Cupra Born vs Mini Cooper

What's the difference?

The Cupra Born has so much going for it. An appealing price, long range, and super cool design chief among them.

I think the main thing holding it back will be that it doesn’t quite have the same out-and-out performance people have come to expect from a ‘hot hatch’ in the era of cars like the VW Golf R.

Importantly though, it delivers huge dollops of fun and driver engagement, something that's quite rare in the electric era.

The new petrol Cooper range very gently evolves the upmarket Cool Britannia cliché BMW invented with the R50 back in 2001 and fostered with every iteration since.

More of the same, only slightly updated and just improved enough to justify trading the old one in. If this appeals to you, then go for it. This is the best petrol version yet. Probably.

But the Cooper’s real spark literally and metaphorically lies within the EV version.

Two very different Minis indeed.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

To stand out, any new brand should make a statement when it comes to design, and Cupra goes above and beyond to grab people’s attention.

It needs to, because Cupra is faced with the task of standing apart from its Volkswagen Group stablemates, especially the likes of Audi and Skoda.

One look at the Born, and it’s clear the brand has done an admirable job of separating its aggro hatch from the more tame Volkswagen ID.3 with which it shares its underpinnings.

I love its pugnacious face, which is designed to pierce air resistance in a similar fashion to the face of the Kia EV6, complete with its frowny light profile, bronze Cupra typeface, and dimples on the bonnet.

At the side, there’s the choice of almost Tesla-like sweeping aero designs for the standard 19-inch wheel option, or complex 80s rally-inspired wheels for the 20-inch Performance Pack hoops. The square beltline is perhaps the only spot where you can clearly see the Born’s relation to its ID.3 cousin, but I think the contrast flourish on the C-Pillar, which interrupts the roofline and makes it look more coupe-like, is a masterful touch.

This piece also wears a fishscale-like pattern, which is a motif that works its way through the entire car. In fact, the pattern is more than just theme-work for the Born specifically, but a deliberate pattern to interrupt plain plastics, which goes a long way to making sure no matter where you look, there’s a visual appeal to every corner of this car.

The inside continues this thoughtful and genuine ethos. Any area where a normal car would use a fake leather, or even plastic textured to look like leather, has been presented in a completely different way. The driver-focused instrument console, for example, is clad in a padded neoprene material, which is not only honest, but gives the interior a very modern look and feel.

The recycled seat materials offer a similar touch, and are comfortable in their bucket arrangement, too, and the neoprene finish continues here as a contrasting trim.

The colour palette is rich, with vivid blues, deep reds, a light smattering of tame silver rather than chrome, while the Cupra Bronze permeates to the car’s badges and highlights touches throughout.

This tone won’t be for everyone, and if you don’t like it, or the colour schemes, or even the car itself, that’s fine by Cupra. It wants to be controversial, and for a niche set of buyers, and says this contrast is the point of its design choices. If the amount of Borns sold before the car even landed is anything to go by, they’re on to something.

You’ve got to hand it to BMW.

The new nose and triangular tail-light treatment on the 2013-vintage midsection look as if they were designed to all go together back in the day.

You could even mistake it for the previous Cooper EV, though side-by-side that’s less likely, since the latter ditches the upright windscreen for a more raked item, clamshell bonnet opening, horizontal bumper shutlines for shorter and more-angled ones, plastic wheel arch surrounds and pull-out door handles for flush units.

The wheels are further apart, the overhangs shorter and the lower-side surfacing broken up by an artful sheetmetal crease.

The overall length at 3876mm, width at 1744mm and height at 1432mm have increased by 55mm, 17mm and 18mm respectively over the old model, but the 2495mm wheelbase stays the same.

And that’s not all.

Thanks to the Born’s VW Group all-electric MEB underpinnings, which are designed to make the most of interior space, the Born is much bigger on the inside than you might assume.

Clever packaging means a tall roof, glasshouse window structure, and a significant amount of adjustability and comfort for the front seats, with the clever digital instrument panel which is distilled to a handful of elements, and rides atop the column itself, so it moves as the driver adjusts it to maintain visibility.

The large touchscreen is oriented toward the driver, and has nice clear easy to use elements, although it is unfortunate the volume, temperature, and fan speed controls are a touch-based panel, and not easy-to-operate dials.

