The quintessential Mini Cooper will always be the two-door Hardtop. Both the regular Cooper and Cooper S are fine everyday propositions, but the 2025 Mini John Cooper Works Hardtop is maximum Mini.
If you're looking at a 2013 Mini you could go with the base Cooper (which I also own) and have a fantastically fun simple commuter. You could try a Cooper S, which adds turbo huff to the base Cooper ...