Mini Cooper Reviews

There's a new generation of Mini models here in Australia, and now the JCW performance variants have arrived to join them.To test out the new JCW range, we headed to a not-so-secret test facility in Queensland to do some silly driving in a bunch of cars that fortunately don't take themselves too seriously.

The Mini Cooper is now two different cars - the EV from China and the petrol hatch from the UK. The latter is a thorough facelift of its 2014 predecessor, using the same centre section, powertrain and platform, blended with a fresh face and tail, as well as a striking new dash. There have been other changes and updates too, though the same feisty Mini character remains. But is that enough, though?

The Mini Cooper is back, but this time in two very different versions, starting with a restyled petrol range. But only the all-electric 3dr hatch is truly all-new. Redesigned from the ground up, it sits on a fresh architecture, bringing a larger yet crisper body and a more minimal, intuitive and stylish interior. But has the Mini lost any of the fun athleticism the British brand is famous for?

Depending on how you use it, the electric Mini Cooper might actually be the best one in the range...

The Mini Cooper is a survivor, seeing off rivals like the Fiat 500, VW Beetle and Alfa MiTo, while remaining true to its sporty heritage and fashion-forward attitude. And though the current hatch has been around for eight years and so is showing its age now, two facelifts, tech upgrades and spec improvements have kept it fresh. The British icon remains a unique, likeable and driver-focused option.

Mini’s John Cooper Works badge has long denoted the pinnacle of performance for the diminutive-in-size brand, with the limited-run GP version billed as the best of the best. Stripping away the rear seats and upping performance is a sure-fire recipe to boost performance, but does that make the car better?

Australians are yet to fall madly in love with electric cars, but Mini wants to put its most stylish foot forward with the Cooper SE hatch. For the mid-$50,000 price tag, buyers are treated to a fun-to-drive model, but it's tempered with a relatively small driving range and cramped ergonomics.

Mini is celebrating its 60th birthday with a special edition named after the UK's famous Millbrook proving ground. As the name would suggest, it's sharpened to a fine point..

I’ve never been in a Mini and didn’t know what to expect - besides the fact that I knew it was going to be small. I certainly wasn’t expecting to love the exterior so much, and I sure didn’t know how utterly cool the interior was. The whole week was full of nice surprises.I was in the Mini Cooper five door hatch, in the automatic. It’s the base level Mini and is in a similar category to the Audi A1 and Fiat 500. And sure, it’s not the first thing you think of when you talk family car, but my friend is considering buying one because her family consists of her and her teenage son.So the family thing is relative. And as a second, runaround car, the Mini is hard to beat. But it is pricey for a small car, this one starts at $31,150 with the auto version at $33,650 - and that’s before on-road costs.I put it to the test for a whole week with my family of four.

he Cooper S grade sits in the middle of the Mini Hatch (three-door) and Convertible ranges.