Review: 2025 MINI Cooper S – New Levels of Refinement & Performance with One Big Omission

DimON · July 23

We’ve driven the 2025 (F66) MINI Cooper S before. But never have we put so many miles on this car in on many incredible roads. Through mountain roads and over expansive stretches of highways we thoroughly tested the new MINI Cooper S with the goal to answer one simple question. How does it stack up to the MINI Coopers that came before it?

The easy answer is, it’s complicated. But that sounds negative. The reality is that the F66 rounded the flawed corners of its predecessor (the F56) while adding comfort, refinement and even a touch more engagement through the steering wheel. But what it’s lost is hard to ignore. The manual is dead. And adding insult to injury, you can’t even control the DCT with shift paddles in US spec cars. So how can this new MINI Cooper possibly be better than the last?

Handling & Suspension Refinements

It’s what MINI has done to the steering, suspension and even the track width that has subtly but unequivocally improved the F66 over its predecessor. Due to these revisions, we found the new F66 MINI Cooper S to be the most comfortable, refined and even capable MINI Cooper S we’ve ever driven.

It starts with the steering. MINI has recalibrated the the EPS system to create more linear feel and feedback. There’s more of a natural feel to the way the resistance builds in corners which allows for more information to come through the wheel. This is no R53 in the way you feel the road underneath, but this is easily the best steering MINI has had since the R56

Then there’s the suspension. Driving a MINI Cooper S over 500 miles of varied surfaces sounds taxing for those who have spent time in previous generations. However in this new car MINI has recalibrated the suspension, altering the way it soaks up imperfections while still delivering the precision that MINIs are known for. We cannot understate just how big of an improvement we felt over broken and uneven pavement. It’s nothing short of revelation compared to previous generations.

In a sense MINI has attacked head-on the criticisms many had with the F56. The result is a car that seems to defy what we thought was possible; better in corners with more feedback and engagement all while being more comfortable.

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Upgrades Under the Hood

It’s also a touch faster as well. MINI has revised the B48 under the hood to produce 201 hp, up 12 hp from the 189 in its predecessors the F56. Even more impressive is the increase in torque to 221 ft lbs, up 15 ft lbs from the F56. In the real world the most obvious difference is the torque which gives the car a bit more grunt on take off and a bigger break in traction on a 1-2 upshift. On the other hand, the extra power was most noticeable (as was the predictive shifting of the DCT) in the mid-range of the band. This was especially noticeable as we were heading up and into the mountains northwest of Missoula Montana.

It was in the mountains where the new F66 MINI Cooper S came alive. Where the previous DCT was good, this new version feels telepathic in its ability to see what’s coming. Time and time again we felt it downshift into corners and upshift (almost) always where we would need it to. There’s no question that the loss of the manual is regrettable and will ultimately hurt the brand in the eyes of many enthusiasts. And the lack of shift paddles (in the US) is borderline unforgivable. But what this new DCT can do goes a long way in making up for some of that.

F66_mtts_03879.jpg?resize=798%2C532&ssl= — The new interior is a mix if high and low with huge improvements in some areas with a few downgrades

Living with the New Interior

Our time in F66 also gave us an ample opportunity to dissect the new interior a bit more. The new circular display and MINI OS9 that runs on it was excellent 99% of the time. But there was one hard reboot that happened during our drive and some lap in a couple moments. Interesting the our Countryman JCW had none of these issues and upon inspection was running a newer version of the software. Luckily over the air updates should fix these issues but that’s assuming MINI can hold to their strategy of ongoing updates and big fixes.

Another area we were curious about was the quality of the interior. While MINI has spent money on revising the mechanicals of the car, they’ve also dramatically redesigned the interior. A big part of that are the recycled textiles and synthetic leather (MINI calls this Vescin) that have been introduced with the F66. As a material Vescin is excellent and a better surface than the standard leatherette or even optional leather from the F56 generation. That said it’s not quite as soft and supple as the previously available Lounge Leather. But it will surely look new for much longer.

F66_mtts_03875.jpg?resize=798%2C532&ssl= — MINI OS9 is a revelation but our Cooper S test car has a few software lags

The textile material on the dash and doors is an interesting change and one that we quickly got use to. But we’d love to see more colors offers and in general more customization from MINI. As a brand that was built on the idea that every MINI is unique, it’s almost shocking how little choice of colors and material there is in MINI’s new line-up.

One area that seems to be a downgrade are the plastic surfaces peppered throughout the cabin. The plastic dash close to the windshield is a clear downgrade from the F56 as is the center console material. While MINI has hid most of this with the textile trim, there’s still plenty of this cheap, black plastic to be found. In the grand scheme of things it’s likely not a deal breaker for most, but it’s an unfortunate step back from what we had experience on the previous F56 MINI Cooper.

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Early Conclusions

The 2025 F66 MINI Cooper S is a refined and nearly perfected version of what came before it. MINI has systematically gone through the car and solved many of the issues that we’ve been critical of on the previous generation. The result is a car that comes with less excuses for ride and even handling. It’s made the Cooper S a more approachable car for more potential buyers and will surely go a long way in

But in our my mind there’s no excuse for not widely offering things like shift paddles much less the a manual transmission. And MINI’s interior cost cutting is too evident at times. But despite the hard plastics and the loss of things like the side sun visor, there’s a lot to like inside. And in general this is a more pleasant place to spend time because of the added comfort and dramatically improved technology thanks to the circular OLED screen and MINI OS9.

Perhaps most important MINI has made improvements to the handling and feedback through the steering wheel that cut right to the biggest critique of the previous model. This coupled with the higher levels of comfort and technology we mention above create a car that feels not just more capable but more premium.

Is that enough to get past the lack of a manual or even (for the moment) paddles? That really depends on what you’re looking for in a MINI Cooper. For us the answer is no. But the moment MINI adds those shift paddles back to the car (ideally as standard on all Cooper S models) that no changes to a resounding yes.