Review: MINI’s New massaging, Ventilated Vegan Seats Are Here But are they Good?

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MINI has made some big changes to every aspect of their product line-up. But the one that might have the biggest impact in your daily commute hasn’t gotten a lot of press – it’s new leather free massaging and ventilated seats. Redesigned from the ground up they are a big departure from what MINI has offered in the past. We recently spent some time testing various versions of the seats in both the new MINI Cooper EV and the new MINI Countryman JCW and have some early thoughts.

Why A Completely New Design?

MINI has completely rethought the design of their seats to accomplish several goals; save weight, reduce complexity and allow the seats to fit more body types more comfortably. While reducing some of the elements in the seats, they’ve also added a few; massage and ventilation options are now available. They’ve also made electric seats optional on all models – even the Cooper. Finally MINI has fully eliminated leather and have moved to a proprietary material called Vescin. In total that represents a massive shift in what MINI has offered since it’s relaunch in 2001.

Optional Sport Seats in the J01 MINI Cooper EV

One quick note – while the seats in the J01 Cooper and U25 Countryman look identical, they are indeed very slightly different on paper. But in our experience they feel the same so we’re going to refer to them as a single design.

Sport Seats vs Regular Seats

Across all new MINI models there will be two different seats. But unlike the previous MINI seats in the F Series cars, they share almost same overall design. However there are a couple of differences. The standard seats have flatter bolsters on both the lower cushion and seat back. The Sport seats (which are identical to the JCW branded seats) also have an integrated headrests similar to the current F Series JCW seats. However crucially both do not offer extendable thigh-bolsters as previously in the optional sport seats.

On paper that sounds like an unfortunate cost cutting move that would make the new seats less supportive. In our brief time we can tell you that doesn’t appear to be the case. The new seat cushion is longer and while doesn’t quite reach the length the extendable bolsters do, they’ll likely be close enough for most. In addition the electric seats we tested have the ability to move the thigh bolster upward which is intended to take the place of the manual extending bolster. And in our testing it all works pretty well. Despite being 6′ 2″ I was immediately felt comfortable and felt plenty of thigh support. Compare that to the R50 or R56 seats and these are noticeably longer and out of the box more comfortable.

Optional sport seats in the U25 MINI Countryman

MINI has always widened the seats slightly. To do this MINI designers had to subtly shrink the width of the center console and completely rethink the armrest. The latter is now much smaller and attached to the driver’s seat. Again it’s a design choice that might sound like a bad idea until you experience it. In my time it felt totally both intuitive and completely comfortable.

Active Seats Introduce Massaging and Ventilated Seats in MINIs

Technically it’s a seat and not seats. Yes MINI’s first massaging seat option is only available on the driver’s seat. That saves weight and cost which makes some sense in a car like a MINI. The massaging function gently moves the spinal column of the person sitting in the driver’s seat to reduce muscular tension and fatigue and prevent lower back pain. The massaging function is tied to a couple of the experience modes and can also be turned on independently with varying intensity.

The new seats are also optionally ventilated as well. Small fans in the seats cool both the seat cushion and backrest surfaces. The fans do not use refrigerated air so consider this as a way to circulate air creating a evaporative effect that can cool the body.

I have always loved both massaging and ventilated seats for road-trips and in my time with MINI’s new Active Seats, I was impressed. While the massaging function didn’t feel as aggressive as the new BMW i7 for instance, they felt on part with the older massaging seats in the recent X5 and X7.

The new MINI seats have a variety is interesting details the closer you look

Vescin – MINI’s Vegan Replacement for Leather

We love the smell and touch of high quality leather. But there’s a big environmental impact due to the production of leather in the quantities that companies like MINI need. So much so that MINI has made the bold decision to eliminate leather from its coming starting with the all new J01 MINI Cooper electric. But can the vegan only interior compete against leather? We went hands-on with the new MIIN to find out.

What’s wrong with leather? It’s complicated. While the leather industry is vocal about its use as a smart byproduct of livestock farming, there’s some serious concerns around its production and amount of impact it has on the environment. Converting animal skin to leather demands vast energy and involves hazardous chemicals like mineral salts, formaldehyde, coal-tar derivatives, oils, dyes, some cyanide-based finishes. Suffice to say it’s not the most natural and environmentally safe process. It’s also not inline with MINI’s brand image of being environmentally conscious and animal friendly. But how do you replace something as iconic as leather seats?

