2014 MINI Cooper S Hardtop 5-door Review

We didn’t know what to expect from such a large car at first and we have to admit that while approaching it we were hard pressed to figure out if it was the 3-door or the 5-door variant. That’s because we were reaching it from the front, where there’s absolutely no difference between the models.

Take one step to the side and you’ll immediately notice the extra door handles (dressed in chrome) and the longer wheelbase. That’s right, this is a MINI for practical people. Ignore the fact that there’s already another model out there for such purposes and it’s called the Countryman, this is a different creature altogether.

What MINI tried to do here is simple: create a hardtop that is more on par with the brand’s rivals in this segment, namely the Volkswagen Polo and the Audi A1 Sportback. Those two represent the main competition and, to be honest, they’ve been at it for quite some time now, making us wonder why it took the British so long to bring a 5-door alternative to the market.

The answer is simple: enthusiasts and tradition. You see, over in Oxford these things are paramount. You can’t simply build a new car and stick the winged logo on it. It has to abide to what the name stands for and it has to be somewhat up to par with what Sir Alec Issigonis went for in the first place. Therefore, a larger body is a taboo subject in the designers’ and engineers’ quarters.

Under BMW ownership, the brand that used to make ultra compact cars grew up quite a bit and started offering what was in demand instead of the same old line-up. Therefore we reach this new chapter in its life that might disappoint older fans but bring new ones to MINI dealerships.

Compared to the 3-door alternative, the inclusion of two extra handles on the sides translates into a longer wheelbase and a longer car overall. In absolute terms, the company claims that the new car grew exactly 161 mm (6.3 in.) in length, 72 of them (2.8 in) being added to the wheelbase. And you can actually see the increments.

We tested the 3-door version as well earlier this year and while that car’s rear seats were not extremely comfortable but, to be honest, rather restrictive, there are no such problems here. Understandably so too, as headroom and leg room were drastically improved. Oh, and did we mention the doors?

Admittedly, they are a bit on the small side but that’s just part of the compromises this car brigs in order to satisfy most people out there. Compared to a Polo, for example, you’ll have more problems fitting child seats in here but hey, at least it’s possible, unlike on the 3-door variant.

Therefore, if you have a young family, this car will offer you everything you need. The boot also grew in size thanks to the added length and now can hold up to 278 liters of luggage (9.8 cu. ft.). That’s still behind the Ford Fiesta for example which means that even though you can take a couple more bags with you on trips, you’re still a little limited in size.

The biggest upside when it comes to the exterior of this car is the wow factor though. It might’ve been the Volcanic Orange color of our tester but we’ve rarely encountered such a reaction to any car. Not even the M4 got such an enthusiastic response from other drivers or even bystanders. A lot of the time, people were taking out their phones recording or snapping shots of the MINI and that’s surely something that will make you forget about the price tag this car comes with.

Step inside and you won’t notice anything different, from the front seats. The layout is exactly the same as in the 3-door version and the seating position is identical. You get a commanding view of the road and good visibility all around except for the rear window.

The same design and funky buttons await and we are actually liking it, as part of the whole “Not Normal” philosophy. Some things have changed, however. For example, the position of the speakers on the front doors has been moved a little upwards and towards the front of the car. That might not matter to a lot of people but what you immediately notice when sitting behind the wheel is that you’re hitting the speaker’s grille with your knee and it gets annoying over time.

Then there’s the seat adjustment. We’ve seen a lot of systems but the one in the new MINIs is definitely peculiar, to say the least. If you’re not familiar with the way it works, it will take some time to get used to it. It helps if you know how older BMWs used to have their seats adjusted but the similarities only go so far.

The biggest differences are noticeable in the back, however. That’s where you really see the importance of having a longer wheelbase and two extra doors. The length of the rear doors is no more than 15 inches at most and you’ll have to squeeze in if you’re bigger in size but it still beats the acrobatics you had to do to get in the back of the 3-door model.

And while you can fit two people comfortably in there, you’d be pushing it to get another one to sit in the middle. Maybe a small child could do the trick but don’t expect any adult to comply. It simply doesn’t work that way.

The infotainment controller is still in that pesky place, right beneath the arm rest and it’s still a pain to use it. The speedometer and rev counters moved in front of the driver and the navigation system (if you go for it) will animate the dash.

Inside the city, the car offers a good view of the road and, despite having 16 extra centimeters in length, you can’t call it big. You’ll have no problems navigating even the busiest streets and the on-board technology will help you out with that.

The model range is comprised of the One, One D, Cooper, Cooper S, Cooper D and Cooper SD variants for now and will get the JCW model in the future as well. Therefore, there are plenty of options for you to pick. More interestingly is that you can have all of them with the manual or automatic gearbox. If you plan on spending most of your time inside the city, go for the auto.

The 6-speed slush box on the new generation of MINIs is comfortable and works extremely well. It’s not perfect but it’s a step up compared to the old one. In manual mode, you get to switch gears fast and you really can’t ask any more of it. It does respond to your commands promptly but then there are also two more driving modes.

Get the car in ECO PRO and everything goes numb. The famous MINI spirit is gone and everything focuses on being as efficient as possible. And we would’ve been fine with it if the fuel consumption would’ve gone down accordingly. However, during our test, around town we couldn’t get anything under 10 l/100 km (23.5 mpg) and that’s just ok for a 2-liter 4-cylinder petrol engine making 192 HP, not impressive.

