Cebu gets a taste of the Mini style

ICONIC British car is turning heads in Cebu.

The Mini Cooper, undeniably one of the coolest-looking small cars ever, is expected to be a big hit in Cebu.

The iconic British brand has recently released its third-generation hatch dubbed the Mini Cooper F56. Cebu Daily News was given a chance to get a first-hand experience of the all-new compact hatchback through the efforts of the newly opened Mini Cebu dealership.

We immediately grabbed the opportunity in the hopes of finding out for ourselves why this vehicle is among the most famous in the world.

The variant lent to us was the base model powered by a 1.5-liter twin power turbo engine. On paper, the engine can produce 136 horsepower and 220 Newton-meters of torque.

THIS LITTLE powerhouse is gaining fans in the Philippines.

On the road, the power of the hatch was more than what we expected, and it was more noticeable when we accelerated from standstill.

It just made us wonder how much stronger the 2-liter version was. But that’s another story, as Mini Cebu president Kris Lyndon Go did hint of such bigger things to come for the F56 later on.

The twin turbo power of the Mini was impressive, but our team, which included photographers Lito Tecson and Tonee Despojo, noticed that it wasn’t really by sprinting around Cebu’s streets (and making a lot of noise) that the Mini caught the attention of so many.

WILLY Tee Ten and Mike Cua of British United Automobiles, importer of Mini cars in the Philippines, with actor Jericho Rosales during the Manila launch of the F56 PHOTOS BY EUGENE ARANETA

I met a friend in one of our stops at a convenience store in Escario Street. A hatchback fanatic, he said, with a wry smile, “It’s the style that meets the eye!”

Of course, how could we have missed that.

For a moment there, I thought it could have been because of many other factors (the driver’s looks too, hopefully). But, yes, the car’s unique design did turn heads.

There isn’t any other hatch in the local market today that sports those patented circle headlights up front, paired with a compact yet well laid out body design.

This must be the same reason the Mini Cooper has also been used in many movies, more memorably in the 2003 version of “The Italian Job.”

EXCITING times ahead for the Mini brand.

My friend explained further that the Mini’s compact size paired with its racing-inspired engine creates a perfect combo for the pure car enthusiast. He used “The Italian Job” scenes as perfect examples, where the Mini was made to do a number of stunts other cars couldn’t dare do. And even then, the Mini did so with style.

The same phenomenon happened when we drove the Mini around Cebu. Eyes lit up when they saw the Mini take on the busy roads of the metropolitan area. Traffic? It didn’t matter. There wasn’t a dull moment inside the Mini’s cabin. The interior of the car is, after all, as unique as the exterior. The mood lights that change at your whim cap off the cozy experience in a cabin that can take in a quartet.

Styling is clearly the Mini Cooper’s forte, making the hatchback an undeniable beauty inside and out. We’re pretty sure the Mini and the fun-loving Cebuanons would hit it off really well.