2021 (21) MINI Cooper 1.5 Cooper Sport 5dr Auto

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

Originally launched in 2014, the third generation F56/F55 version of the 3 and 5 Door MINI Cooper S 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. It remained a properly credible hot hatch and its harder-hitting 2.0-litre engine and talented chassis deliver plenty of fun as you power to 62mph in 6.8 seconds to the tune of a blissfully cheeky exhaust note. In this post-2018-era guise, this hot hatch became a more mature thing too, better built than many of its rivals and with sophisticated safety and media connectivity. In short, in this facelifted form, this F56/F55 design came of age. Let's check it out as a used buy.

History

The MINI Cooper S has long been an exercise in artful compromise, looking to occupy that sweet spot between the warm-ish Cooper and the wild race-inspired John Cooper Works model. As a result, it's often been the best pick for those who aren't likely to subject their car to a race circuit and instead just want a MINI that's entertainingly quick without incurring huge running costs in the process. That formula didn't change too much with the improved post-2018-era version of the third F66/F65 generation three or five-door model, but what lay beneath the skin did. Under the bonnet, you'll find a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that was revised over the original version of this unit fitted to this model and in this form put out a 192bhp output and featured a redesigned turbocharger. More importantly perhaps, this was a bigger, better finished car than before, yet one still well priced against comparably performing hot hatch rivals like Ford's Fiesta ST and the Volkswagen Polo GTI. As part of this update, the optional Steptronic auto gearbox now had seven speeds; 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. Plus this MINI could be lighter, it was better equipped and it could now come with a wider range of options. A further update followed in 2021, lasting the F56/F55 design through to the end of production and the end of sales in early 2024.

What You Get

The MK3 Cooper S came in either the F56 3-Door Hatch body shape or an F55-series 5-Door Hatch form. Established MINI styling cues are present and correct - the clamshell bonnet, the upright windscreen and yes, the round headlamps - though as part of the 2018 facelift, quite a lot of work went into enhancing these with this revised Hatch model. The improved lights may look much the same as those of the pre-facelift model, but the full-LED technology behind them is very different, particularly if you get a car whose original owner ordered the optional 'Matrix' adaptive beams that automatically extinguish parts of the lamp that might dazzle other road users. Either way, a redesigned LED daytime running light ring surrounds the beam and illuminates as a turn signal when needed. Other 2018 update changes included a revised range of alloy wheel designs that vary in size depending on the trim level of the car chosen - 15 or 16-inch rims for the base 'Classic' models and 17-inchers if you choose a model fitted with plusher 'Sport' or 'Exclusive'-spec. 'Sport'-spec gets you a John Cooper Works aerodynamic body kit. The dinky, power-packed profile came with either a body-coloured, a white or a black roof, all colour options featuring matching mirror housings. Get behind the wheel and it's all quite BMW-like. If you've driven the pre-facelift F56/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. In the back, legroom remains very cramped indeed if there's an adult of more than average height in front of you. If that's going to be an issue, the five-door version of this car (which gets an extra 72mm of length between the front are rear wheels) will obviously suit you better. What is quite impressive, even in the 3 Door model, is the amount of head and elbow room you get. In the back, there's a 311-litre boot. With everything flat, a surprisingly large 731-litre load capacity area reveals itself.

What to Look For

There aren't many reported issues with this F56/F55-series MINI Cooper S Hatch mechanically. We came across a few cars experiencing the odd clutch issue. 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 S 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

