2023 MINI 3 Door Hatch

MINI 3 Door 2023 Review

Of all the brands currently on the market, it is MINI that is the most contentious of all. Their line-up has grown in size and complexity over the years, but as consumers voted with their wallets it has eventually streamlined to just five specific models. The MINI 3 Door hatchback is arguably the most iconic of the bunch, stemming from the historically specific Mini Cooper that was in production until the late 1990s.

You can get the MINI 3 Door hatchback in a variety of flavours, with two different powertrains and associated trim levels and features. The MINI Cooper S is now the sole petrol variant, and the MINI Cooper SE functioning as the all-electric variant.

In the past there were more variants such as the MINI One hatch, the MINI Chilli edition, and so on – but these two variants represent what Malaysian consumers want from the MINI brand. This compact hatchback may not be the incredibly small package of the original, but it is compact by modern standards and as much fun to drive.

The most recent facelift for the MINI 3 Door hatchback was released in June of 2021-2022-2023, featuring redesigned and revised exterior elements, advanced driver assistance systems as standard, and some updated and uprated interior features and elements for both the infotainment and instrument cluster.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Specifications

One turbocharged petrol engine and an electric motor are the options available when it comes to what powers the MINI 3 Door hatchback. The MINI Cooper S gets a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that makes a solid 192 PS and 280 Nm of torque, sending power to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch type automatic transmission.

The MINI Cooper SE is the sole electric model, and arguably a glimpse at what the future of MINI is likely to be as they move towards more aggressive electrification. As the name suggests it gets an electric motor that pushes 184 PS and 270 Nm of torque, powered by a 32.6 kW-h battery.

Dimensionally both variants of the MINI 3 Door hatchback are the same. The wheelbase stands at 2,495 mm, while the length is constant at 3,821 mm, the width stays at 1,727 mm, and the height is nominally 1,414 mm – a little higher for the Cooper SE. These figures may be a fair bit larger than the original (wheelbase of 2,035 mm, length of 3,054 mm, width of 1,397 mm) but they are certainly not large by any modern metric. Crumple zones and crash safety are nice things to have in a modern car, after all.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Exterior

A hatchback as if you had ever seen one, the MINI 3 Door hatch is your classic two-box design with sleek curves blending masterfully into sharp edges. The design language of MINI has evolved over time, but maintained certain elements that scream MINI instantly when you spot one. The rake of the front windscreen is one particular aspect that is unique to MINI models, abhorring and avoiding the more aerodynamic, sleeker front windscreens of other models. Whether you’re looking at the MINI Cooper S or the MINI Cooper SE, you get these elements – though the latter has some model-specific colours that help identify it as an electric variant, without outright screaming it.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Interior

It is the interior where the MINI 3 Door hatchback really shines. For most consumers it may seem like a bit much to have such a radically different design from other options on the market, but it has been a constant MINI trait for the last few generations of their models that shows how different a car can be when not constrained with typical consumer expectations. Ambient lighting is a particularly nice feature once you find a colour that suits you, and makes the cabin a fantastic place to be whether you’re stuck in a traffic jam or taking a cruise through a night-time cityscape.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Safety Features

You would be insulting MINI’s engineers if you asked whether their 3 Door hatch has the essentials such as ABS, EBD, ESC, and the usual acronyms that describe passive electronic safety systems. Then again, it would be a disservice to you for the price if the MINI Cooper S and SE didn’t come with these items. On top of the usual suspects, the facelift also brings assistance systems as standard, such as the digital high-beam assistant, speed limit information, person warning with light city braking function and approach control warning with light city braking function. There is also the parking assistant and lane departure warning, which helps the driver stay on their chosen course between 70 and 210 km/h.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Strengths and Weaknesses

The strength of the MINI 3 Door hatchback has to be in its driving dynamics – and this is further highlighted by the MINI Cooper name. MINI loves to say that their cars drive like go-karts, and while this isn’t exactly the hard-core truth, they are some of the most nimble cars you can buy in this day and age. The steering ratio is quick and direct, giving you a sense of total control. It’s easy to place the car with all four corners visible and easy to judge, making slicing through traffic a breeze. There’s even a MAXIMUM GO-KART message that pops up on the infotainment when you select one of the more aggressive drive modes.

But with this aggression comes a few drawbacks. For one, MINI models tend to be a little stiff on the road – especially Malaysian roads that aren’t the smoothest in the world. The other issue with the MINI 3 Door hatch is that there really isn’t much in the way of interior room and space – you can fit three adults in one for a moderate amount of time, but it ultimately functions as a lifestyle product more than any other.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Price

Most recent pricing for the MINI 3 Door hatch starts at RM 213,460.73 for the MINI Cooper SE variant – naturally a result of electric vehicle incentives, because EVs are not cheap to produce. The MINI Cooper S variant goes for RM 246,118.69 – not including the extended warranty and service package, which are highly recommended, that tack on roughly RM 4,000 for the electric variant, and roughly RM 7,000 for the petrol model.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Features

An 8.8-inch display with navigation and Apple CarPlay. A 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster. Ambient lighting with six different colours to choose from. An optional Harman Kardon HiFI system with 12 speakers, an optional panoramic glass sunroof, and optional full LED headlights with Matrix light functionality. There are plenty of items to pick and choose from when building your ideal MINI Cooper S or MINI Cooper SE 3 Door hatchback.

MINI 3 Door 2023 Fuel Consumption

This is a particular point of contention for the MINI 3 Door hatchback. The MINI Cooper S variant runs you a quoted 6.0 litres per 100 kilometres, working out to roughly 16.7 kilometres per litre. The MINI Cooper SE, on the other hand, consumes 17.6 to 15.2 kWh per 100 kilometres – which is tricky to translate or imagine in terms of cost. If you were to constantly charge it on a home charger, with a rate of 21.8 sen/kWh to 57.1 sen/kWh, that comes to between RM 3.31 to RM 10.05 per 100 kilometres. Working backwards, this comes to between 9.9 km per ringgit and 30.2 km per ringgit. Multiply this out by the cost of RON 95 at RM 2.05 a litre, and you get a range of between 20.4 and 61.2 km per cost of a litre of petrol.