COOPER TROOPER

The hottest hatchback in India snaps, crackles and pop s away to the redline

It’s always good to return to a Mini Cooper’s cabin, not because of the glowing Union Jack on the glove box (it’s a British icon, we get it!), but because of its optimum use of simple geometric shapes punctuated by retro flourishes. Those upright A-pillars offer a cockpit-like view and despite having grown considerably in size, the formerly diminutive Mini Cooper has a way of shrinking around you – the hallmark of even the warmest of hatchbacks. There’s a big, round centre console with neon swirls of colours setting the mood while suggesting that this is a hip car that doesn’t like to take itself too seriously. It’s an antidote to the more clinical, no-nonsense forms of performance luxury that continue to set the aesthetic norm. Sure, the screen is now touch-enabled, there’s a wireless charging dock (which, annoyingly enough, doesn’t accommodate full-sized phones) and a slick new gear lever, but it’s still got those chrome toggle switches, swathes of red and round-edged bits that appear to be thoroughly baby-proofed.