- Mini has already revealed its new round OLED touchscreen, but now it’s detailing the infotainment system’s features.
- Along with a new operating system, there are selectable user interfaces, enhanced voice commands, and improved navigation.
- Through the available Mini Connected Store, people can access apps for streaming video as well as playing video games.
Mini is known for its quirky styling, which inside has always included a dashboard with a circular centerpiece. What was long the spot for a speedometer has more recently morphed into the housing for an infotainment system, and with a new generation of Minis on the way, the British brand has again reinvented the round element, turning it into a 9.4-inch OLED touchscreen. We’ve already seen the sizable display on the redesigned dash, but now we have more details about the infotainment system’s features.
Customizable Quirkiness
The larger circular display has a super slim bezel. That means there’s a ton of screen space for the crisp-looking graphics and animated menus. It’s all powered by the same Android-based software BMW uses for its iDrive 9 system.
Here it’s called Mini Operating System 9, and swiping up or to the side lets people access different functions. The climate controls are permanently placed on the left and right sides of the screen, and there are static bars for important shortcuts on the lower part of the screen and for driving information like the speedometer on the upper part. In certain drive modes, tapping the speed turns the screen into a full-size speedo that can look like the classic design.
Along with specific designs for the three standard drive modes (Core, Green, and Go-Kart), there are other selectable themed modes, including Balance, Timeless, and Vivid. Personal mode allows people to upload their own photos to use as a custom background. A neat touch is the ambient interior lighting that matches the color of the picture. A Trail mode with a digital compass and inclinometer is also included on Mini Countryman models.
Gaming In a Mini
As part of the Mini Connected Store, which is included with an optional package, there are myriad apps to choose from. Among them are popular music streaming platforms like Spotify as well as ways to stream video. Those who like the idea of playing video games in their car can do so with the introduction of AirConsole, which lets people download games and use their smartphone as a controller. Of course, this can only be done when the car isn’t moving.
Mini’s new infotainment system also comes with a host of improvements that include a more robust cloud-based navigation, with routes that are said to calculate quicker and be more accurate. The new voice-recognition software responds to “Hey, Mini” and offers a wider selection of controllable functions. The car’s artificial intelligence will even tell jokes and stories, which might only ever get used on lonely commutes.
The Mini Operating System 9 includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. As with most new infotainment systems, it allows over-the-air updates too. All of this new technology will debut on the 2025 Mini Cooper hatchback before proliferating to other new Mini models.
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Senior Editor
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.