Bigger, better equipped, more efficient and with a punchier range of engines, the latest Mini moves the game on.
The styling is much as before with only subtle differences being apparent to Mini anoraks but the cumulative effect of all those changes is that this is now a far better car than its predecessor
So what’s changed in the chassis and engine department? Everything, basically. The chassis is BMW’s clever UKL1 platform which will also underpin a number of front-wheel drive BMW models.
The engines comprise three powerplants to begin with, with Mini One and Cooper S JCW models following in a second wave of model introductions.
Then Mini dealers will await Countryman and Convertible variants. The Cooper and Cooper D engines are both three-cylinder 1.5-litre units.
The petrol engine packs a healthy 134bhp, which improves the sprint to 62mph to 7.9 seconds.
Go diesel and the Cooper D’s 114bhp three-pot scuttles you to 62 in just 9.2 seconds.
The Cooper S sees its 1.6-litre turbo lump replaced by a 2.0-litre turbo powerplant, peak power inching up from 181 to 189bhp. That trims the 62mph benchmark by a couple of tenths to 6.8 seconds.
The styling doesn’t look all that different and you might feel a bit short-changed at this latest car’s lack of head turning ability.
It’s only when you park it next to one of the last R56 generation cars that you can see how the styling direction has evolved. As you might expect given the more generous cut of its cloth, the Mini hatch is a good deal more spacious inside.
Prices have risen by around 2% across the board, which isn’t bad for a bigger and better equipped car. That means you’ll pay just under £15,000 for a Mini Cooper, with the Cooper D rising to pitch in at around the £16,500 mark. Should you want the racy Cooper S, you’ll need to work with a budget of around £19,000, which still doesn’t seem an exorbitant sum for such a quick and capable car.
Equipment levels have risen sharply, with features such as keyless go, Isofix child seat fixings front and rear and Bluetooth.
Manufacturers can’t launch a car these days without trumpeting on about lighter weight, lower emissions and better economy – and so it proves with the latest Mini. As you might well expect, the Cooper D gets the best figures, managing over 80mpg on the combined cycle with CO emissions as low as 92g/km. The Cooper registers 62.8mpg economy.
The punchy Cooper S is fitted with a bigger engine but even here, economy has crept up from 49mpg to 49.6mpg.
It’s also worth noting that the automatic gearboxes don’t impose a huge penalty in efficiency as they did on the last model.
A further new innovation lies with the Mini driving modes, another optional extra. Using a rotary switch at the base of the gearstick or selector lever, drivers can swap from the default mid mode to either sport or green.
The three choices offer a set-up which is either performance-oriented, comfort-biased or geared towards fuel efficiency.
The latter includes a coasting mode when the driver removes their foot from the accelerator pedal.
Mini driving modes also influence the ambient lighting, shift characteristics of the automatic transmission and the Variable Damper Control – if that extra cost option is selected.
So what’s happened to the Mini hatch? It’s become bigger and better finished, the engines are peppier and more efficient plus there are a great many more high-tech options to select from.
That said, despite changing so much under the skin, it feels very much a case of as you were, Mini perhaps a little cautious of alienating either existing owners or potential new customers with something radical.
Don’t let that make you think we’re underwhelmed by the Mini. It’s still a great hatch and the latest changes give it some legs to continue the success story, with exciting introductions planned on the near horizon.
The prices look very reasonable at the moment, but to get the best from this car, you’ll probably want to throw a few of those high-end options at it, so budget accordingly and take that into account when you’re calculating your cost of ownership numbers. The Mini might have grown up but it doesn’t look as if it’s lost its sense of fun.
Model: Mini Hatch
Price: Just under £15,000 for a Mini Cooper
Engine: The Cooper and Cooper D engines are both three-cylinder 1.5-litre units
Performance: 134bhp petrol engine sprints to 62mph in 7.9 seconds. The Cooper D’s 114bhp diesel three-pot scuttles you to 62 in just 9.2 seconds
Economy: Cooper D over 80mph on combined cycle; Cooper, 62.8mpg
CO rating: Cooper D, 92g/km