First pictures: new Mini

You have to wonder if the designers at Mini just thought they'd have a bit of a rest.

After all, they'd penned the hugely successful BMW Mini that's gone on to sell more than 800,000 units around the world, come up with quicker versions, a convertible, and even knocked out a couple of decent concept models.

Hell, they even managed to come up with a British small car the Americans like. Why not have a well-earned break?

Then the call comes from Germany. 'When will we see the new car?' says the Munich-accented voice at the other end of the phone.

Panic stations. They need to show something to the high-ups and fast, so why not keep the cutesy looks of the original and tell them it's a bit bigger? Just park it a bit closer to the front of the stage.

We don't know if that's what really happened, but the result is that the all-new Mini goes on sale in November this year.

The new car has had every exterior panel remodelled, yet it looks almost identical to the original 2001 car, other than the headlights are rounder and are no longer fixed to the bonnet but mounted on the wing underneath.

The Mini Cooper is 60mm longer than before, and the Cooper S an extra 1mm longer than this.

The extra length is to help the new Mini meet tougher crash test requirements, while the S model's bonnet curves up more to cover the engine's turbocharger.

There's still that wheel-at-each-corner poise to the new car, and the window line sits 18mm higher than before to give an even more at-the-ready appearance.

Smoother upper body styling has reduced the new Mini's aerodynamic drag factor (down from the old car's 0.35 to 0.33), helped along by a new spoiler at the rear of the roof.

The other clue to the new Mini is the rear lights are now a little larger.

But to really spot the new car, you will need to look inside and see the more marked differences compared with its predecessor.

The speedo is still mounted in the centre of the dashboard but can now include a screen for entertainment and navigation functions.

The centre console beneath the speedo is slimmer to free up more space in the footwells, but the toggle switches of the original remain.

There are also more toggle switches up in the ceiling to control the interior lights' colour, which can be varied in five shades from orange to blue.

Another new control is the ignition does away with a key and replaces it with a BMW 3-Series-style plipper that's inserted into a slot in the dash before pressing the start/stop button.

Mini tells us the new car has more rear seat space to answer criticisms of the previous model, but we'll have to wait until we can clamber in there to confirm this.

From November, UK buyers will be offered the Cooper and Cooper S models.

The Cooper uses a 120bhp 1.6-litre engine that serves up 0-62mph in 9.1 seconds and a top speed of 125mph.

The S uses a turbocharger to release 175bhp from the 1.6-litre engine, doing away with the original Cooper S's supercharger.

With only a fraction more power than its predecessor, the new S model is a whisker quicker all-round, with 0-62mph in 7.1 seconds and a top speed of 140mph.

Perhaps as impressive as the performance is the fuel economy - the Cooper S is capable of 40.9mpg on the combined cycle, which is very respectable for a hot hatch and more than 8mpg better than the previous S.

Both of the Cooper models remain front-wheel drive and will be offered with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard or an optional six-speed auto with steering wheel-mounted paddle shift.

The Cooper S will ride on firmer suspension to the Cooper, and both cars can be upgraded with a Sports Suspension option that stiffens the springs, shock absorbers and anti-roll bars.

The Mini Cooper will start at £12,995, which is £500 more than the outgoing model, and comes with 15in alloy wheels and run-flat tyres as standard.

The Cooper S gains 16in alloys and electronic stability control for its £15,995 asking price.

The £11,595 Mini One will follow the Cooper models in early 2007 and use a 1.4-litre engine.

The diesel model will arrive at the same time as the One, so it looks like those designers will be kept busy for a while yet.

© Source: original article on topgear