Mini Cooper hatch and Convertible review

Petrol hatchback enters its fourth generation and promises driver fun at a competitive price With all the hubbub around the new electric Mini Cooper, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that there is still a normal, petrol-powered one that’s being built in Oxford as before.At a glance, you will struggle to tell it apart from the electric Mini Cooper E and Mini Cooper SE, even though underneath they're completely different cars.While the EVs sit on a brand-new, electric-only platform, the petrol cars are a thorough revamp of the old F56 Mini hatch, using the same UKL architecture that’s shared with the BMW 1 Series.But it does look remarkably similar; it doesn’t even have a visible exhaust. The easiest way to know you’re not looking at the EV is that it retains the black plastic wheel-arch trims. It also keeps the more traditional door handles and clamshell bonnet.For this latest generation of Mini, it's not just the hatch that's being built in Oxford: the Convertible is coming home. For the first time in nine years, the drop-top will be manufactured in the UK as well, a fitting move given the somewhat irrational British love for such machines. It also reflects the close relation between the two: the Convertible is avaiable in the same C, S and John Cooper Works variants as the petrol hatch.

Mini Cooper hatch and Convertible review

Mini Cooper hatch and Convertible review

Mini Cooper hatch and Convertible review

Mini Cooper hatch and Convertible review

Mini Cooper hatch and Convertible review