What's the 2014 MINI Cooper going to look like?
The old one, probably--a perception that isn't tarnished by MINI's latest teaser video, which gives us a hint as to the new car's form The new car is set to be unveiled in full on November 18, the 107th anniversary of the birth of Sir Alec Issigonis, the engineer who penned the original Mini. It shows that BMW still cares about the MINI's heritage--or at least, sees value in trading off it--even though the car is now far removed from its 1959 ancestor. There's another nod to the original Mini's history in the video, in the form of the soundtrack--familiar to anyone who ever watched the 1969 Michael Caine movie, The Italian Job. If there's one thing BMW wants you to be sure of, it's that the new MINI will be just as funky as the last. There's a good chance it'll be greener too, featuring a new range of 1.5-liter three-cylinder engines and a body shape inspired by the more aerodynamic MINI Vision concept. That concept also nodded at a more modern (but still retro-inspired) interior layout.
Power outputs for those new engines will remain similar to today's car, with 134 bhp and 162 pounds-feet for the base Cooper, according to Motor Authority. A sportier Cooper S will get a larger 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit, replacing the 1.6-liter four used today.
Fuel economy remains a mystery for the time being, though it's safe to assume an improvement over the current MINI Cooper's 29 mpg city, 37 highway and 32 combined.
Better still will be the plug-in hybrid variant, revealed by a BMW board member in a recent interview. Diesel too is on the cards, though those engines remain unconfirmed for U.S. sale.
The old one, probably--a perception that isn't tarnished by MINI's latest teaser video, which gives us a hint as to the new car's form The new car is set to be unveiled in full on November 18, the 107th anniversary of the birth of Sir Alec Issigonis, the engineer who penned the original Mini. It shows that BMW still cares about the MINI's heritage--or at least, sees value in trading off it--even though the car is now far removed from its 1959 ancestor. There's another nod to the original Mini's history in the video, in the form of the soundtrack--familiar to anyone who ever watched the 1969 Michael Caine movie, The Italian Job. If there's one thing BMW wants you to be sure of, it's that the new MINI will be just as funky as the last. There's a good chance it'll be greener too, featuring a new range of 1.5-liter three-cylinder engines and a body shape inspired by the more aerodynamic MINI Vision concept. That concept also nodded at a more modern (but still retro-inspired) interior layout.
Power outputs for those new engines will remain similar to today's car, with 134 bhp and 162 pounds-feet for the base Cooper, according to Motor Authority. A sportier Cooper S will get a larger 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit, replacing the 1.6-liter four used today.
Fuel economy remains a mystery for the time being, though it's safe to assume an improvement over the current MINI Cooper's 29 mpg city, 37 highway and 32 combined.
Better still will be the plug-in hybrid variant, revealed by a BMW board member in a recent interview. Diesel too is on the cards, though those engines remain unconfirmed for U.S. sale.
No comments:
Post a Comment