We all remember The Italian Job, right? One of the things that made the movie great was the heist and the ensuing chase sequence. And the thing that made those scenes great was MINI. A quick and diminutive hatchback blazed through the city, the traffic, the subway, and whatever else was in its way; the movie did a lot to popularise MINI and bring its charm to the fore in pop culture. But even before that, MINI was already a popular hot hatch that had already made its name on the world stage.

We thought that and read all that up while being out and about in the MINI Cooper S that we had for a few days. As we were preparing for the #roadTripUnited2022, we needed something to move around in the city, and sometimes, rather quickly. Our Mahindra Thar may work well as an all-terrain cruiser, but in the tight city traffic, there aren’t a lot of cars that can beat a MINI Cooper S. And the folks at MINI India were kind enough to lend us one for a few days. 

The new MINI Cooper S has stayed true to the classic MINI design but it has also changed its ways with time. The latest one is a seamless mix of classic lines and modern design elements. The classic round headlamps have an LED-DRL surround that looks beautiful. The front bumper is sportier while the taillamps still proudly wear the Union Jack. Engulfed within the modern-classic bodywork is an interior that you fall in love with with the centrepiece being the multi-functional display. 

All that aside, what makes a MINI a MINI is its performance, that go-kart feeling. As always, the MINI Cooper S still has that punch that makes it such a delightful car to drive. The 4-cylinder twin power pot gives it nearly 180 horsepower to play with and enough torque to give it the zing it needs to be a slick city car. Another bit that we loved was the 7-Speed Steptronic Sport transmission. It makes the car really tractable and easy to drive in the city but at the same time, it also lets you exploit the 6,000 rpm redline of the engine when the situation calls for some action. 

In terms of dimensions, the MINI has grown some but regardless of that, it remains a compact and quick car. The low-slung hot-hatch has a small turning radius and quick steering that makes it enjoyable even when you are not able to make the most of the 180 horses under the hood. Moreover, despite being a car with an FWD setup, most of the negatives are negated by the geometry highlighted by a short wheelbase. And yeah, the adaptive cornering headlights do keep up with the quick turning that this car has! 

Overall, we had a lot of fun with the MINI Cooper S and we do every time we get our hands on one. It sure is great fun to see an icon grow with time. Next time though, we hope to get our mitts on the new electric MINI and see how that goes. Regardless, the Cooper S is something we’ll continue to love. 

This article was published in the Dec’22-Jan’23 Issue of the xBhp Print Magazine. Order your copy here, or read it online here.