MINI hatchback review - Interior & comfort

One of the best bits about driving a MINI is sitting down nice and low, with the pedals, gearlever and steering wheel all perfectly within your reach. There’s lots of adjustment in the supportive driver’s seat and in the steering wheel, allowing you to get set up perfectly. Also, it doesn't feel quite as claustrophobic as the old car, where you occasionally seemed a bit boxed in; now, it feels a lot more airy and spacious.

What may fly under the radar of the average car buyer is that MINI is, in fact, owned by BMW and this shows in the hatchback’s premium-feeling interior. There are plenty of high-quality materials, while details such as configurable ambient lighting, metal door handles and rows of old-school toggle switches all make the MINI feel truly special.

Our only gripe is the use of gloss black materials on the steering wheel; while the controls are certainly easy to use, it’s very easy to leave unwanted fingerprints which quickly build up and make it look dirty. Likewise, there’s also a row of shortcut buttons beneath the centre touchscreen that are finished in gloss black, making them magnets for dust and fingerprints.

Infotainment and navigation

If you’ve sat in an original MINI, you’ll be familiar with the circular dash design; instead of housing a speedometer – that now lies behind the steering wheel – the centre of the dashboard is dominated by an 8.8-inch touchscreen, which is standard on all models and encircled by a ring of ambient lighting. This can change colour depending on which drive mode you’re in and, if you have parking sensors fitted, can also function as a visual aid to let you know how close you are to the car behind, too.

The touchscreen itself runs a modified version of BMW’s class-leading iDrive infotainment software. MINI has modified this to feature funky graphics and this can be controlled via the touchscreen itself or by utilising a rotary dial in the centre console. Sat nav is an optional extra, however, wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity is available if you’d rather use your phone – Android Auto isn’t offered, unfortunately.

20

Unfortunately, a digital instrument cluster is only available on the range-topping John Cooper Works model, or the plug-in MINI Electric. While this is a shame as it added another modern touch to the now-nine-year-old third-generation BMW MINI, in reality, it adds very little functionality, bar basic sat-nav directions and engine instrumentation.

We are pleased, however, that MINI hasn’t fallen into the trap of integrating the climate controls into the touchscreen; these can be accessed via a set of rotary knobs below the screen itself, which are much easier to operate when on the move than having to precariously prod the touchscreen.

Equipment

Every MINI comes with LED exterior lighting, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry, parking sensors and the aforementioned infotainment screen with DAB digital radio and Bluetooth. In the last few years, even more kit is now standard, with all cars getting automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, cruise control and projectors that cast MINI logos on the ground when the doors open.

The MINI hatchback offers a mix-and-match scheme between engines and trim levels. The options are now Classic, Sport and Exclusive which can all be chosen with either Cooper or Cooper S power.

20

Sport trim adds an aggressive bodykit, special alloy wheels and a racy interior theme with dark headlining, sports seats and 'John Cooper Works' logos in prominent locations. Exclusive trades the aggressive look for a more upmarket theme, with a unique style of alloy wheels and subtle chrome trim outside, and a lavish leather interior within.

Resolute examples come with a ‘Rebel green’ paint scheme with gold touches to exterior trim in a homage to MINI’s racing heritage. Most of the exterior and interior differences with Resolute models are merely cosmetic, though.

MINI has recently added MINI Teleservices and MINI eCall to the range as standard. MINI Teleservices monitors the car's condition throughout its life, and can detect if there's an issue with the car. If an issue is detected, it's able to contact your preferred MINI dealer to arrange an appointment to get it checked.

MINI eCall is a safety system that alerts the emergency services if the car is involved in an accident, and can report on the speed of the car at impact and how many airbags were deployed.

Options

In order to simplify production during the current global manufacturing crisis, MINI has simplified the range and instead of offering individual options a single ‘Premium Plus’ pack is available to buyers. For around £2,500 (depending on which trim you’re adding it to) this adds features like sat-nav, heated seats, a panoramic glass sunroof, wireless phone charging, extended ambient lighting and a reversing camera.

There's also a wide range of paint colours and visual customisation options, which are easy to get carried away with. You can choose things like coloured accents to brighten up the interior and it's genuinely worth doing if you don’t mind paying a little more per month – this car is all about style, after all.