The rear seat offers impressive room, even behind my own seating position, and there’s sufficient headroom for me also, at 182cm tall. The cool recycled trim and comfortable seats continue to the rear row, although this car’s main practicality downside also resides here.

Opting for either pack will remove the rear seat, instead providing you with an odd cutout between the rear seats, and a drop-down armrest with a ski-port behind. Very European.

The boot measures 385 litres (VDA) which is relatively large for a hatchback, and it offers a nice low floor, impressive considering the motor is mounted below on the rear axle, although there’s no additional frunk storage for the Born.

The previous Mini 3DR featured a messy and quite overbearing dashboard design from 2013 that’s aged about as well as Robin Thicke’s videos from that year.

In contrast, the new model's is far simpler and less protruding, dramatically boosting the sense of space and light.

That said, all four occupants still sit low, with an upright windscreen ahead and beside high window sills. There’s an oversized, circular screen in the middle of a pared-back dash and a neat row of toggle switches below. It’s still pure Mini in theme.

As before, there’s enough space for even the tallest people up front, reflecting the British icon’s German packaging, with plenty of head and legroom, as well as ample width. It’s only when you jump from the EV to the petrol Cooper that you realise this feels noticeably narrower.

All Coopers regardless of fuel share the 240mm (9.4-inch) central OLED display. It might seem like visual overload at first glance, with so much going on, but after a brief period of familiarisation, the touchscreen becomes a cinch to decipher and navigate. The colour-coded driving modes, pleasingly slick screen swipe action and ultra-crisp graphics are especially noteworthy.

Revel, too, in the twist engine starter and toggle gear selector actions, that also save space and are super natural to operate. This is button-lite dashboard de-cluttering done right.

As with the previous model, the Mini’s driving position has you sitting upright, but it’s comfortable enough on the S’ sports seats we sampled this on, and everything is within reach. There’s sufficient storage. The ambient mood lighting is fun. And kudos for the deployment of animal-free materials. In fact, the Cooper’s fresh textures are quite remarkable.

We’re less fond of the glass roof with no sunlight block; there are blind spots due to the thick side pillars; and some of the lower-placed plastics do not seem $60K’s worth in a supermini this expensive.

Rear-seat access isn’t graceful, with a narrow aperture to squeeze past and a slow-moving electric seat to wait for, but that should surprise nobody given this car’s size. There’s enough space for two adults and not much else really. It’s pretty basic back there.

And even further back, Mini quotes just 210 litres VDA of luggage capacity, rising to 725L with the twin backrests dropped.

Don’t forget, though, that no spare wheel exists. Just an ever-fiddly tyre repair kit.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Cooper…

For the duration of the original BMC/BLMC/Leyland/Austin/Rover era, the Mini was often the cheapest new car around. We’re talking bare bones motoring here, for the people.

Obviously, BMW bothers with no such democratic notion today.

The new Cooper comes in two models differentiated by engine size – the C with a 115kW 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo and S with a 150kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo. Both are carryover units, and automatic only, sadly. 

Which helps explain why the base C Core starts from a steep $41,990 (all prices are before on-road costs). Much the same car cost $10K less just five years ago.

The Core includes climate control air-conditioning, an OLED circular touchscreen, a head-up display, a reverse camera, parking sensors, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, DAB+ digital radio, a smartphone charger, ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel, 17-inch alloy wheels and a basic cruise control set-up.

You’ll need to step up to the $44,990 Cooper C Classic for adaptive cruise control, a surround-view monitor, interior camera, 'augmented reality' satellite navigation, front seat warmers, seven rather than four colour choices, 18-inch alloys, a glass roof and more.

'Sun Protection Glazing' for the latter, along with a Harmon/Kardon premium audio system, John Cooper Works (JCW) sports seats with electric adjustment and memory, fancier interior materials and a broader palette of options are part of the Cooper C Flavoured package from $47,990. 

Meanwhile, the more-powerful Cooper S auto bypasses Core and kicks off with the Classic from $49,990, Favoured from $52,990 and the JCW Sport from $54,990.

The latter includes a JCW body/interior styling, steering wheel and stripes, along with adaptive suspension, paddle shifters and uprated brakes.

