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(Thu 14 Jan 10) MINI will be introducing several changes to its range over the coming months. The most dramatic is a new choice of three colours - Sunlight Metallic, Asteroid Metallic and Nightlife Metallic - which produce a rainbow effect in bright sunlight. Pricing won't be confirmed until March, but we suspect there will be MINI customers who will add this to their list of options almost regardless.
In February, MINI will introduce a Graphite Special Edition Clubman estate, to go with the hatchback version launched last year. As with the hatch, the Clubman will have dark silver metallic paintwork (otherwise available only if you buy a Cooper S) plus unique alloy wheels, white indicator lenses, piano black interior trim, black bonnet stripes and Graphite badging. Meanwhile, the Convertible, which up till now has been sold only in Cooper, Cooper S and John Cooper Works forms, will now be available in the One trim level with a reworked 1.6-litre non-turbo Valvetronic petrol engine producing 98bhp and meeting Euro 5 emissions regulations. This car will cost £14,995. That same engine is also being introduced to other MINI Ones, and a 75bhp version is to replace the 1.4-litre unit previously sold with the MINI First. The more powerful Cooper and turbocharged Cooper S also get revised engines, though in nearly all cases the differences in performance, fuel economy and CO2 emissions are minimal compared with the existing models. The exception is that the CO2 ratings of the Cooper S models have all now fallen below 140g/km, giving a small saving in annual VED payments (down £15 from what they might otherwise have been from April onwards) and, more usefully, improving combined economy by around 3mpg. Previous: Toyota Introduces "Swappage" Next: Nissan's Big MPV |
