control, rear parking sensors, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, a digital instrument cluster, six-way manually-adjustable front seats, a rearview camera, and air conditioning. Moving up one level to the Signature adds heated front seats, a comfort access system, a panoramic moonroof, ambient lighting, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The Signature also avails more options. Finally, the priciest Iconic sub-trim enjoys a head-up display, power-folding exterior mirrors, a heated steering wheel, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and wireless phone charging. An automatic parking assistant is available as an optional extra.

The 8.8-inch main touchscreen sits in the center of the dash and it's surrounded by a circular LED light. That light bar mimics the rev counter while driving, and turns colors when adjusting the heating and cooling. It's a little gimmicky, but we love it, and so do the kids. The screen can be swiped and poked, and there are more mode buttons on the side.

It's all controlled BMW-style with a rotary dial in the center with extra buttons to switch modes surrounding it. Apple CarPlay worked flawlessly, though it can't do Android Auto yet. There's a volume knob in the lower center of the screen that can be easily found while driving. If you spec the Iconic trim you get wireless CarPlay.

Navigation is optional on the middle trim and standard on the Iconic. It works well, using the dial to zoom in and out, though we almost always use our phones for that feature now. The Cooper comes with a six-speaker audio system with AM/FM, HD radio, and one year of satellite tunes. A 12-speaker Harmon Kardon setup with 360 watts is optional.

With BMW's backing, the Mini is a well-built car that offers generally trouble-free motoring. At the time of writing, the 2022 Mini Cooper Hardtop had not yet been rated by J.D. Power. However, the 2021 model has a good rating of 83 out of 100, and the same rating for quality and reliability. There's more good news from the NHTSA, where the 2022 Mini has so far not been recalled once. That said, last year's model was recalled twice for a passenger seat belt malfunction and for the possibility that the airbags may not deploy in the unlikely event of a rollover. The same airbag recall applied to 2020 models as well as an issue where crash pads were missing from the rear side trim panels. This could lead to increased injury risk for rear passengers in the event of a side crash.

Every Mini Cooper in the USA is sold with a four-year/50,000-mile limited and powertrain warranty, and complimentary scheduled maintenance is covered for the first three years or 36,000 miles.

A Mini Cooper safety review has not yet been conducted by the NHTSA. However, the IIHS has conducted a Mini Hardtop review. It rated the 2022 two-door model as 'Good' in every evaluated crashworthiness category. Both the two- and four-door models received a headlight rating of only 'Acceptable' from the US authority, though.

Every Mini comes standard with dynamic stability control, tire pressure monitoring, ABS/EBD braking, and dynamic cruise control with a braking function. The combination of the Mini's small size, the rearview camera, and rear parking sensors mean that you're unlikely to ding cars or objects behind you. Other safety features include forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a complement of eight airbags. That includes side curtain airbags and knee airbags for both front occupants.

On the Signature trim and above, a parking assistant that does the parking for you automatically will add $500 to the price, not that most drivers would need assistance parking a Mini. Iconic models add a head-up display as standard.

The Mini Cooper is in a tough spot in the market. It's an enthusiast car for sure, a specialty car probably. It would need to be a second car in a household if there's a family involved - like we said, it can fit four people, but not super comfortably. The engine and transmission are excellent though, as is the brake feel. The throw on the stick shift is a little long, and we wouldn't complain about a limited-slip diff, but this car is extremely fun to drive.

The 2-door Cooper S starts at $26,900 MSRP, but with trim upgrades and packages, you break the $35k mark pretty quickly. That makes the base prices of VW Golf GTI ($29,545) and the Hyundai Veloster N ($32,500) look pretty enticing - both have more power and torque than the Mini. You could make an argument for the Mercedes A-Class as a competitor too as it starts around $35,000, although it has less power. Still, the Mini Cooper is a great car, distilled over the past 22 years to be almost perfect, but it's still owned by BMW, and therefore commands a premium. And we'd be hard-pressed to pick this over either the Golf or Veloster.

Mini Cooper pricing begins with the value-conscious Oxford Edition. In two-door guise, it starts at $19,750, just as it did last year. Continuing with the two-door range, the Cooper begins at $22,900 and the Cooper S starts at $26,900. The price of the Mini Cooper Hardtop 4-Door isn't much more. The 4-Door Oxford Edition costs $20,750. Other Mini Cooper four-door models are the Cooper at $23,900 and the Cooper S at $27,900. Besides the Oxford Editions, all other variants are $500 more expensive for the 2022 model year. Of course, these prices exclude the sub-trims that add more features. The prices above are all for the Classic sub-trim but you'll need to pay $4,000 more for the Signature and $8,000 more for the Iconic. If you don't mind spending closer to $30k and enjoy wind-in-your-hair motoring, consider the Cooper Convertible with a fabric top which we review separately.

