2024
Semi-Auto
45.6 mpg
Tax: £180
Mileage: 5
Petrol
Other
47.1 mpg
Mileage: 10
Tax: n/a
47.9 mpg
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Automatic
Mileage: 500
Electric
41.5 mpg
Mileage: 2,873
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As a brand, MINI has come to mean all kinds of things but it's in this simplest 3-Door Hatch form that the company's products are most iconically recognisable. This fourth generation BMW design was first launched in 'J01'-era full-electric form in Autumn 2023, with the 'F66' combustion version we look at here arriving six months later. Though the two models look the same, they run on quite different platforms; this petrol variant uses a mildly updated version of the old 'F56' car's chassis and its engines are largely borrowed from that older design too. Unlike the second generation MINI Electric, which to start with was Chinese-built, this combustion version hails from BMW Plant Oxford and remains the purest expression of 'MINI-ness'. It'll still charm you with its dinky looks and go-kart handling. And it's still a go-to choice if you want a style-conscious urban runabout with much of the technology of a larger car. All these attributes remain, but have been developed over more than half a century of MINI history into... well what? Let's find out.
This fourth generation re-design of this MINI hatch saw the car grow up a little and face its responsibilities - as all of us have to. Yet at the same time, the brand was keen that this car shouldn't lose its fun and 'joie de vivre', the very attributes that make most customers want to consider one in the first place. The updates we've been reviewing here are mostly aimed at making sure that doesn't happen, this Hatch version being now smarter, better connected and more sophisticated than before. Of course, not everyone is MINI-minded. Some don't like the way the looks have evolved. Others still think it isn't big enough. And this car can certainly be expensive once you've added in a few essential options. But these are things the creators of this fourth generation version never set out to change. The improvements they have made though, are resoundingly successful. Though the endearing raw edges that characterised older versions of this car may now be distant memories, added maturity brings many compensations. Which leaves us with a British-built benchmark in the premium small car segment and a model that, though easy to imitate, is now even more difficult to beat. Some rivals might be arguably more stylish or slightly larger but still none can beat its fun factor and everyday running cost affordability, both still crucial considerations in buying a car of this kind. Back in 1956 when he created the British original, Sir Alec Issigonis knew that. We think he'd have been pleased at how his creation's turned out.
Borrow £6,000 with £1,000 deposit over 48 months with a representative APR of 18.1%, monthly payment would be £172.36, with a total cost of credit of £2,273.28 and a total amount payable of £9,273.28.