So. What's it like? Slip behind the wheel and at first glance, you're reminded that for all its cheeky marketing, the MINI Hatch was quite a lot more mature in this F56/F55 form. The dashboard's smart, the materials used are classy and you aren't faced with too many obvious attention-seeking gimmicks. Flip the neat starter switch in the middle of the row of toggle controls at the bottom of the centre stack and first impressions are good. This post-2018-era Cooper S offered 2.0-litre four cylinder power and this unit has a bit of an urgent rasp to it. Can a bigger MINI really feel like a proper MINI should? Fun, frisky - up for anything? This is important, given that a large part of this car's appeal stands or falls on its involving driving experience. Yes, people love the styling and the image, but one of these just has to put a smile on your face when you drive it. If 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. Under the skin, this car shared the same so-called 'UKL' platform and basically the same engines as virtually all of BMW's smaller volume models made at the end of this century's second decade. Does that mean a loss of unique 'MINI-ness'? The answer is no, not really. Driving this car still delivers same infectious naughtiness that loyal MINI followers love so much. There's still the darty steering and quick-fire throttle response you'd expect. And, yes, on pokier versions (or on variants unwisely fitted with over-large wheels), still the same unyieldingly bumpy ride over poor surfaces. We'll get to that in a minute, but first you might be wanting to know about the mechanical updates made to this facelifted F56/F55-series model. As part of the 2018 model update, there was a fundamental overhaul of the 2.0-litre four cylinder powerplant that features in a 192hp state of tune in this top Cooper S hot hatch variant, which in this form got a high pressure injector, a re-designed exhaust system and a fresh turbocharger. Arguably even more significant than all this was the introduction of a new 7-speed Steptronic double clutch auto gearbox option, replacing the previous lower-tech torque converter 6-speeder. On this Cooper S, original buyers could specify that Steptronic transmission paired up with steering wheel shift paddles and if you're quick with them, 62mph from rest can be dispatched in just 6.8s (a tenth faster than the manual model) on the way to a maximum of 146mph. Only if you're one of those people who likes to rev up to the red line and wring all the performance out of your hot hatch might you be disappointed. The four cylinder 2.0-litre powerplant - like the Cooper's lesser three cylinder unit - has pretty much delivered all its punch by around 5,500rpm, so instead for really rapid progress, you've to learn to lean on the engine's slug of turbocharged torque. On a Cooper S, this performance is accompanied by noise enhancement through the stereo speakers. Normally, we prefer aural excitement to come more naturally, either through the exhaust or from under the bonnet, but in this case, the more artificial set-up actually works quite well. And ride quality? Well some 'Sport'-trimmed models were fitted with optional stiffer Sport suspension. We'd avoid these, particularly given that a 'Sport'-spec model will come fitted with large 17-inch wheels. In our view, the very last thing this MINI needs in any of its guises is a set of unyielding springs. This F56/F55-series model's UKL platform allowed for a suspension design that actually gives entry-level variants on standard 15-inch wheels a very reasonable ride, but if you get a car specified with the larger rims that many customers tend to want, you can quickly end up with a car that on really poor bumpy surfaces delivers all the suspensional compliance of a Halfords trolley jack. Original buyers could do something about that when specifying this car by ticking the box for the Variable Damper Control set-up. This enables you to switch the ride to suit the mood you're in and the road you're on and it works through the (also optional) 'MINI Driving Modes' system. This set-up, activated on this facelifted model via a toggle switch on the centre stack, enables you to choose settings that tweak throttle, steering and (on automatic models) gear change response between 'MID' and 'Green' settings for efficient, comfort-orientated motoring. You'll want the third mode option, 'Sport', when the road opens up and the red mist begins to fall, something echoed appropriately by a red glow around the central display and, less subtly, by a little picture of a go-kart and the phrase 'maximum go kart feel'. Quite. A 'Configure Sport' option on the centre screen allows you to select or de-select a 'Sport' response from either the drivetrain or the chassis, if you want to tailor things specifically. If all that's of interest, then you'll be thankful for the brand's 'Performance Control' torque vectoring system that was standard on the Cooper S. 'Performance Control' electronically duplicates the kind of functionality you'd normally get from a heavier, more complicated mechanical locking differential, working through the turns to counter both understeer and wheel spin by lightly micro-braking whichever front wheel is threatening to lose grip. As a result, the car's kept planted through the tightest corner and you're fired on from bend to bend. What else? Well in a car like this, the manual gearbox should be satisfying to use and snikerty-quick; disappointingly, this one isn't, with a notchy feel and a long-ish throw. Still, at least the clutch is light, which helps in town. And on this Cooper S, there's clever rev-matching software that even instructs the engine to blip the throttle on down-changes, so it sounds as if you've mastered the perfect heel and toe technique and your friends will think you're the next Lewis Hamilton.

Overall

We can all argue about whether the F56/F55 generation Cooper S is as pretty a car as its predecessors, but there can be no doubt that it was a better all-rounder. Compared to its predecessors, it was more spacious, better built, featured some fascinating technical features and seemed to have been engineered to offer more driving fun on one hand and lower bills on the other. Just make sure you get the right spec. Ideally, you'll need to find a car whose original owner spent extra on the Driving Modes system and the Variable damping. And you'll ideally need to try and avoid being tempted by examples fitted with the larger wheels that bring a crashy ride - and automatic gearboxes that detract from the connected feel. Yes, you could pay the same kind of money and buy a more conventional supermini-based hot hatch from this era. Perhaps the purer, more focused Fiesta ST. Or the more comfortable and relaxing Volkswagen Polo GTI. This F56/F55 Cooper S though, arguably delivers an appealing compromise between the two - and feels much more special while it's doing it. It's a MINI to the max. And that's always a tempting thing.