Going for the 5DR Cooper equivalents adds $2000 to the price.

All up, then, with drive-away pricing, the Cooper before options is priced between $47,000 and $63,000.

Obvious rivals are the Audi A1, Fiat/Abarth 500, Citroen C3 and even Suzuki Swift Sport, though alternatives with a retro bent and driver focus might also be in BMW’s crosshairs, including the Toyota GR86, Subaru BRZ, Mazda MX-5, Ford Mustang and Nissan Z.

The Cupra Born is interesting, in that it’s a rear-wheel drive hatchback. This provides both fun driving dynamics as well as a hike in efficiency, and in Australia, we get only the most powerful motor setup available.

This is a unit that produces a peak of 170kW under boost mode, and 310Nm of torque. This is approaching Golf GTI levels of power output, to give you an idea, although the Born is also some 400kg heavier, blunting its hot hatch potential somewhat.

Compared to the previous model, the new one brings more performance to the table.

The Cooper C uses BMW’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, and pumps out 115kW of power at 6500rpm and 230Nm of torque from 1500rpm to 4600rpm. Previously it was 100kW and 220kW.

With a power-to-weight ratio of 91.3kW per tonne, it’s enough for a zero to 100km/h time of 7.7 seconds (previously 8.1s), on the way to a 225km/h top speed.

Mounted transversely, it drives the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT).

It’s still difficult to imagine Mini buyers not outraged by the manual’s disappearance. But don’t worry. There’s always the Suzuki Swift.

Stepping up to the Cooper S, you’ll find a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit delivering a useful 150kW at 6500rpm and 300Nm between 1450rpm and 4500rpm. It was 141kW/280Nm in the old version.

Boasting 117kW/tonne, this one needs just 6.6s to 100km/h and can achieve a 242km/h V-max.

Now known as the FAAR platform, it is an evolution of BMW’s UKL (Untere Klasse, German for ‘lower class’) modular architecture that debuted in the previous model.

Suspension is via MacPherson-style struts up front and a multi-link independent rear end.

The Born’s astounding 511km driving range is afforded by its enormous 82kWh battery, which is more like the size of battery you would see in a much larger vehicle such as a Kia EV6 for example.

Thankfully though it’s not all brute force via capacity, this car is also reasonably energy efficient, with an official rating of 17kWh/100km.

Not all EVs can hit the WLTP numbers due to many variables from wheel size, tyre composition, and even temperature management, but even enthusiastically driving the demo cars on our launch saw numbers between 17 - 23kWh/100km. Nothing outrageous by any means. 

Expect a more thorough evaluation of the Born’s range and efficiency when we’re able to test one for a longer period of time at a later date.

When it comes to charging, the Born’s DC charger maxes out at 170kW, allowing a 10-80 per cent top up time of roughly 30 minutes.

Meanwhile its AC inverter tops out at 11kW for a slow charging time of roughly six hours from 10 - 100 per cent.

The Born uses a Euro-standard Type 2 CCS charging connector. Unfortunately, there’s no V2L function this time around.

The new Coopers enjoy a drink more than before. By almost half a litre per 100km more, in fact.

Rated at Euro6 and running on 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, the Cooper C averages 6.0L/100km (F56: 5.6), while the more-powerful Cooper S ups that to 6.3L/100km (F56: 5.8).

In terms of carbon dioxide emissions averages, this translates to 137 and 145 grams per kilometre, respectively. With a 44L fuel tank, the potential range-average is up to around 730km.

We’ve come to understand hot hatchbacks in certain terms, and these are defined by lightweight design, firm suspension, and over-sized engines in the front, usually driving the front wheels.

But the Born flips pretty much the whole formula upside down. It’s heavy, rear-wheel drive, not as powerful as perhaps it could be, and has comparatively forgiving suspension.

In fact, the Born has one of the most supple suspension tunes for an electric car in this price bracket, being much more comfortable and adept at absorbing rough conditions than a Model 3 or a Polestar 2 for example.

When it comes to power, it’s instantly responsive, as any EV should be, but in a straight line you won’t be outrunning even a base Model 3, or even a Golf GTI.

