My, little chap, how you’ve changed

What, you may wonder, is the point of renewing almost every inch of a car only to turn it out as a doppelganger of the model it replaces? That is what has happened to the new Mini, which should perhaps now be called the new, new Mini.

Yet there is a logic not only in the renewal of this car but in the reasons for keeping it the same. The replacement has arrived after just six years because BMW has decided to up output at its Oxford Mini factory, making this a sensible moment to renew the car as well. Forthcoming pedestrian protection rules meant the Mini’s nose needed redesigning to provide a more yielding impact area, and BMW also decided to bring forward the launch of the series to speed the arrival of the estate version — designed around this fresh Mini — in showrooms. And finally, droves of Mini owners told BMW that they didn’t want to see the styling changed.

So though it might look similar, the latest Mini is about as changed as it’s possible for a new car to be, old and new having almost no parts in common.

Compare the exteriors, however, and you’ll eventually spot the differences. The nose is a fraction longer, there’s now a one-piece grille, the headlamps look busier and more interesting, and the front bumper has been reshaped. There are new tail lights and little lips in the rear pillars that aid stability at speed.

But it’s inside the car that you’ll find the greatest change. For a start there is an absurdly large speedo, almost as big as one of 10in roadwheels on the original Mini, the dashboard has been refashioned to look more colourful and the centre console has been narrowed to yield more legroom. Anyone familiar with the seats of the existing Mini will be pleased to hear that the new folding and adjusting levers are vastly easier to use. The keen sighted, however, will spot some cheapness inside, as well as air-conditioning that’s awkward to adjust.

What hasn’t changed is the selection of cars. The Mini One, on sale in a few months’ time, costs £11,595, the Cooper is £12,995 and the Cooper S is £15,995. The Coopers go on sale on November 18, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir Alec Issigonis, the near-genius who designed the 1959 original. Later there will be a Mini diesel — with a better engine this time — and an automatic. The convertible continues unchanged for at least a year.

The outgoing Cooper S was unusual for being supercharged, its lightly whining pump force-feeding the engine to produce 163bhp. This edition is turbocharged, which eliminates the whine and contributes to the excellent fuel consumption. The engine’s delivery does ramp up a little, but the effect is so minor, and at such low engine speeds, that you barely notice it. Instead, you’ll enjoy the Cooper’s surging enthusiasm, easily exploited by well-spaced gear ratios that it’s a pleasure to flick between.

Model Mini Cooper S

Engine type 1598cc, four cylinders

Power/Torque 175bhp @ 5500rpm /
177 lb ft @ 5000rpm

Transmission Six-speed manual

Fuel/CO² 40.9mpg / 164g/km

Performance 0-62mph: 7.1sec

Top speed: 140mph

Price £15,995

Verdict Still fun but easier to live with

Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Release date November 18

This, of course, is key to the Mini’s success. No matter how it looks, all owners will expect their car to be fun to drive. Happily, this latest version is a joy to send scuttling down the twisty roads and urban backwaters. It has plenty of roadholding, a clever set of electronics to rein in the over-ambitious without spoiling their fun, precise steering and reassuringly effective brakes. Couple this to the S’s zest and you have a diverting bundle.

Besides looking similar, this latest car presents a familiar mix of pros and cons. It’s an absolute pleasure to be in if you’re up front because it’s so stylish and well finished, but backbenchers’ ankles will be hemmed in, even if there’s a little more knee-room now. The boot is as compact as ever and the ride can still turn decidedly choppy.

But it’s also easier to live with. The steering is lighter around town, progress is smoother and quieter and the S will cost significantly less to run (although slightly more to buy). So, for all those poised to continue their affair with Britain’s most famous small car it’s good news: it’s the same, this new Mini, only better.

THE OPPOSITION

Model Peugeot 207 GT Turbo £14,435

Model Renault Clio 2.0 Renaultsport £15,995

GERMANY WINS THE BRAND WAR

When BMW first took over the Mini in 1994, the British were sceptical — how would a German company recapture the “indefinable Britishness” of our classic? But Germans do British brands rather well, as it turns out. Ulrich Bez, chief executive of Aston Martin and originally from Stuttgart, has turned Aston into Britain’s top brand, according to a report last month. VW has transformed Bentley from a motoring dinosaur into a badge of style, and BMW has done the same for Rolls-Royce.

Twelve years on the Mini sceptics have been proved wrong, too. As BMW is poised to launch the second generation of its all-new Mini, it’s not just the bodywork that has had an overhaul. Sales of the car have risen to 200,000 a year and BMW recently announced a £200m investment which could see sales rise to 300,000 by 2010.

Mini has been hailed as the only truly classless car brand. There are plans for a larger “family car”, the Mini Clubman and even a 4x4, and Mini has extended its badge to a range of clothing and accessories, which aims to convey the same mischievous sense of fun and adventure it has managed to give to its cars.

“BMW has completely reinvented the Mini brand,” says Lucian James, president of Agenda Inc, a brand-strategy agency based in San Francisco and Paris. “They’ve retained the same spirit and energy of the original Mini while completely updating the car for the modern market. They’ve created a brand that people feel an emotional attachment to but without making it too cute and lessening its appeal to male drivers. And it helps that when you drive the car it reflects the same sort of fun, adventurous character. It has the roadholding of a Porsche; it’s enjoyable to be behind the wheel.”

Source
By Richard Bremner
timesonline.co.uk

Image: The new November 2005 Mini Cooper S

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