10 Surprising Facts You (Probably) Didn’t Know About the New MINI Models

MINI is launching an entirely new family of products in 2024 and if you’ve been reading MotoringFile, you likely know more than most. However there are many interesting details have yet to touch on. So we’ve gathered our favorite 10 facts about the new MINI family that might have slipped under your radar.
1. The new MINI Countryman’s interior uses the equivalent of over 70 one liter plastic bottles to make the seats, dash, doors and headliner.
2. The white roof is now dead on MINI Cooper. In its place is a color MINI calls Simple Grey which looks white… until you see actual white.
3. The wheels on all new MINIs are comprised of 70% recycled aluminum.
4. The Countryman’s optional champaign colored matte roof (officially called Vibrant Silver) is a new generation of matte finish that’s car wash safe. Don’t be surprised if we see more of this in the future.
5. The Heads Up Display (HUD) on all new MINIs is not just substantially larger, but now shows directions from CarPlay and Android Auto.
6. In the US the Cooper’s retractable sunroof is not only standard but cannot be deleted from a build. Luckily the sun shade is now almost entirely opaque which will dramatically reduce heat in warm climates.
7. The Cooper has many more safety features beyond just blind spot detection and lane departure warning. It also will automatically brake when it detects an impending collision. It even will warn you if you’re opening your door while oncoming traffic is close.
8. The F66 Cooper has actually shrunk slightly in length (.2”) yet has a larger boot.
9. The U25 Countryman is finally available with a tow hitch in North America. The Countryman S has a towing Capacity of 3,500 lbs. The JCW doesn’t have the option because of its exhaust configuration.
10. Comfort Access 2.0 doesn’t require you to press a button on the door handle anymore (even though a redesigned one is there). You just walk up and the car will unlock. When you walk away it then locks.
Naturally this is just a fraction of the interesting facts about the new generation of MINIs. For much more head to our 4th Generation MINI section to go much deeper. And let us know in the comments about your favorite new feature that we might have missed.
5 Comments
No white roof!!! That’s sacrilege. Is it a recycled material or something? Are you guys going to change your podcast to Gray Roof Radio?
will they do a matt silver finish (actually silver not gold named Vibrant Silver) for the roof/trim? still prefer white roof
I was expecting this to be a list of things I already knew, but wow, this was a lot of new info. I knew about the sunroof and HUD, but the rest was new to me. Thanks!
The trailer hitch is only orderable with the Countryman S. The JCW Style doesn’t permit a trailer hitch.
A great article would be all the spoken commands you can do on the new countryman [and others],ie tire inflation, stop/start, radio stations. I hope Mini marketing can consider some fixes. Sport mode with out sport suspension, just trans steering and throttle like we have now. Other seat colors for the JCW. Paddles in the S. On my 7th new Mini, current 2020 Countryman JCW. Will not consider only black inside, would consider S but must have Paddles, all need ability to control adjustable suspension in any mode.