Details Revealed About Next MINI

Its coming: MINI has officially released information about the second generation of its effervescent premium subcompact. After some 800,000 units have been sold since its introduction in 2001, the MINI has enjoyed a very successful career.

From the mildly disguised photos of the redesigned MINI, it looks more or less the same. The shape has been preserved, with the same clamshell hood, ovoid headlamps (not integrated into the hood, this time) and blacked-out pillars, but believe it or not, almost everything about the car is new aside from the floorpan and bulkhead. When the tape and plastic masking is taken off, when the car is launched in October, expect it to share many of the details with the MINI station wagon concepts that debuted at major autoshows across the globe.

Overall the new car is 2.75 inches longer in order to comply with safety regulations, but the cars cabin and cargo area are roughly the same size. Officially, the new MINI will be launched as a three-door hatchback, followed by a two-door convertible, but an extended Traveller wagon is in the works.

Though the first generation MINIs interior was cute with its retro-inspired center instruments and console, an endearing tribute to the original, the shape and layout werent particularly ergonomic, and the quality, while leagues ahead of anything in its class, was below that of its parent company BMW. According to BMW, while the primary instruments will remain as part of the cars center stack, one issue has been corrected with a thinner center console for an improved cabin layout, plus a fitted climate control interface in the shape of a MINI logo, and toggle switches for windows and other functions have been added. Believe it or not, the central speedometer and instrument cluster has grown even larger with the makeover, now housing a digital information display. Also, like all other BMWs the MINI will do away with a conventional key, featuring a push-button starter, supplemented by optional keyless start.

As was revealed earlier this year, one of the vital changes to the new car is its powertrain. BMW ditched the Chrysler-Tritec engine in favour of a design it developed in collaboration with PSA-Peugeot-Citroen, which features Valvetronic, VANOS variable valve timing and direct injection for more power (120-hp) and better fuel consumption. Bigger news still comes from the Cooper S model, which trades in its manic supercharger for a twin-scroll turbocharger that generates 175 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. During full-out acceleration, MINIs engineers have integrated an overboost system that bumps torque up to 192 lb-ft, resulting in furious performance. All new MINIs will come standard with a Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, with an optional paddleshift six-speed automatic replacing the previous CVT on non-S models.

Effectively, the ride, handling and steering of the MINI have been reworked from the ground up, improving comfort levels, overall refinement and driving enjoyment. With re-worked strut towers up front, the MINI now offers an additional 0.3 inches of suspension travel which should correct the original cars choppy ride. The electric steering is said to remain sharp and accurate with 2.7 turns to lock, though, the weighting of the steering has been reduced in order to make the car easier to maneuver at lower speeds.

Stay tuned for more information; a detailed preview will come once the car is officially launched.