Early morning yesterday, we presented before you a couple of leaked official pics of the new generation 2014 MINI. The new MINI was unveiled just a few hours after those images surfaced on the cyber space and here is a full report on the latest iteration of the iconic car.
The new MINI has MORE on offer!
The name MINI almost betrays the new car, what with it getting as much as 98mm longer, 44mm wider and 7mm taller than the outgoing model? The wheelbase too is longer by 42mm (now stands at 2495mm) and the track widths have been enlarged by 42mm (at front) and 34 mm (at rear). All this means that the latest gen MINI not just boasts of more space for passengers but also has a 30 percent larger boot space.
Looks same as before?
Visually, the new MINI boasts of a styling that is more evolutionary than revolutionary. True, the car doesn’t share even a single body panel with the outgoing model but park the new and last gen models together and only those with an IQ of a cauliflower would miss the relation between the two cars. Also, worth a mention here is that the new MINI’s design has hints of the Rocketman design study that we saw earlier.
More Features. . .
The new MINI will come with Variable Damper Control (that offers Comfort and Sport settings), 15-inch alloy wheels (on Cooper and Cooper D), 16-inch alloys for the the Cooper S, an 8.8 inch screen for the infotainment system with iDrive-like controllers, and a host of other standard and optional features.
What’s under the hood?
The new MINI will go on sale with three turbocharged Euro 6 compliant engines, all of which would boast of stop/start technology.
- Powering the entry level Cooper will be a 3-cylinder, 1.5-liter unit that has a max power of 134 bhp (100 kW) and peak torque of 162 lb-ft (170 lb-ft with overboost). The engine would bestow the rider with 62.8 mpg in UK cycle
- Also on offer would be a 1.5-liter oil burner with 114 bhp (85 kW) of max power. The engine has a peak torque of 199 lb-ft (269 Nm) and the Cooper D will return 80.7 mpg in UK cycle
- The Cooper S will be powered by a 4-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol motor that has 189 horses on offer. The peak torque is rated at 206 lb-ft (221 lb-ft with overboost) and the Cooper S will return 49.6 mpg in UK cycle.
All the three engines would send power to the front wheels via six-speed manual gearbox or an optional six-speed auto. The sport version of the automatic variant will also have quicker shift times and paddle shifters.
Sometime in future, the new 2014 gen MINI will also get a more powerful diesel engine (that would power the Cooper SD) and a set of entry level motors that would find home under the hood of One and One D.
Prices
The new MINI will go on sale in UK early next spring and following is the price list-
- The 2014 MINI Cooper will have a starting price of 15,300 GBP
- The 2014 MINI Cooper D (diesel variant) will have a base price of 16,450 GBP
- The 2014 MINI Cooper S, which would be the tastiest of the lot, will have a staring price of 18,650 GBP