10:47 am, September 1, 2023
Mini has revealed a pair of all-new models – the Cooper hatchback and larger Countryman SUV.
The smaller model, priced from £30,000, retains the three-door layout of its predecessor but brings a fresh new design, particularly at the rear.
It features flush door handles for the first time, while around the back the eye-catching Union Jack lights of the previous model have been ditched in favour of triangle-shape units. A prominent black gloss plastic section links the rear lights and wears the model badging, too.
Unlike previous versions, it’ll be known as ‘Cooper’ rather than ‘Hatch’, too.
Inside, the Mini Cooper debuts the first OLED screen to be used inside a car. It’s 240mm in diameter and uses Mini’s Operating System 9. The upper half of the display gives car-related information such as speed and range, while the lower area is where you’ll access features such as media and navigation. Swipe movements can bring up a ‘tool belt’ of often-used functions and the climate control settings are permanently displayed on the left- and right-hand-side of the screen for the passenger and driver respectively.
It’ll be available in three specifications – Classic, Exclusive and Sport – with entry-level versions gaining synthetic leather seats and a coloured textile band on the dashboard. Exclusive models benefit from sports seats and a houndstooth pattern on the textile instrument panel, while Sport adds in black synthetic leather with red stitching and a front grille and logo finished in high-gloss black.
Two new powertrains will be available on the electric Mini Cooper. In entry-level Cooper E models, a 40.7kWh battery provides up to 190 miles of range, while an 181bhp electric motor enables a 0-60mph time of 7.1 seconds.
The range-topping Cooper SE, meanwhile, incorporates a larger 54.2kWh battery which can help the Mini achieve a range of up to 250 miles – significantly more than the 145 miles you’ll get from the current car. A more powerful 218bhp electric motor shaves the 0-60mph time to 6.5 seconds, too.
The Mini can charge at speeds of up to 95kW, too, meaning a 10 to 80 per cent charge could be undertaken in 30 minutes.
The car gets its world debut at the Munich Motor Show, which opens next week.
Countryman goes big
Mini is revealing a second all-new model, too – the Countryman. The new car adopts more SUV-like proportions and measures 13cm longer than the model it replaces.
A new electric version joins the fray for the first time, with two performance levels – E and SE – delivering a range of 287 and 269 miles respectively. The latter version brings a lower range due to an additional electric motor which provides four-wheel-drive. Prices for the electric Countryman start from £41,500.
The plug-in hybrid version of the Countryman has been ditched, with only petrol models remaining in the standard Countryman C, all-wheel-drive Countryman S ALL4 and range-topping Countryman John Cooper Works.
The exterior of might have similarly boxy proportions to the car it replaces, but the details of the Countryman have been radically changed.
The front end features sharper headlights, while the grille has an accent trim surrounding it. Around the back the lights are super-slim, but still incorporate the Union Jack motif that has become a much-loved feature of the Mini range.
The lights also feature three adjustable ‘signatures’ while a ‘specially orchestrated’ welcome and goodbye animation is activated at the press of the key.
Inside, Mini says that rear seat passengers benefit from 2.5cm of extra space, while driver and passenger can enjoy a three-centimetre bump in shoulder and elbow room over the previous car.
As used on the new Mini Cooper, a circle OLED display is incorporated into the Countryman’s interior. It can be configured to show a variety of readouts, with the top half managing usual driving information such as speed or range and the lower half dealing with navigation and media functions.
The new Countryman will cost from £28,500, with first deliveries commencing in February 2024.
