All-new Mini offers plenty

It runs on a new platform, has new engines and a new interior and if you glance quickly at the car, it is immediately recognisable as a Mini, and this is one of the success pillars of the Mini in my opinion.

Talking of the hatch only, there are now seven models in the Mini line-up to choose from. Certainly way more than the car’s original designer, Sir Alec Issigonis, must have had in mind when he brought this economy car to the British market many years ago.

I owned a Mini in my matric year of school. It was black, it was horrible, but it beat walking to school or, even worse, being dropped off by your mom in curlers in front of your friends and the girls you were trying to impress.

My Mini offered nothing in the way of luxury or spec. It had two doors and an unreliable and lethargic engine. It went around corners quick which was about it.

This 2014 model is somewhat different in most of these aspects. You can throw a quick R100 000 plus at extras today to boost all the standard luxury, but as a hatch the car still has two doors and still goes around corners quicker than most of the competition.

You now get a longer, wider and higher Mini. This means a longer wheelbase and a larger track width when compared to the predecessor model, which was bigger than the previous and so on.

Changes to the design features include a new hexagonal radiator grille, headlamps with optional LED and rear light clusters with wide chrome surround, turn indicator element and peripheral body surround in black to go with five exterior paint finishes and the roof in contrasting colour that is available as an option at no extra charge.

The Mini is not so mini when it comes to size and space, with more shoulder room and foot space as well as increased comfort for rear passengers. Additionally, the luggage compartment volume has increased by 51 litres to 211 litres, and a host of optional storage space – including the luggage compartment floor.

I really like the new interior of the Mini. There is a lot happening that makes the car fun and the extra room is welcome too, especially since this car might compete with other mini cars like Audi A1, Fiat 500 and Alfa MiTo in the market from a segment point of view.

The two new engines – a 1.5 litre three-cylinder 100kW offering in the Cooper, that starts at R287 500 for the manual and R305 400 for the auto, and a 2.0 litre four cylinder 141kW offering in the Cooper S – both feature Mini TwinPower Turbo Technology making getting from point A to point B a fuss-free process.

They both also come with the full range of fuel saving devices such as an automatic engine start/stop function, and the optional “green” mode that can be toggled via a switch. The 100kW Cooper for me was most impressive, and a massive improvement over the old 1.6 litre naturally aspirated offering. The 2.0 litre Cooper S was also good, but you could almost feel that the engine was not being allowed to produce power to its full potential. I think the John Cooper Works version will show what is really at play with this engine when that model hits here sometime in the future.

Of course the handling was as good as to be expected, and quite a bit better than the previous model thanks to extensively revised suspension technology, reduced weight and increased rigidity. Backing this up you also get Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) as standard including Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and Electronic Differential Lock Control (EDLC) along with a refined braking system.

And for the techno savvy buyers you have a significantly extended range of innovative driver assistance systems like Mini Head-Up-Display, parking assistant, rear-view camera and Driving Assistant including camera-based active cruise control, collision and pedestrian warning with initial brake function, high beam assistant and road sign detection.

You also get a newly structured Mini-Connected in-car infotainment program as standard, with additional functions and the opportunity for ongoing expansion due to apps allowing integration in the car via your smartphone as seen in the new Mini Connected XL Journey Mate with Real Time Traffic Information.

Online connection also allows the use of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, foursquare and Glympse, the reception of RSS newsfeeds and entertainment features such as Aupeo!, Stitcher, Deezer, Audible, Napster/ Rhapsody and TuneIn.

The new Mini sure offers plenty on all fronts, but this privilege comes with a price tag that has also grown over the years. The cherry on the Mini pricing cake is that the car will now be offered with a five-year/ 100 000km motorplan versus the previous three-year/75 000km motorplan offering.