Whether it’s truly a hot hatch then will depend on how you define this concept, because so long as you don’t care about straight-line speed, the Cupra Born is an absolute blast.

Unexpectedly, this unusual formula works. The Born is a car with a completely different character to every other EV at this price. Rather than being tight and locked-down, the Born feels much more free and fun, with its ride and particularly its steering combining with the rear-drive push to make for a playful little car, with an organic feel to its feedback.

Again, unlike a lot of electric cars, the Born’s flexible approach to the road results in a car which demands much more from the driver. The traction control computer doesn’t conspire with the electric motors and brakes to sanitise the experience, this car will let you make mistakes within reason.

It’s possible to eke out a cheeky slide if you push it, for example, and the way the weight of the battery shifts the car around is more entertaining than unsettling, like it is in some small electric SUVs.

Even the regenerative braking is comparatively hands-off. It doesn’t have the single-pedal driving experience that some EV adopters are after, instead it will gradually taper speed off, relying on the driver to actually use the blended braking on the brake pedal itself, even when the car is set to the most aggressive ‘B’ mode. Again, this means the driver has to actually drive the car, jabbing the brakes in on sharp corners.

So far, similarities in design, packaging, dashboard presentation and suspension layout suggest that the electric Cooper and petrol Cooper would be like fraternal twins from behind the wheel.

But in reality, the petrol-powered Mini feels much the same as the previous model, whilst the EV is more akin to what we secretly wish the fantasy Tesla Model 1 would be like. From the future.

Now, we never had a chance to drive the Cooper C, but the closely-related (though larger and heavier) Countryman C sibling – complete with the same powertrain – proved to be a willing and feisty performer once on the go, after what seemed like protracted turbo and DCT lag.

Why the hell can’t Mini just offer manuals again?

The Cooper S, meanwhile, completely lived up to brand expectations, with the familiar, revvy snarl of BMW’s sophisticated 2.0-litre four-pot turbo providing punchy of throttle response and effortless cruising capability, though there’s still some initial acceleration hesitation.

Thankfully, the Mini’s steering is always alert, offering precision and agility by the bucketful, backed up a chassis that seems permanently glued to the road – even in the wet and wintry conditions we had to endure.

Yet, other than a ride quality that seemed better than any previous-gen Mini we’ve ever encountered and so genuinely surprised us, the Cooper S seemed a little… stale compared to the glorious SE EV we had just (reluctantly) surrendered.

A bit like having a favourite dish as leftovers for two nights in a row, it felt a bit passé in 2024, even when surrounded by that dazzling OLED dash and glitzy ambient lighting.

In every important metric – performance, handling, roadholding, ride quality, packaging and (particularly) refinement – the battery-powered Cooper is the more vibrant and alive option. And truer to the vision of the original’s creator, Alec Issigonis, as a result.

There are no crash-test ratings for the 2024 Cooper at the time of publishing.

The previous F56 managed four out of five stars with ANCAP. 

On the driver-assist tech front are AEB, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert with braking, rear-collision prevention, driver-attention monitor, tyre-pressure monitor, auto high beams and an exit warning.

However, at the time of publishing, no AEB operating parameter data was available.

Other safety features include adaptive cruise control with automatic speed-limit assistance from Classic-grade and up, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability and traction controls and nine airbags (front/side/head and interaction centre-front airbags).

A pair of child seat tether latches and twin ISOFIX latches are fitted within the rear seats.

Cupra offers the Born with a five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, as well as the choice of either a three- or five-year service pack. Interestingly, the three year pack, at $999, is the same price as it is for combustion vehicles in Cupra’s range, while the five-year pack is some $400 cheaper at $1590. Either way, this pack pricing isn’t outrageous when you break it down by annual cost, but many rivals in the electric space are offering free or very cheap servicing over the same period.

Like all Minis, the Cooper comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and five years of roadside assistance.

There are no set service intervals, as the car’s onboard computer will alert the driver based on condition and wear/tear. That said, we recommend going every 12 months or 10,000km, just to be on the safe side.

Mini also promotes several prepaid service plans on its Australian website. According to BMW, “… both new and used Mini owners can upgrade to a MINI Service Inclusive plan for 5-years/80,000km (whichever comes first).”