2012 MINI Cooper Coupe Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Cooper Coupe, and includes Mini Cooper Coupe safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

Take one Mini Cooper Hardtop, shave off the roof and replace it with what looks like a helmet, yank the rear seats, and you’ve got the new Mini Cooper Coupe, which looks just like a custom one-off but is actually a factory-built funster.

Mini promises that the new two-passenger Cooper Coupe feels more like a go-kart than other models in the lineup, thanks to unique tuning and structural modifications. The Coupe also comes with an active rear spoiler that automatically rises at 50 mph, providing up to 88 pounds of additional downforce at top speed. Otherwise, Mini fans will find the Coupe’s model lineup, powertrains, and options menu to be very familiar.

Basically, the 2012 Mini Coupe is sold in a single level of specification with hardware differences separating the three different models: Coupe, S Coupe, and John Cooper Works Coupe.

The standard Cooper Coupe is equipped with standard air conditioning, power windows with one-touch operation, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power side mirrors, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, and floor mats. The multi-function steering wheel is wrapped in leather, the seats are covered in leatherette and manually adjustable for height, and the engine starts by pushing a button. The six-speaker stereo features one free year of satellite radio, an HD Radio tuner, a CD player, and an auxiliary audio input jack, and the car has a Sport mode that adjusts steering and throttle response for extra smiles over the miles. Mini also includes a trip computer with an outside temperature display, 12-volt power outlets in the cabin and trunk, ambient cabin lighting, and an active rear spoiler that automatically rises at speeds over 50 mph. You can discern the base Coupe by its 15-inch alloy wheels and chrome grille slats.

Move up to the Cooper S Coupe and you’ll receive a more powerful turbocharged engine fed by a functional hood scoop, brake cooling ducts, run-flat tires, and twin center-mounted exhaust outlets. The Cooper S Coupe rides on 16-inch alloy wheels, and features front fog lights and a black mesh grille insert. Inside, sport seats, aluminum foot pedals, an Anthracite headliner, and checkered interior trim panels underscore the S Coupe’s more athletic demeanor.

For the best performance, buy the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Coupe. Why yes, there must be a joke here somewhere. But the hardware will wipe some of that smirk off of your face. This model is upgraded with a more powerful direct-injected and turbocharged engine, a strengthened manual gearbox, larger diameter exhaust outlets, an Electronic Differential Lock Control for improved cornering grip and wet-weather traction, Brembo front brake calipers clamping larger 12.4-inch ventilated discs, and 17-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tires. The exterior is dressed up with an aerodynamic body kit, while the cabin gets cloth upholstery, Piano Black trim panels, and a red pattern on the shift knob.

Primary options are grouped together in extra-cost packages. The Premium Package adds automatic climate control with an active carbon filter, Comfort Access keyless entry and ignition, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, an anti-theft alarm, and chrome interior trim. The Cold Weather Package adds heated front seats, heated side mirrors, heated washer jets, heated headlight washers (with Xenon headlights). The Technology Package provides a center armrest, Park Distance Control parking sensors, a Harmon/Kardon premium sound system, and a Mini Connected system with Bluetooth, smartphone integration, a USB/iPod connection, voice recognition capability, and a 6.5-inch in-dash display.

Additionally, the standard Coupe and the S Coupe can be equipped with a Mini Yours Soda Exterior Package that includes Laguna Green paint, 17-inch wheels, unique mirror caps, a special side scuttle, and a tattoo graphic. There are also Sport and John Cooper Works packages for these models. The Sport Package includes traction control with an Electronic Differential Lock Control, 16-inch alloy wheels, sport seats, fog lights, white turn signals, and hood stripes if you want them. On the Cooper S Coupe, this package also includes Xenon headlights. The John Cooper Works Package installs an aero body kit, 17-inch wheels, and special interior trim with the “Works” logo.

Additional option highlights, depending on the trim level, include leatherette, cloth, or genuine leather seats, a navigation system, adaptive Xenon headlights, run-flat tires, and John Cooper Works suspension, braking, and engine tuning packages. The Mini Cooper Coupe can also be personalized with a variety of extra-cost metallic hues, wheel sizes and designs, and interior trim panel materials and detailing. Really, it’s too much to cover here. Visit Mini’s website and lose hours of your life to the company’s build-a-car tool.

