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 five variants to begin with, starting with the 102bhp 1.2-litre petrol unit fitted to the entry-level Mini One.
Next up is the first of the diesels, a 95bhp 1.5-litre unit fitted to the Mini One D. If you really want your Mini to have a bit of zip though, you’ll need to start your search for one at Cooper level, where a 1.5-litre petrol unit offers an eager 136bhp, gets you to 62mph in 7.9s and arguably represents the sweet spot in the range.
As before, there’s also a Cooper diesel option, this time the 1.5-litre diesel with 116bhp, scuttling you to 62mph in just 9.2 seconds.
Then there’s the Cooper S, with a 2.0-litre petrol engine putting out a useful 192bhp, a lot of poke for something so small, with 62mph just 6.8s away.
Prices have risen by around 2% across the board, which isn’t bad for a bigger and better equipped car. That means for Hatch models, you’ll pay just under £14,000 for a Mini One, with a premium of around £1,200 if you want the diesel version.
For a Cooper Hatch you’ll pay just over £15,000, with the same kind of premium for the pokey Cooper SD diesel.
At the top of the range, you’ll need to allow a budget of nearly £19,000 for the Cooper S Hatch, once you’ve allowed for a few well-chosen extras. Still, that doesn’t seem too much of an exorbitant sum for such a quick and capable car.
Equipment levels have risen sharply, with features such as keyless go, child seat fixings front and rear and Bluetooth.
The Mini hatch has always been about tailoring the car to your personal tastes, so you might well indulge in body stripes, a John Cooper Works spoiler, contrasting mirrors and those LED headlights.
You can also choose from technology such as a head-up display, a Mini Navigation System, Mini Connect telematics and traffic sign recognition.
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 49.0mpg 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.
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: Under £14,000
Engine: Entry level 102bhp 1.2-litre petrol unit
Performance: 0-62mph in 10.5 seconds; top speed, 116mph
Economy: 52.3mpg
CO rating: 127g/km