Mini Cooper 5dr 2018 UK review

Mini Cooper 5dr 2018 UK review hero front Tech upgrades and design tweaks make the case for Mini's five-door hatch midlife facelift A new Mini. Well, it’s new in some ways but, in truth, it's largely carried over from the F55-generation car – the third interpretation of this iconic supermini under BMW’s watch – we first drove back in 2014.Even for a midlife facelift, the changes are minimal and pertain chiefly to the infotainment system and elements of design, some of which are now customisable. It means this Cooper model, which sits between the entry-level One and the Cooper S, still touts 134bhp from a turbocharged three-cylinder engine, although you can now opt for a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission alongside the six-speed manual that comes as standard.The easiest way to tell a 2018 Mini from a pre-facelift version is by looking at the tail-lights. Should they exhibit a Union Jack motif, that’ll be the new one. The daytime-running element of the standard LED headlights are now complete rings, within which the indicators are integrated. Finally, for £100, it’s now possible to replace the exterior brightwork with piano black trim, which looks rather good, particularly against a new hue known as Emerald Grey. Starlight Blue and Solaris Orange complete the trio of fresh paint jobs.You might accuse the BMW mothership of contemptible complacency in launching a car so light on revisions, but Mini’s marketers have found that design is the main driver of sales for these relatively expensive superminis. It’s why owners will now also have the option of ordering bespoke inserts for the wing-badges and dashboard insert on the passenger side, as well as laser-etched sill-plates.The only way to ‘tool up’ for potential manufacturer of numerous single-item parts (there can’t, for example, be many Mini owners called Hal who want a red plaque saying so) has been invest in 3D-printing. There’s even a sophisticated new online configurator to reflect the multitudinous options.In manual guise, the five-door Cooper model costs £18,040, but you can tack another £2000 onto that for the Navigation Plus package that addresses the second most important criteria for Mini buyers: infotainment. You’ll need to tick that box to get satellite navigation, which uses real-time traffic information and features Apple CarPlay connectivity. From July, the system will also be compatible with Amazon’s voice assistant, Alexa.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BTCC 2018: Neal wins Diamond Double at Snetterton

Image
Neal clinched victory in the extended Diamond Double race Jack Goff stars in qualifying and race one, while veteran Neal clinches glory in double-length finale Triple British Touring Car champion Matt Neal clinched victory in the special extended Diamond Double race at Snetterton, held to mark the 60th anniversary of the series in his Honda Civic Type R . Rising stars Jack Goff and Ashley Sutton also took race wins at the Norfolk track. Instead of the usual reverse-grid finale, the third race at Snetterton was extended from 12 laps to 20, with double championship points on offer and no success ballast. The race also featured its own separate qualifying session. Picture special: 60 years of the BTCC That was good news for Eurotech driver Goff, who went fastest in both qualifying sessions to claim two pole positions in his Civic Type R. He made the first one count, pulling out a big lead in treacherous wet conditions.  The young guns of the BTCC Behind Goff, reigning champion
Read more

Japan's micro sports cars – Honda and Daihatsu kei cars driven

Image
S660 and Copen are the only kei sports cars in production Kei cars are big in Japan, but do they deliver driving thrills? We sample a pair in Tokyo to find out When the American style of christening storms came to Britain a couple of years ago, it was inevitable that some wag in the Met Office would find a way to undermine the whole concept with an underwhelming name to snigger about.  Storm Brian was the result. It’s a fine English name but perhaps lacking the gravitas of many of those coined overseas. “In terms of impact, we’ve had spray overtopping quaysides,” someone from the Environment Agency told the BBC of Brian’s pummelling of Cornwall. Top marks for not trying, Brian.  While Brian was doing his thing on the other side of the world, Typhoon Lan – now there’s a name – was homing in on southern Japan, bringing with it 140mph winds and a storm that made photographer Stan Papior wish he’d invested in a waterproof camera and jacket.  Look really closely at some of his pictur
Read more