New Mini Cooper S 2021 video review: Still a great hot hatch?
A mid-life update has given the Mini Cooper S some fresh looks and technology upgrades - has that changed its place in the hot hatch pecking order?
This is the latest 2021 version of the Mini Cooper S, making its debut almost exactly 20 years after the first BMW-engineered version of the car appeared as a 21st century reinterpretation of the original.
Since then the 'new' BMW Mini has been through plenty of iterations, up to and including EV and PHEV variants and even a crossover. But in this 3-door hot hatch Cooper S derivative it still feels like arguably the purest kind of Mini to us.
The latest Mini Cooper S makes 175bhp and 207lb ft from its generously-sized 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. That lets it hit 0-62mph in 6.8sec and gives it a top speed of 146mph. It'll return 43.5-45.6mpg and has a CO2 output of 140-148g/km.
Those are the headline numbers. But join Autocar's special correspondent James Disdale as he finds out some of the more important things - how does the 2021 Mini Cooper S feel, and how much fun is it to drive?
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