Given the route automakers must follow to comply with Europe’s 2035 ban on new gas engines, traditional hot hatches are a dying breed. As a result, these are likely the last pocket rockets from MINI with ICE power. Although the Oxford-based marque has abandoned its ambition to go fully electric by the end of the decade, combustion engines are unlikely to last much longer after that.
For now, though, there’s still time to get a MINI with BMW’s B48 engine. Fresh images from the UK show the hotter Cooper S version dressed in John Cooper Works trim. To avoid confusion, it’s worth pointing out that the latest-generation hatchbacks can be ordered in a John Cooper Works trim, separate from the true JCW performance models. In essence, these lesser versions are to MINI what the M Sport Package is to BMW.
The hot hatch duo consists of the three-door F66 and the more practical five-door F65. Both use the familiar 2.0-liter turbo engine, rated at 201 hp and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft). A manual gearbox would have been a fitting send-off for what may be the end of an era. Unfortunately, buyers are stuck with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Between the two models, the three-door is the quicker car thanks to its lighter weight. The difference between the body styles is about 154 pounds (70 kilograms). The three-door does 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.6 seconds, while the five-door takes two tenths longer. Flat out, both top out at 150 mph (242 km/h), a respectable figure for this class.
There may come a time when MINIs send power to the rear wheels instead of the front. However, only electric models are likely to get a tail-happy setup. The BMW Group’s Neue Klasse platform supports only rear- and all-wheel-drive, and with MINI expected to adopt NK hardware eventually, rear-driven electric models seem inevitable. That shift would break with tradition yet accentuate the brand’s trademark go-kart handling.
For those who prefer traditional drivetrains before MINI goes fully electric, there are still a few years left to buy one with a combustion engine.
