Mini has just announced details on the all-new Cooper, now dubbed the Mini Hardtop. The new car features new engines and all-new bodywork and interior. The new car is, for better or for worse, longer (by 114mm), wider (by 43mm) and taller (by 8mm). Wheelbase to has grown by 28mm to 2494mm, making it less mini than ever before. The new car has a 55% bigger footprint than the original, classic Mini.
The styling follows in much of the same vein as the modern Mini, with new additions such as LED headlamps. A new character line ties the front and rear large wheel arches.
Engines in the Cooper lose one cylinder, to make three. The 1.5-liter turbo inline-3 of the Cooper outputs 134hp. 0-100-km/h is 7.4 seconds, with top speed of 208 kph. The Cooper S gets a 2.0-liter inline-4, good for 189hp. 0-100kph I2 6.5 seconds, with top speed of 233kph. Transmission choices are 6-speed manual or automatic.
Interior gets keyless go, Harman Kardon audio, a heads-up display and an array of driver assists. The extra-large circle in the middle is now the home of an 8.8-inch color display panel. The speedometer, still circular, has wisely migrated to behind the steering wheel. Display lighting changes color to indicate driving efficiency.
The new car will go on sale late this year as a 2014 model.
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