A new gearbox, freshened styling and the option of 3D printed accessories are the main changes for an updated range of three-door, five-door and convertible Minis. The cars are now in production at plants in the Netherlands and England, with the latter also beginning initial preparations for an electric variant due in 2019.
Can it really be almost four and a half years since ‘BMW Plant Oxford’ in the Cowley area of the city commenced production of F56? The first series production three-door of the current generation, which the company calls Mini Hatch, came off the line there in November 2013. F55, the 5-dr Hatch (4-door Hardtop in North America) premiered at the Paris motor show in October 2014, with the Convertible added a year later, its public debut taking place at the Tokyo motor show.
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Cowley manufactures both hatchbacks but not the open-top car. All production of that variant, F57, is at VDL’s plant in The Netherlands. Build of the facelifted models started at both factories in March, with cars now rolling into dealerships across Europe, commencing with Britain.
What will be North America’s 2019 model year cars were revealed at the Detroit show in January. The changes are far from dramatic, as per the usual style for a German brand where protecting the resale value of the outgoing model is seen as essential. There is certainly a romantic notion of believing that Mini is English, but as with Rolls-Royce, all the key decisions are made in Munich. Mini HQ is also there.
The main updates are as follows:
- front and rear LED lights standard for the UK, and a claimed class first of optional adaptive headlights with Matrix high beam
- individualisation with Mini Yours 3D printed parts (the dealer is not involved: anyone can visit the website and order pieces which are mailed to the owner)
- “6.5-inch” (no metric equivalent is quoted) colour infotainment screen, USB and Bluetooth connectivity and multifunction steering wheel fitted as standard
- new Mini Navigation touchscreen with Apple CarPlay (yes, it really wasn’t previously available) and wireless smartphone charging
- Connected Services with Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI), Online Search, Natural Language Understanding and Concierge Service
- a fresh logo, additional paint choices, Piano Black exterior and alloy wheel designs
- an extended range of leather trim, new interior backlit surfaces and “colour lines”
- MINI logo projection from the exterior mirror on the driver’s side
- Seven-speed Steptronic transmission with double clutch and electronic shift selector (Countryman and Clubman also gain this gearbox from March build)
- tweaked engines plus more torque and a capacity increase for the Mini One
The Mini executives hosting the media drive event which was based at the Cowley works didn’t mention this specifically, but in common with other brands, falling take-up for SatNav has clearly become a concern. This must surely be having a major impact on the profits to be gleaned by dealer and manufacturer alike.
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By GlobalDataTackling the reality of most of us just using Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions, RTTI, which is a handy feature, is bundled in with others. The cost of this – ‘Navigation Plus’ pack is an eyebrow raising GBP2,000. So if you want the latest, most useful infotainment features, you need to pay up – there is no mix and match option or ability to forgo BMW’s supplier’s navi system. For those who like the idea of having Amazon’s Alexa in their car, this too is possible, although it doesn’t become available until July.
Natural Language Understanding is possibly something I would make use of, for the same reason that the UK product manager insists he does: his French accent used to mean asking to be directed home had the old car’s system reading back a confirmation of Hull as the destination.
Mini also combines all manner of other features into various packages. Chili, which also costs GBP2,000, includes items such as 17-inch alloys, floor mats, passenger seat height adjustment, cruise control with brake function and so on.
One of the as-tested cars from the media event had a pre-options price of GBP20,550, which seems good value for a five-door Cooper S. Yet after a few minutes on the configurator, this same model becomes a GBP28,585 car. That’s thanks to the addition of the Chili and Navigation Plus packs, along with leather trim, a head-up display, Harmon-Kardon sound system upgrade etc…
Me, I would chose a three-door model as even though the five-door has a longer wheelbase, there still isn’t adequate room for adults’ legs. Plus, the shorter car looks so much better proportioned. Need a roomy Mini? Go for the Countryman.
One thing which BMW didn’t need to update was the basic chassis. There have always been marketing claims that Minis have responses like go-karts and there is some true in that. The F56 continues to be a great choice for an enthusiast driver, particularly in Cooper S or John Cooper Works form. The JCW especially, really looks the part too.
All three and five-door cars remain front-wheel drive only and that’s fine. ALL4 is available on the Countryman and Clubman though. Grip on cars with torque going only to the one axle continues to surprise even four years on. Britain’s roads have been scandalously neglected during that time and the dumps of snow during this past (officially but not convincingly) winter have resulted in deep potholes having become an at best unpleasant and at worst dangerous constant hazard.
Mini chose a fantastic route which showed the cars’ abilities to their best advantage. There were though, quite a few low-speed sections through villages – it wasn’t all empty B-road bliss on a sunny Monday in the pretty Oxfordshire countryside – and here the car coped well with shattered bitumen which could not be avoided. The damping is beautifully set up for just the right mix of comfort and firmness. That wasn’t always the case with fast BMW Minis so a well done to the engineers responsible.
In summary, the latest range of Mini’s smallest three cars has been usefully brought up to date and improved in multiple areas; even some where previously the standard was class best. Comfort is always going to be an issue for any adult who has to travel in the back of an F55, F56 or F57 and that’s really the only flaw of what are otherwise terrific little cars. They look set to remain as deservedly strong sellers for some years yet: BMW’s fourth generation series isn’t due until late 2020 or possibly 2021.
Mini E at Plant Oxford: Batteries Not Included
The range might have just been updated but there is still one more Mini to come: the brand’s first series production electric car. Yes, there was a previous model but that one, built for only around 12 months from early 2009, was experimental. BMW made some 600 units of the Mini E and it was hampered by the battery chemistry of the day. That meant a small range even though a giant pack was shoehorned into where the back seat would normally be.
There was a concept at last September’s IAA, but BMW is yet to reveal much about what will likely be called the Cooper E. With the market for new cars falling in Britain, the possibility of post-Brexit tariffs for UK-built vehicles bound for EU countries and the general uncertainty of just how popular EVs really are, BMW will not be drawn on expected volumes.
The start of build for the battery-electric car hasn’t been stated, other than “2019”. Insiders have whispered that the series production model will join other Minis on the line at Cowley from August next year. The plant, which is well known for being at capacity and with nowhere to expand, won’t be fully manufacturing this car though: major, high-value parts will be imported from Germany.
With fewer than 11 months to go until the UK could crash out of the EU, committing itself to assembling the EV in England rather than in the Netherlands is a major leap of faith by BMW Group. It will be hoping that this doesn’t prove to be a well intentioned blunder.
Building the drivetrain of the Cooper E at BMW Group’s Dingolfing and Landshut plants in Bavaria creates a new risk with exchange rates and possibly tariffs too, but it does have the bonus of keeping German unions on side. The same sites might also be supplying Great Wall Motor with the high-value electric architecture components for the production of electric Minis in China. That deal is deal to be inked, BMW having merely announced in February that it was in discussions with GWM over such a project.
