MINI presented the third generation of its most iconic model yesterday, on the day the brand celebrates the 107th birthday of Alec Issigonis, mentor of the "little Englishman".
For this third generation MINI, BMW has prepared a silent “revolution” for us. If on the outside the changes are of detail, maintaining a line of continuity with its predecessors, inside and technically speaking, the conversation is different. Engines, platform, suspensions, technology, everything is different in the new MINI. Starting with the debut of the new BMW Group platform, the UKL, specifically for front-wheel drive models.
Compared to the previous generation, the new Mini gains 98 millimeters in length, 44 millimeters in width and seven millimeters in height. The wheelbase has also grown, it is now 28mm longer and the rear axle is 42mm wider at the front and 34mm wider at the rear. Changes that resulted in an increase in housing quotas.
The exterior design is not a revolution, it is rather a progressive evolution and more up-to-date interpretation of the model that has now ceased to function. The biggest change is at the front, with the grille divided by chrome strips at the top and a new bumper. But the main highlight goes to the new headlights using LED technology that create a light frame around the headlights.
At the back, the recipe for design continuity is even more obvious. The headlights increased significantly reaching the trunk area. In profile, the new model looks taken from the carbon paper of the previous generation.
In addition to the debut of the aforementioned UKL platform, it is also an absolute debut for the new BMW modular engines. Engines that are made up of individual 500cc modules and then the Bavarian brand «joins» according to needs. Hypothetically from two-cylinder units up to six-cylinder, sharing the same components. All models of this new generation use turbos.
For now, at the base of the range we find the MINI Cooper, equipped with a 1.5 liter three-cylinder engine with 134hp and 220Nm or 230Nm with overboost function. This version takes 7.9 seconds to reach 100 km/h. The Cooper S uses a four-cylinder turbo engine (with one more module therefore...) thus making up to 2.0 liters of capacity with 189hp, and 280Nm or 300Nm with overboost. The car reaches 100km/h in just 6.8 seconds with a manual gearbox. The Cooper D uses a three-cylinder diesel, also modular, of 1.5 liters with 114hp and 270Nm. Engine that manages to reach 100km/h in a quick 9.2 seconds.
All versions come with either a six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic transmission with standard stop/start technology.
Inside, the MINI no longer has a central instrument panel as was the tradition. The odometer and tachometer are now behind the steering wheel, leaving the infotainment system in place that once belonged to the speedometer. Sales are scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2014 in Europe and through the end of the year in the United States. Prices not yet disclosed.