You need to go in Sport mode. That’s where the suspension firms up (if you have the adaptive dampers), the steering gets heavier and the exhaust starts to pop. This car is even more fun to drive than the 3-door! We definitely didn’t expect that, since the 5-door is heavier.

What we didn’t take into account was the longer wheelbase. Thanks to it you can slide the rear end outwards easier if you want to. Furthermore, you lose none of that trademark ‘go-kart spirit’ the British brand likes to brag with. Yes, this is a heavier, more tech-savvy model but you can still have fun with it around town.

Get it outside of the city and the surprises will continue. Due to the fact that the 5-door doesn’t have frameless doors anymore, the wind noise around the A pillars is definitely less obtrusive. The changes done to the chassis also help the car settle down better for longer hauls, offering great stability and reactions even at higher speeds.

The engine in the Cooper S will pull hard towards 110 km/h (68 mph) only to slow down afterwards going for its top speed of 232 km/h (144 mph). Even so, this car wasn’t built for racing and you’ll get barely enough grunt from the new plant under the bonnet. Overtaking is easy and the slush box will be there with you no matter what driving mode you’re in. Admittedly if you’re in ECO PRO, you’ll have to press the pedal harder.

You really can’t notice any turbo lag and the fuel consumption we got made us appreciate having a bigger plant up front. Basically, despite having more weight to carry around than the 3-door, we obtained almost exactly the same mpg: 29.7 (7.9 l/100 km). Sure, that’s not on par with MINI’s claims but what did you expect?

Gadgets are aplenty inside and the creators of this car have made sure that they will appeal to the younger demographic out there. After all, that funky interior is definitely aiming at a different kind of thinking and not everyone is going to be excited by it.

And then the ones that will love it, will want all the gadgetry inside. The infotainment system offers great connectivity especially for iPhones and you can get an app for nearly everything you need. Also, we recommend getting the extended Bluetooth connectivity as well as the professional navigation system. Getting the Wired Package that costs $1,750 makes a lot of sense.

Other features you should get include the parking sensors and rearview camera as well as the parking assistant that will parallel park for you if you’re not an ace at it. From there on out, it’s your choice how you configure your car but you can rest assured there won’t be a shortage of possibilities.

As a final recommendation, we’ll mention the Harman Kardon audio system that is really worth it. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: inside a MINI is where this implementation sounds best. Honestly, it puts BMWs to shame and that says quite a lot. If you’re an audiophile, it will serve you very well. Considering it only costs $750, it will be money well-spent.

One thing we wouldn’t necessarily recommend are the adaptive dampers. Yes, they do change the character of the car but even in their sportiest setting they won’t block out body roll completely. That being said, spending $500 on them doesn’t really make sense. It’s good to know that they’re available, though.

The range of electronics available on board are also meant to keep you safe. There’s standard DSC included on all models as well as an Electronic Differential Lock Control system (EDLC) that brakes the front wheels depending on spin.

Also, you get such amenities like active cruise control (that automatically brakes on the highway when approaching another car), collision warning (a system that was just rewarded by the NCAP) with pedestrian detection and active braking, high-beam assistance, road sign detection and even a rear-view camera. That one last bit will come in handy as you get limited visibility through the rear hatch.

Unfortunately, the MINI got only a four-star rating in a recent test performed by the European watchdog, NCAP, despite boasting so many electronic systems. The main issue reported was that they were all optional and few cars would eventually be using them on the road.

The adult occupant protection was rated at 79 percent, the child occupant rating went as high as 73 percent while pedestrians will be in trouble with only 66 percent protection. Admittedly that was for the 3-door version and the bigger body of the 5-door alternative might change things in various areas but not by much.

That’s mostly because of the pricing. Sure, MINIs are a bit on the expensive side of things these days, since BMW took over, but even so, the small premium asked for the improvement in practicality makes this a very good proposition.

In order to get the two extra doors you’d have to pay just $1,000 more in the US and €900 in Europe. For that kind of money, you get a car that handles even better, sips just as much fuel and allows you to actually use the back seats with ease. Don’t know about you but to us, it looks like a pretty good deal.

Prices start at $21,700 in the States for the Cooper model which comes with a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged plant under the bonnet. For the Cooper S like the one we tested, you’ll have to pay at least $25,100. Chip in some optionals and you get up to $30,000 and that’s where things get shaky.

In Europe, the Cooper S starts at €24,700 but that can also go up to around €30,000 easy. Our tester came with almost everything you can get on this bad boy and had a sticker of €41,503. A lot, we know but that’s just to show you that you can easily go crazy on the optionals. Keep them within reason and you’ll have a good daily driver for an honest price.

In this segment you could also look at the Volkswagen Polo or the Audi A1 Sportback. But that only applies in Europe as the US doesn’t get these superminis. Admittedly, the Polo is a lot cheaper but it’s not premium and doesn’t offer this sort of power either unless you go for the GTI but then the price difference doesn’t matter all that much. The Audi is on par with the MINI in build quality but it doesn’t have its character.

Therefore, the 5-door Hardtop seems like a success from the get go. In the US it will only be rivaled by the Fiesta ST but, once again, they are completely different strokes for different folks. So, the road seems clear for now but in the end it’s all up to the personal choice, as is most of the time. If you ever wanted a MINI but complained about the back seats, this is the car for you.