2022 MINI Cooper S 5 Door Review : Little Britain

Singapore - There was this day we drove North to have a day of fun with karts, alongside a bunch of happy MINI owners, and the good people at MINI Singapore handed me a Cooper S 5 Door for the trip. I couldn’t help, but bring it for a few rounds on my own, before the drive the very next day.

The 3 Door (here’s an electric one) and 5 Door (here's a MINI ONE version) range have had a mid-life re-working, keeping them visually fresh. They both also have a front-end, which seems to pay tribute to a certain Derryn Wong… if I had the car in black, I’d name mine Black Maria.

The design tweaks also include familiar Union Jack-themed tail lights and new side scuttles. Our test car was fitted with larger 18-inch Pulse Spoke rims - one of eight choices, which strangely include a 16-inch option.

The added length, and extra rear doors, do make the 5 Door slightly odd in appearance. But the added length and ease of entry are good and important things, for those who could use the extra passenger space.

2022 MINI Cooper S 5 Door - inside

Since the time the current-generation car was introduced, there have been a number of styling changes, and it does take a keen eye to know where to find them. 

Among these, the most important I feel, especially in a time of increasing screen sizes, is the revised 8.8-inch cluster touchscreen - the largest which can be fitted within the LED bezel. The MINI App lets you connect to your vehicle via your mobile phone, allowing you to check on your vehicle status, or even ventilate your car before a trip. The strange thing about MINIs is that they seem to be almost solely iPhone friendly. It supports Apple CarPlay, but not Android Auto. Furthermore, its charger, which is hidden within the central armrest, seems to be designed to accommodate “traditional-sized” iPhones.

1 for iPhone owners… 0 for Android owners.

Beyond the connectivity issues, or a lack-of them in my case. The MINI 5 Door has a well appointed interior. You can choose between five different leather and faux leather seating surfaces. Our car came with my personal favourite, Chester Malt Brown. At the rear, there is more legroom than the 3 Door variant, as MINI has optimised as much of that 340mm of additional length as possible. I would say that the 5 Door fits four snugly, but it would not be a happy place for the fifth passenger, as there is hardly any place for the knees to go, and that backrest would probably have just enough room for your back, if you are a stick figure.

On top of better rear passenger room, the 5 Door also gets a larger boot, some 67 litres more than the 3 Door’s 211 litres. Adding to the already impressive packaging, the boot also has a collapsible double floor for added cargo loading flexibility.

2022 MINI Cooper S 5 Door - driven

I feel that, Cooper S variant is the sweet spot for both the 3 and 5 door cars. You get heaps of shove from that intense 2-litre (essentially a tuned-up version of the one in this BMW 318i) which delivers 192hp and 280Nm. All of this without paying (even more) insane John Cooper Works money, but also without having to bear with a super-duper firm suspension.

Once your foot is firmly on the throttle, you can tell that the engine has plenty of depth. Its full whack of torque is spread thick, and generously with a large butter knife, across a huge (1350rpm to 4600rpm) part of the engine’s rev range. 

The 7-speed Steptronic Sports dual-clutch transmission punches through gears, almost without offering up any breathing space between ratios. Coupled with a quick steering, the Cooper S feels alive and eager.

It is clear that the small hatchback likes being driven. And more-so, in being driven hard!

Around bends, you can tell that the 5 Door feels slightly less direct than the 3 Door… Most would not notice this, but if you have come right out of the shorter car, you could tell right-away that 5 Door feels just that slightly less pointy-and-shooty. And this is because you are seated further away from the rear wheel. 

Having said this, I must put it to you that most small hatchbacks would not drive as brilliantly here. Behind the wheel, the MINI just eggs you on, confidently signalling to you that you can take the next corner even quicker. Which I did, and was rewarded once I lifted off the throttle, with pops and bangs… from the speakers… MINI had long-ago removed the exhaust pops from the Cooper S, well simply because legislation says no.

Away from twisting side roads, the Cooper S drives well within the city. Its small footprint makes it easy to steer and park. It does a decent job of being that everyday driver, but while I say this, I also acknowledge that the firm suspension, coupled with that earlier-mentioned small footprint would not be a good thing on longer journeys.

PHOTOS Clifford Chow & MINI Singapore

2022 MINI Cooper S 5 Door

Engine 1998cc, inline4, turbo
Power/rpm 192hp/5000rpm
Torque/rpm 280Nm/1350-4600rpm
Transmission 7-speed Steptronic dual-clutch
0-100km/h 6.8secs
Top Speed 235km/h
Fuel Consumption 5.6l/100km (combined)