The price of the new Mini Cooper in the USA excludes a destination charge of $850.

The new Mini hardtop range comprises two engines (Cooper and Cooper S), two body styles (two- and four-door), and three sub-trims (Classic, Signature, and Iconic). In addition, there is the value offering, the Oxford Edition, that uses the same 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged engine found in the Cooper. This engine produces 134 hp and 162 and is paired to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Cooper S models use a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 189 hp and 206 lb-ft, along with the same transmission choices. All models come with front-wheel drive.

The Oxford Edition has a lower starting price yet even more equipment than the Classic sub-trim, adding things like dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, and a contrast roof and mirror caps.

The Classic sub-trim gets 15-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, an 8.8-inch touchscreen display, a digital instrument cluster, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and six-way manually-adjustable front seats.

Perhaps the pick of the lineup is the mid-range Signature sub-trim. It comes with extras like larger wheels, heated front seats, a panoramic moonroof, a comfort access system, and a wider choice of upholstery options.

The Iconic sub-trim is quite pricey. However, it justifies this somewhat with a touchscreen navigation system, Apple CarPlay, a heated steering wheel, a head-up display, a Harman Kardon sound system, and power-folding exterior mirrors.

Mini allows individualists to choose from a range of upholsteries and colors, but the base Cooper is less customizable than others. You can add things like black hood stripes for $100 or heated front seats for $500, but there isn't much more you can choose on this model.

The Signature sub-trim is a different story. This model can be upgraded with the $1,250 Premium package that adds a heated steering wheel, power-folding mirrors, an auto-dimming interior rearview mirror, and a credit for the Harman Kardon sound system (due to limited availability of this system). The $2,000 Signature Upholstery package allows you to customize the cabin by choosing from one of several inlays or upholstery choices, including Chesterfield leather. For $1,000, the touchscreen navigation system adds navigation, Apple CarPlay, and more. The $1,800 Touchscreen Navigation Plus upgrade gets all of this plus enhanced USB and Bluetooth or wireless charging, as well as a head-up display.

The Parking Assistant can be optioned on for $500 and the head-up display will set you back the same amount. The Harman Kardon premium sound system can be specified for $750.

The 2-Door Hardtop Mini Cooper S is the best Mini to buy in our opinion as it comes with the more powerful engine right off the bat. As it is, this Cooper S starts at $26,900 (before $850 in destination and handling). This is a Mini, so we'd have to spec the six-speed manual, and we think you should too. Our tester had the $8,000 Iconic trim package, which adds leather, heated seats, the moonroof, the Multitone top, dual-zone climate control and a few other bits. We'd skip that for the lesser-priced Signature trim, however.

The Signature trim comes with the best of the more Iconic trim, including keyless entry, moonroof, ambient lighting, heated seats and more. There are no costs for colors so we'd pick something cool like Chili Red or British Racing Green. The roof and mirror colors are free options too, and there are a bunch of options for 16- and 17-inch wheels for free. We'd continue to keep it cheap with the leatherette interior, but we'd skip anything in piano black for interior surfaces - it's too shiny and gets dirty too easily. We wouldn't add anything further, and that brings us to $31,750 excluding destination for a Mini Cooper S with all the options you need.

This match-up is quite simple. If the Mini Cooper Hardtop 2-door or 4-door models are too small and impractical for your needs but you still want a Mini, the Countryman is an obvious choice. Bigger in every dimension, the Countryman has substantially more space for rear-seat occupants and can accommodate an extra adult. At over 17 cubes, the trunk is around double the size of the Cooper Hardtop two-door model's one. With the same engines but a lot more weight to lug around, the Countryman is good for a crossover but can't match the hatch for driving fun. By comparison, the hardtop feels lighter on its feet - because it is. The Countryman also starts at around $10,000 more than the price of the Mini Cooper Hardtop. However, you do have the option of an AWD variant. Because the Mini works best as a hatchback and not as a crossover, we'd save the extra cash and go for the former unless we really needed the Countryman's space.

The Clubman's quirky wagon-like styling and added practicality over the Cooper Hardtop make it an interesting alternative. The twin rear doors give it a unique appearance, and it's got a similar amount of cargo space as the Cooper Hardtop four-door. Unlike the regular Mini Cooper hatch, the Clubman is only available with the more powerful 189-hp engine. This means that it's quite a bit more expensive, starting at just under $30,000. An AWD version of the Clubman is available, so that is the more suitable choice for those living in colder, icier states. Due to its extra weight, the Clubman is a little slower than the smaller hatchback. Both Minis are enjoyable, feisty compacts, and choosing the Clubman for its extra space and unique style isn't a bad decision.