You're forgiven if you've seen the redesigned 2014 MINI Cooper Hardtop and haven't noticed anything different about it. As is tradition, the new 2014 model looks much like the 2013 model it replaces, another MINI Cooper in a long line of MINI Coopers that, to most people, all look pretty much the same. However, as is also tradition, the engineering and the technology underneath the new 2014 Cooper's iconic styling represent significant improvement over the car it replaces.
Exterior:With the new 2014 Cooper Hardtop, MINI increases the car's length by 4.5 inches, width by 1.7 inches and height by a third of an inch. The wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than before, while the front and rear tracks are stretched by 1.7 inches and 1.5 inches, respectively. The result is a significantly larger footprint and a larger interior.
All the styling cues we've come to know and love are present and accounted for on the new Cooper. Round headlights, a hexagonal grille, side scuttles, a floating roof effect and vertical taillights represent classic MINI design in a modern way. The sporty Cooper S model continues to look the part, adding a hood scoop, center-mounted twin exhaust outlets, a rear spoiler, bigger wheels and other appearance tweaks intended to convey its performance capabilities.
Interior:As is true of the new MINI Cooper's exterior styling, the bigger interior adopts familiar design themes while providing added comfort for four passengers plus lots of extra cargo room. In the new Cooper, trunk capacity increases by more than 50 percent to 8.7 cu ft. Fold the back seat down and the car swallows 38 cu ft of your stuff.
For 2014, a start/stop ignition toggle switch is mounted on the dashboard beneath the climate controls, while switches for the headlights, the fog lights and the power windows move to conventional locations. If you're like me, a fan of the old Cooper's big dash-mounted speedometer, you'll be bummed to learn that you can't get one in the redesigned 2014 MINI Cooper. In the new car, the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and a color information display are mounted to the steering column, while the round center control panel on the dashboard includes a second information display and the radio controls.
Mechanicals:MINI kicks the old Cooper's underpowered 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine to the curb, replacing it with a turbocharged and direct-injected 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine in the 2014 Cooper. While its 134 horsepower might not sound impressive, keep in mind that it peaks from 4,500 rpm to 6,000 rpm, following closely behind the 170 lb-ft of torque* that starts at just 1,250 rpm. As a result of this power band, MINI says the base Cooper Hardtop accelerates to 60 miles per hour in 7.3 seconds with the optional 6-speed automatic transmission. Stick with the standard manual gearbox, and the same velocity arrives in 7.4 seconds.
If that's not good enough, the 2014 Cooper S shaves nearly a second off of that acceleration time thanks to a turbocharged and direct-injected 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. This motor's power spread is in keeping with the base engine's character, delivering 189 hp from 4,700 rpm to 6,000 rpm and up to 221 lb-ft of torque* starting at 1,250 rpm. Top speed for this model is 146 mph with the standard 6-speed manual gearbox.
Technology:With the redesigned 2014 Cooper, MINI expands the capabilities of its MINI Connected infotainment system's features, services and applications. Pair a compatible iPhone or Android smartphone to the system to enjoy multiple Internet radio choices, access to social-media platforms, RSS news feeds, MOG music-streaming service and more.
Safety:Eight airbags are standard in the 2014 Cooper Hardtop, including new knee airbags. A Driving Assistant Package is also new for 2014, containing active cruise control, collision and pedestrian warning with auto-brake capability, a high-beam assistant and a speed-limit information system.
Additionally, a new parking assistant feature automatically steers the MINI Cooper into a parallel parking space while the driver operates the transmission, brake and accelerator. Given the car's newly expanded dimensions, this technology might actually be useful.
Conclusion:All this new stuff is great, but do you need it? Or even want it? The whole point of buying a MINI Cooper is to reflect your jaunty self in sheet metal, and I'm sure many of you, like me, would prefer the smaller, less complex and older version of the Cooper, and not just because of the deal. That said, the 2014 Cooper Hardtop's new turbocharged engines are undeniably appealing, and anyone with experience knows the Cooper needs extra interior room.
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