2020 (70) MINI Cooper 1.5 Cooper Exclusive II 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

Originally launched in 2014, the third generation F55 version of the 5 Door MINI Hatch got a useful mid-term update in 2018 to create the car we're going to look at here. In this form, it became smarter and more sophisticated - and could be more individual too. Plus by this point in the F55 design's life, some re-fettling work had been done on the punchy range of eager three and four cylinder engines. Let's check it out as a used buy.

History

Take a standard MINI, add a dash of length and practicality and you'd have a strong seller. You'd have a car like this, the MINI 5-Door Hatch. It was launched in 2014, then much improved in mid-2018. It's that revised version we're going to look at here. This 'F55'-series model wasn't the first five-door modern MINI - that was the Countryman SUV 'R60'-series design launched back in 2010. But perhaps it should have been. For years prior to this 'F55' model's original introduction, MINI had been losing customers to other brands. People who'd loved life in the company's little 3-Door Hatch, but had out-grown it. In its second generation, the Countryman helped a little in keeping these folk loyal. But this 5-Door Hatch version helped a lot. It was, after all, a rather purer and more affordable expression of 'MINI-ness' than the Countryman - or indeed the estate-style Clubman model. Here, most of the stylish frugality and fun, chuckable, cheeky demeanour of the iconic MINI 3 Door Hatch was carried over intact. But packaged up in a car that could meet an occasional need to transport up to three people in the back. And deal with the modest proceeds of a family supermarket shop. This revised post-2018-era 5 Door Hatch F55 model wasn't fundamentally very much different from the original, but it did feature quite a few significant improvements. Mechanically, the re-fettled engine range saw a de-tuned version of the Cooper model's 1.5-litre three cylinder unit make it into the base MINI One variant, plus the four cylinder 2.0-litre powerplant used in the top Cooper S model was significantly overhauled in pursuit of greater efficiency. The optional Steptronic auto gearbox became a dual-clutch unit with seven speeds; oh and diesel power was ditched as part of the 2018 update, to suit the market's prevailing mood. Just as important were the aesthetic, technology and customisation updates. The piercingly bright headlights of this updated model used full-LED technology, as did the trendy new Union Jack-style tail lamps. There was a whole fresh level of connectivity via upgraded 'MINI Connected' services. And the brand introduced a 'MINI Yours Customised' programme that set a fresh industry standard for the level to which buyers could personalise their cars. So quite a lot changed as part of this update - but thankfully at the same time, nothing really important was different. Here was a MINI that could still charm you with its dinky looks and go-kart handling. And it's a go-to used choice if you want a style-conscious urban runabout from this period with much of the technology of a larger car. A further update followed in 2021, lasting the F55 design through to the end of production and the end of sales in early 2024.

What You Get

If you like the look of the 3-Door F56 MINI Hatch, the changes made as part of the 2018 update, though subtle, may well be enough to probably keep you loyal to this, its bigger stablemate. This F55-series 5 Door Hatch model is 161mm longer than its smaller F56-series stablemate and has 72mm of extra wheelbase. Otherwise though, key elements of MINI design remain intact: the clamshell bonnet, the upright windscreen and yes, the round headlamps - which in this updated form feature full-LED technology and could from new be ordered with optional 'Matrix' adaptive beams. Avoid the entry-level MINI One version and you can have a car with a contrast-coloured roof, while plusher-trimmed versions feature larger 17-inch wheels. Try for 'Sport'-spec, which gets you a John Cooper Works aerodynamic body kit. Get behind the wheel and it's all quite BMW-like. If you've driven the pre-facelift F55 model, you'll know that the huge central display doesn't function as a speedo in the way that it did with earlier MINI Hatches. Less characterfully but more practically, the speedo here was re-located to a pod in front of the steering wheel where it's flanked with a crescent-moon rev counter and fuel gauge. All of this freed the central area up for much more infotainical trickery. By 2018, the screen was 6.5-inches in size across the range as standard and could be upgraded from new to 8.8-inches in size as part of the 'Navigation Plus Pack' which included all the latest 'MINI Connected' media features. Nearly half of the extra length you get with the F55-series 5-Door Hatch variant went into providing extra rear seat space, though to some extent, the issue lies in getting to it. The extra rear doors are really pretty small, so squeezing in and out can be tricky. Inside, all that extra wheelbase length creates a cabin that's obviously a huge improvement on the cramped quarters provided by the 3 Door model - MINI claimed that this F55 5 Door variant delivered 10mm more headroom and 61mm of shoulder width, enough to make it possible to fit the three belts in the back that couldn't be accommodated by the smaller car. The brand claimed that owners would get 30mm more rear legroom than they would in the equivalent 3 Door model (helped by the deeply sculpted seatbacks) but leg room remains pretty cramped if there's an adult of more than average height in front of you. It's at this point you're reminded that this is a five-door supermini, not a Focus-class family hatch. View this car from that smaller perspective and you'll bond with it just fine. Out back, the boot is 278-litres in size (which is 67-litres more than you'd get in the 3 Door variant).