Optional JCW seats (which are identical to the sport seats) have more aggressive bolsters and a fixed headrest

Ok so leather isn’t the best for the environment. But can there be a legitimate alternative that feels as good as MINI’s Lounge Leather or BMW’s Merino Leather? We spent time in the new 2024 J01 MINI Cooper Electric and talked to the people behind the new generation of MINI products to get some answers.

Enter Vescin – synthetic leather that is made of recycled materials that is itself 100% recyclable.

BMW and MINI are so confident in products like Vescin (BMW’s version I called Sensafin – an improved version of Sensatec) they they’re already being used in several cars with MSRPs well over $100,000.

The JCW seats use a combination of textile and Vescin along with contrasting stitching

Our Take on Vescin

What’s it like in person? Getting into the new J01 MINI Cooper electric it’s clear that Vescin is a step-up from what we’ve known as Leatherette. The off-white perforated seats in the MINI Cooper electric we experienced were softer to the touch than leatherette and felt much more supple. But how do they compare with leather? In short very well. Compared with the standard Chesterfield or Cross Punch leather seating, Vescin feels softer and more premium. It’s not on par with the feel and softness of MINI’s Lounge Leather but then again that’s $2500 option on the Signature Trim.

What was on par with Lounge Leather and even the high-end Merino Leather on BMWs was the Vescin material on the new MINI’s steering wheel. In fact as I put my hands on the wheel for the first time I turned to one of the program managers of the new J01 and told him this clearly must be leather. He smiled and told me it was in fact a higher-end version of the same Vescin on the seats. Having experienced leatherette in various forms for decades in BMWs and MINIs, I simply couldn’t believe how it felt essentially identical to MINI’s higher-end Lounge Leather.

While I only sampled a couple of different seats made of the new vegan friendly Vescin, it was clear that MINI was right to be confident about its ability to replace leather in terms of look and feel. Does it have the same smell? Naturally no. But then again the low-end leather on most cars (I’d put Cross Punch and Chesterfield in that category) doesn’t have much of a scent either. And when it does it’s often due to chemicals designed to replicate the scent of full grain leather. 

Elected Design Details

The thing that stands out right away when you see various flavors of the new seats are the details. The patterns cut into the Vescin, the usage of textiles and the mix of colors stands-out as unique in the market. There are no boring seat options here and MINI has done a great job is creating designs that reveal more the longer you look.

The New MINI Seats – Our Early Verdict

We love simplicity. And the seating options of the 4th generations MINIs definitely follow that trend. There are some things we immediately were impressed with in our time sitting in the J01 MINI Cooper EV and the U25 Countryman. Surprisingly the synthetic leather Vescin jumps out as high on the list. While as supple as the Lounge Leather seats, it’s at least the same quality as the standard leather in the F series cars. And the grade of Vescin on the steering wheel is outstanding, even matching the quality of the Lounge Leather.

What don’t we like? There’s not yet enough options. Currently with the JCW Trim in the J01 MINI Cooper and new Countryman you get only one option, a dark interior with red accents. While we love the look, MINI’s should be about individuality and the limited options list makes that tough.

Also losing leather is tough. But the reality is real, full grain leather doesn’t exist in cars unless you’re well into the six figure price range. What we’ve all experienced with MINI’s standard leather is essentially a veneer applied to leatherette on about 80% of seat (the rest is just pure leatherette). And in our experience it can scratch, stain and eventually crack with use. While Lounge Leather is much higher quality, even that will suffer with age unless you like the patina of cracking bolsters. Vescin reportedly solves that problem while being lighter on environmental impact.

One big win for us is the overall material usage. MINI has worked hard to create no boring seats. The closer you look the more you see interesting details, patterns and use of textiles that resonate with the spirit of MINI design.

Finally the shape of the seats themselves. While we need more time behind the wheel to properly judge them, they feel very promising. Supportive, comfortable and full new new technology, they are promising.

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