Standard models are equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that generates 121 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 114 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox is standard, and a six-speed automatic transmission is optional, each driving the front wheels. Fuel economy measures 29 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway with the manual, while the automatic returns 28-city/36-highway. Premium fuel is required.

The Cooper S Coupe is equipped with a turbocharged version of this engine, which delivers 181 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and, better yet, 177 lb-ft of torque everywhere between 1,600 and 5,000 rpm. For this reason, the Cooper S Coupe is the model we recommend, and not just because it’s able to accelerate out of its own way. There’s little penalty in terms of fuel consumption, with the six-speed manual returning 27-city/35-highway and the six-speed automatic with paddle shifters getting 26-city/34-highway. Again, premium fuel is required.

The John Cooper Works model adds direct fuel injection to the Cooper S model’s engine, in addition to tuning tweaks that result in 208 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 192 lb-ft of torque from 1,850 to 5,600 rpm. This engine is paired only with a six-speed manual transmission, is rated to get 25 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway, and requires – you guessed it – premium fuel.

Despite its diminutive size and two-seat interior, the Mini Cooper Coupe comes with a comprehensive list of standard safety features. Four airbags are included, with the side-impact airbags supplying head protection when deployed. Stability control, hill assist control, and four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and Cornering Brake Control are also standard, along with a crash sensor system that automatically unlocks the doors, turns on the interior lights, activates the hazard flashers, and cuts fuel supply to the engine whenever the airbags deploy.

Optional safety features include traction control with an Electronic Differential Lock Control, rain-sensing wipers, Park Distance Control parking sensors, and adaptive Xenon headlights that help illuminate around corners.

Crash-tests have not been performed on the all-new Mini Cooper Coupe, and J.D. Power and Associates isn’t making any reliability predictions. That leaves us to consult Consumer Reports, which expects any Cooper model except the Countryman to provide below average reliability over time.

Maybe leasing would be best. That way, you’re protected by the Cooper Coupe’s four-year/50,000-mile warranty and four-year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance plan. You’ll also benefit from free scheduled maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles.

Mini frequently mentions the Mini Cooper Coupe’s “surprising cargo space.” It measures 9.8 cubic-feet. Not all that surprising, considering there isn’t a rear seat, but enough for the two people that fit inside this car. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the Mini Coupe’s glovebox is climate controlled.

Mini says the Cooper Coupe’s equal-length driveshafts “squash” torque steer. We wouldn’t expect that phenomenon to be a problem on the standard model with an automatic transmission, which takes a laborious 9.5 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph. Sticking with the manual gearbox produces 60 mph in a far more satisfactory 8.3 seconds, and Mini claims this model can go as fast as 127 mph.

Most people will prefer the Cooper S Coupe’s acceleration. With the manual, it arrives at 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Get the automatic, and that figure increases two clicks to 6.7 seconds. The John Cooper Works model is even quicker, clocking in at 60 mph in 6.1 seconds on the way to a top speed of 149 mph.

Base curb weights range from 2,557 pounds for the standard model with a manual transmission to 2,734 lbs. for a Cooper S Coupe with the automatic transmission. The weight is not even close to being distributed evenly. The most balanced model is the lightest model, the standard Cooper Coupe with a stick shift, which carries 61.6 percent of its curb weight over the front wheels. The least balanced model is the heaviest model, the Cooper S Coupe with an automatic, which is rolling with 64.1 percent of its weight atop the front wheels.

Aerodynamics aren’t a Mini Cooper Coupe strong point, either. The drag coefficient for the S model is a brick-like 0.37. Other models are slightly better than this.

The Mini Cooper Coupe is built in Oxford, England.

The 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe is more expensive and less practical than the Mini Cooper Hardtop, so buyers are paying a premium for the car’s custom appearance. If you’re OK with that, you’ll be OK with the Cooper Coupe. Just keep in mind that Consumer Reports isn’t terribly thrilled with reliability for this model, or other Coopers for that matter.

By Christian Wardlaw