What to Look For

There aren't many reported issues with this F55-series MINI Hatch mechanically. The only one we came across related to a batch of cars with the 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that suffered from oil leaks. This came from the rocker-cover gasket which in the case of these rogue models, had somehow managed to bulge out from between its mating surfaces, spraying oil everywhere. If the car you're looking at had such a leak, tell-tale signs include rough running and a poor idle. A new gasket is the ultimate fix. We also came across a few 2.0-litre cars experiencing the odd clutch problem. The torque of the engine seems to be part of the problem, but some owners have reported that their clutch is slipping quite early in the car's life. Even then, it wasn't that straightforward. Apparently, the on-board sensor designed to be an early-warning system of clutch failure proved in some cases to be just too sensitive for its own good, throwing up a false warnings on the dashboard when there was actually no problem at all. Dealerships have tackled this by taking any car in question out on to the road and performing a series of full-throttle acceleration tests in both second and fourth gear. Any clutch slip meant a new clutch was needed, but if there was no slip, the software was recalibrated to prevent the false alarms. Either way, the acceleration test is one you should perform when test-driving any Cooper S with a manual gearbox. The other thing to watch is for a car that has had skipped oil changes. Check the service handbook for any missed scheduled services and ensure the oil on the dipstick is relatively clean. The problem with skipped oil changes is most likely to show up in the variable valve-timing system these engines use, and dirty oil will foul the small oilways and filters quick smart. At which point, it's a pricey, expensive fix.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2019 MINI Cooper 1.5 5 Door excl. VAT - autopartspro.co.uk) A front brake pad set costs in the £23-£33 bracket. A rear pad set is in the £15-£33 bracket. Front brake discs start in the £24-£54 bracket - it's around £22-£54 for a rear one. Oil filters cost in the £3-£17 bracket. A fuel filter costs between £2 and £24. An air filter is between £11-£16. A cabin filter is in the £11-£30 bracket.

On the Road

One of these just has to put a smile on your face when you drive it. If in a MINI Hatch 5 Door, the overall feeling you're going to get is of just another supermini wearing a cute suit, you'd have to question this car's place in the overall scheme of things. Fortunately though, in this updated form, this F55 model was still able to deliver the same infectious naughtiness that loyal owners love so much. There's still the same darty steering, the same quick-fire throttle. And still the same unyieldingly bumpy ride over poor surfaces. You'll need a car fitted with smaller wheels or optional Variable Damper Control to sort that out. Mechanical changes to this post-2018-era facelifted version were few. The 1.5-litre three cylinder petrol unit that by this point was used in the base 102hp MINI One as well as in the 136hp Cooper model received a few efficiency tweaks. The diesel range was slimmed down to a single 116hp 1.5-litre three cylinder Cooper D variant. And the 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol engine used for the top 192hp Cooper S hot hatch variant was comprehensively re-fettled. Plus the optional Steptronic dual-clutch auto gearbox had 7-speeds. None of which changed the recipe on offer too much. You might not like the rather baulky manual gear change. But you'll be impressed not only with this car's cornering agility and urban manoeuvrability but also with its surprising aptitude for longer trips. That's down to impressive levels of refinement. The engines are also pretty efficient too. This Cooper model's 1.5-litre petrol unit returns 60.1mpg on the combined cycle and 105g/km of CO2.

Overall

This 5 Door MINI hatch offered supermini buyers shopping at the premium end of this segment something a bit different, especially in this post-facelift 2018-2023-era form. More fun, more customisation, more technology, more MINI. You'll either like the whole adventure or you won't. As is always the case with this Anglo-Teutonic brand. Looking back, it's extraordinary that it took the MINI brand so long to bring us this car. After all, over 70% of all sales in the small hatchback segment are of five-door models. But many will feel that this 'F55'-series model was worth the wait. For MINI faithful folk who need five doors but don't really want an estate or an SUV, nothing else will be quite the same.