BMW have decided that late 2013/early 2014, as the UK recession is starting to clear up for good, is the perfect time to give the Mini a bit of a facelift and relaunch!
On the face of it, all they have done is made it more......unique...looking. That's the only word we can really use without sounding too mean. Lets face facts though, the new Mini definitely requires a lot of rose tinted spectacles to make its slightly wide eyed expression look palatable.
What IS reassuring is the announcement that the rock bottom OTR price of the new range is at the low £15k region - shunning a huge price hike that most manufacturers seem to adopt when botoxing an old model.
How Mini is it?
Not very! Oh this isn't off to a good start is it... The new model is a whopping 98mm longer, 44mm wider and 7mm TALLER than its predecessor, which is hardly a shrinking violet.
Does it do well at being an economical city car?
We probably could've made that question a bit punchier...moving on. Yes! The new Cooper D will host a 3-cylinder diesel engine, outputting 114bhp and claiming 80mpg average economy!
Do we get a sporty one?
Yes! The Cooper S will return with a 4-cylinder engine producing 189hp, which sounds a lot for a Mini, but lets not forget the size of this "mini", and the inherent weight such size brings - it won't win any straight line drags against its rival hot hatch brothers (the smaller, lighter Ibiza Cupra/Polo GTI has just 6hp less - but boasts a more consistent hp/torque curve across the range AND both feature the fantastically quick and slick DSG gearbox) hopefully though it will retain its point-and-shoot-ability that BMW managed to retain up until now.
The new Mini will officially launch Spring 2014 and be built at the firms famous Oxford plant.
Words: Andy Pilcher Images: BMW UK
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