A new MINI Cooper with no plug, no range anxiety and plenty of gasoline in its veins. This is the F66 and it’s the last ever petrol powered MINI Cooper.
The F66 MNI Cooper may look all new to the casual observer but as you know if you’ve been reading MotoringFile, it’s not.
Why? MINI is putting enormous investment in electrifying the product line-up with the J01 MINI Cooper, J05 MINI Aceman and U25 Countryman (available as both ICE and EV). This enormous investment prompted a decision; completely drop the ICE powered Cooper, spend billions creating a new one or thoroughly rework the current F56 adding performance, technology and a new design inside and out. In the end there was only one choice. The F66 is that answer.
MINI has upped the ante in terms of power with both models. The F56 Cooper is getting a 14% power upgrade going from 134 hp to 156 hp in the F66 Cooper C. This change takes the C from 0-62 mph (0 to 100 km/h) in 7.7 seconds. The more powerful F66 Cooper S gets a less dramatic 7.4% horsepower boost from 189 to 204 hp but sees a significant torque increase to 221 lb-ft. This gets the new F66 Cooper S to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds (60 in 6.3 seconds). And keep in mind these are both likely a conservative numbers knowing how BMW calculates figures.
Even though MINI made the decision to heavily revise the F56 rather than to create an entirely new car, there’s almost nothing that the designers left untouched. The exterior design is evolved to match the J01 MINI Cooper with the goal to make them look identical to the casual observer. MINI’s hope is that a potential buyer would be choosing ICE versus EV without styling differences to muddy the waters.
This will extend to almost every aspect of the cars. The F66 has (almost) identical wheels, mirrors and even lighting (including those controversial taillights). But interestingly no exterior parts are shared between the two cars no matter how similar they look.
Produced in Oxford, the F66 will take over as the F56 ends production in February of 2024. That means we’ll see the first F66 MINI Coopers roll off the line next March as the plant begins it’s pivots into a new generation of MINIs.
The introduction to the new MINI Cooper will happen in three phases. The first is the iconic two door Cooper which is be available at launch in Cooper and Cooper S models (the Cooper C Comes to the US in the fall). Next will be the five door F65 MINI Cooper launch in both Cooper and Cooper S models. Finally the brand will launch its last F66 variant, the F67 convertible in Cooper and Cooper S models. We believe the JCW F67 will either launch simultaneously or follow in March of 2025.
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