News & Reviews- Make: Mini

All I can say is, "It took you long enough Mini!" Or maybe I should have directed that comment at BMW, which has been applying its own unique brand strategies to the British city car manufacturer since it purchased it way back at the turn of the new century.

Of course if they'd come out with a five-door model back in the mid-aughts it's quite possible the brand's many ardent fans would have become irate and not bought into the new Mini philosophy, but now with a decade and a half of Bini (BMW-Mini) models behind us, which have included nearly every body style configuration seemingly imaginable, from hatchbacks, convertibles and the four-door Clubman, to a coupe, roadster and even a coupe-crossover combo, not to mention the compact Mini Countryman crossover SUV that quite literally opened up the door to more doors, the new Cooper 5-Door is a fitting inclusion. That it also happens to look really cool is just a bonus, as its newfound functionality makes this the car that could Read Full Story

To call the outgoing Bini (BMW/MINI) a classic might infuriate collectors of the original BMC-built Mini, so at the risk of angering throngs of elderly flat-cap coiffed Brits, not to mention Mr. Bean and Basil Fawlty, maybe we can get away with calling it a modern-day classic. After all, except for a moderate redesign in 2006 for the 2007 model year the reimagined Mini has been tearing up our roads for close to 15 years.

For the 2014 model year this modern-day classic was reborn with a more enthusiastic look on its adorable face, as well as considerably more size all-round. Put the old and new side-by-side and you'll immediately see that this third-generation Cooper 3-Door is quite a bit longer, 114 millimetres (4.5 inches) to be exact, and that's only when compared to the second-generation car that was 68 mm (2.7 inches) longer than the original 2001 through 2006 Bini it replaced. Yes, the Mini isn't so mini anymore with 183 mm (7.2 inches) of nose to tail expansion since inception; Read Full Story

The entry-level Mini Cooper Hardtop was all-new last year, so there aren't any significant changes for 2015 other than a new name, from the just-mentioned Hardtop designation to 3-Door.

That the Cooper 3-Door was previously dubbed Coupe (and Hatch, Hatchback or Hardtop depending on where it was being sold) before it became the Hardtop (here) is not a sign of any decision-making issues within the British brand's Bracknell, Berkshire-based leadership (or the leadership of its Munich-based parent company for that matter), but more so the result of its ever-expanding model lineup. When Mini launched its two-seat Coupe in 2011 it had to completely abandon the Cooper Coupe name it had often used for the base hatchback model since the Bini (BMW/Mini) took the market by storm in 2001, whereas the most recent name change is necessary because of a new 5-Door hardtop being added to the lineup. Hence the new 2015 Mini Cooper 3-Door, which I'm sure you'll agree, is a perfectly fitting name Read Full Story

What's your favourite Mini? With so many different models to choose from even diehard fans of the diminutive brand will have trouble coming up with an answer. Mine used to be the Clubman, but it's temporarily unavailable while undergoing a wholesale six-door transformation so I'll reserve judgment on the finished product until I've spent time with it. I also have a soft spot for new 5-Door, but if I've got to choose just one it'll have to be the Paceman.

The Paceman is Mini's version of the BMW X6, or maybe I should say the more recently added compact X4, or better yet the upcoming X2 that will be based on the same platform architecture as the next-generation Countryman. BMW created the sport activity coupe segment when it introduced the X6 eight years ago, a vehicle dreamed up by combining the idea of a rakish four-door coupe with a crossover SUV. Critics panned it for its tighter rear quarters and lack of cargo space, but fans bought them up by the boatload because they were Read Full Story

Mini has been expanding its fortunes lately, from a small carmaker solely building sporty two-door coupes and convertibles to a wider-reaching brand now creating four, or should we say five-door models, starting in 2010 with the 2011 Countryman, the British marque's first foray into the crossover SUV sector, and now for 2015 the new 5-Door.

It's based on the latest Hardtop, a new name given to the outgoing hatchback that has once again been rechristened for 2015 (only a year later) to read 3-Door. More precisely they're all based on the new UKL1 front-wheel drive platform architecture set to underpin all new Mini models as well as six new front-drive BMWs before 2017, starting with the compact 2 Series Active Tourer. My first drive in last year's new Mini Cooper Hardtop (a.k.a. 3-Door) proved positive. The base model's newfound power was wonderful and overall stability through the curves and on the highway impressive, while increased interior room plus better cabin quality and Read Full Story