BMW has unveiled the third-generation version of the MINI – and the “New Original”, as the company is describing it, represents the biggest update since Britain’s favourite runabout was reinvented back in 2001.
The really big changes come under the bonnet, with the introduction of three-cylinder engines in the MINI
The latest car mixes a broadly familiar exterior design with a host of under-the-skin changes.
It’s also a little larger than before, which means that interior space is improved, both for passengers and their luggage, with boot capacity being expanded by thirty per cent to (a still comparatively miserly) 211 litres.
The really big changes come under the bonnet, with the introduction of three-cylinder engines in the MINI for the first time.
The starting line-up for the new hatchback consists entirely of MINI Cooper models. Here are the engines:
- A 1.5-litre three-cylinder 134bhp petrol for the standard Cooper
- A 2.0-litre four-cylinder 189bhp petrol for the Cooper S, and
- A 1.5-litre three-cylinder 114hp diesel for the company car favourite MINI Cooper D, which produces a combined consumption of 80.7mpg and CO2 emissions of a tax busting 98g/km.
(Click here for more on how much the taxman will hate the new MINI.)
There are six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. Automatics now get start/stop technology, and the auto ‘box is capable of taking data from the sat nav about the road ahead in order to help it shift shift more efficiently.
