The New 189bhp Mini Cooper S Will Give You 54.3mpg, Apparently
This is the new Mini hatchback. Honest, it really is. Look at those Union Jack rear lights, taken from the Electric Concept of last year.
It’s just a light facelift, some might say, but there’s quite a lot going on under the new, flat, simplified badge and a range structure that moves away from diesel. For the hatchback it spans a petrol One, petrol and diesel Cooper options, a petrol-only Cooper S and a John Cooper Works performance flagship. There’s no One D or Cooper SD.
The five-door hatchback’s lineup is the same except for the lack of a JCW model, while the convertible, based on the three-door, interestingly lacks any diesel options at all. It does have a JCW version all the same.
There’s a little weight reduction across the board that helps the fuel efficiency rise, as calculated by the outdated NEDC system. A new seven-speed twin-clutch transmission is a big factor in decreasing consumption, too, and with that option box ticked you can expect average fuel economy of 54.3mpg, if you’re careful. Hmmm. More like ‘if you somehow find a way to drive downhill forever.’
The flappy-paddle ‘box (actual flappy paddles on the Cooper S only) also speeds the 0-62mph time up by a tenth to 6.7 seconds. One-badged cars have also had a big change. The old and thoroughly likeable 1.2-litre triple has been swapped out for a 1.5-litre three-pot. At least it should still sound characterful, and it comes with a token seven pound-feet of extra torque.
Oh, and how could we forget? All the new engines have engine covers partly made from carbonfibre-reinforced plastic recycled from the build process on the BMW i production line.
Elsewhere there’s a new option of matrix LED headlights that can stay on full beam without dazzling oncoming drivers or melting people’s rear-view mirrors. Adapted from BMWs, it’s a great technology except for those odd times when the system gets caught out for a second and turns someone’s retinas to smoke.
The navigation upgrade is now a flashy 8.8-inch touch-screen effort. Specify it and you’ll get a wireless smartphone charging pad, too. You can send navigation routes to the car via your phone and even access live traffic data. Bizarrely, the Remote Services functions allow you to flash the headlights and sound the horn remotely, which we’d be willing to bet will be a YouTube prank video almost as soon as the cars hit the showrooms.
Comments
Are my eyes deceiving me, or is this really the new Mini?
These are the images that came with the press release today, so we can only assume so…
«while the convertible, based on the three-door, interestingly lacks any diesel options at all»
Makes sense to me, I think it’s a bit weird to spec a diesel if you’re buying a convertible. If you want fuel economy - get the lighter and more efficient hatchback. If you want fun (presumably thats why you would want a convertible) - petrol engine is the way to go, not only because you won’t have to listen to diesel rattle and smell the fumes, but also because they are more fun to drive
Absolutely, but from a commercial standpoint the diesels always sell better. For example Audi sold vastly more second-gen TTs with diesel engines. Mercedes sold vastly more diesel SLKs. That’s juat the way things are (or were). Mini not offering a diesel convertible is a cast-iron indication of the movement away from diesel.
‘’ Two words needed only ‘’
So the ‘new’ Mini is basically using 3rd hand recycled CFRP for its bonnet
When I imagine the sound that car makes I imagine
“Bwooooom bwooooom”
I kinda want one… I am loving those rear lights… Or is it just me?
Seems to be mixed opinions about them, some people love them as you said, and then a guy above said they were ‘minging’. I’m still undecided but I like the idea of it, quite different for sure
When even die-hard enthusiasts of your brand can’t tell when you’ve made a new model, there’s a problem…
Most important change was the 7 speed dct, that’s all that matters, at least to me, as I ordered a JCW and it’ll come in this facelifted form
I hated this shape of Mini for not being ‘mini’ as moaned about on old Top Gear, then realised how superior they were to the past two generations and came full circle to recommending them to people who want a car! This facelift looks top, but those lights are pretty minging.
I can’t understand why people won’t stop complaining about the size. Don’t they realized that making a car that size in today’s world is not that viable anymore?
I’m sure the new ‘Mini’ will do 54mpg - in much the same way as it’s small, pretty, and vaguely affordable
How sad it is for sport car to be advertised by its mpg numbers…. 😞