๏ Criticism ๏

Dr. Alex Moulton, designer of the suspension system for the original classic Mini, is reported to have said of the new MINI, in an interview with MiniWorld magazine, "It’s enormous — the original Mini was the best packaged car of all time — this is an example of how not to do it… it’s huge on the outside and weighs the same as an Austin Maxi. The crash protection has been taken too far. I mean, what do you want, an armoured car? It is an irrelevance in so far as it has no part in the Mini story."

Many classic Mini enthusiasts are sharply critical of the new MINI (some call it the BINI as a contraction of BMW MINI), citing the fact that it is two feet longer, a foot wider and almost twice the weight of the classic car — yet it has less rear leg room and less luggage space. Undoubtedly much of this is to do with modern crash protection requirements and the desire to incorporate features such as air conditioning, a supercharged engine with modern emissions controls and a higher level of front-seat comfort than the classic Mini was capable of. This opinion is far from universal and other classic Mini enthusiasts have embraced the modern MINI as a natural evolution of the original concept with many of them owning both kinds of car.

Some MINI convertible owners criticise the poor rear visibility in the convertible. With the roof up the wide areas of cloth down the sides of the car block visibility to the rear quarters and the lack of washer/wiper on the small rear window — combined with the tendency of all flat-backed cars to accumulate dirt on the rear — effectively eliminates all rear visibility. Even with the roof down, the large roll-protection bars above the back seats and the bunched up cloth of the folded roof tends to block a significant fraction of rearward visibility. In an attempt to counter this problem when reversing the car, the MINI convertible comes with rear-mounted proximity sensors as standard equipment (these are available as an option on the hardtop MINI).

๏ The MkII MINI ๏

MINI has introduced a new version of the car for the 2007 model year, on a re-engineered platform with many stylistic and engineering changes. This architecture is shared with PSA Peugeot Citroën and is intended to be more flexible. The engineering was done in the United Kingdom by MINI/BMW Group UK Engineering.

The so-called 'Mk II MINI' (echoing the 'mark number' naming of the classic Mini) was introduced in January 2007 in the Cooper and Cooper S badges and the range will be completed later in 2007 with the arrival of the Mk II MINI One and a diesel variant. The MINI convertible will continue to use the Mk I platform for at least a year.

Though the Mk II has a familiar look, every panel on the new car has been changed from the old model. New safety requirements mean that the overall length has increased by 60 mm, the front end raised and the indicators have been repositioned inside the headlights. The headlights themselves are now fixed to the front quarter panels rather than being housed within the bonnet so that they are not raised up with it when the bonnet opens. The car features a restyled grille and larger rear light clusters. The Cooper S retains the bonnet scoop in order to keep an association with the outgoing model - although the relocation of the intercooler to the front of the engine means that the scoop is now purely decorative. The C pillars are no longer encased in glass and have been shaped to improve aerodynamics and to reduce the tendency for dirt to accumulate on the back of the car. Much criticised for the lack of rear legroom, MINI has added more space for rear passengers by creating sculpted cut-outs in the rear of the front seats. An engine starter button replaces the conventional ignition key and with the optional 'convenience package', the car unlocks itself automatically when the key is brought close to the car.

The Cooper and Cooper S models offer a new rear axle and aluminium components to reduce the car's weight and a Sports kit option comprising harder springs, damper and anti-roll bars is offered with both variants. Another key difference is the introduction of an upgraded electric power steering system, the sharpness of which can be increased by pressing a Sport button on the dashboard – which also adjusts the response of the accelerator.

As for engines, the Tritec engine has been replaced in the Cooper model with a 120 bhp 1.6-litre Prince engine with infinitely variable valve timing, developed with Peugeot. It is reported in early road tests that this takes the car from 0-62 mph in a claimed 9.1 seconds and has top speed of 125 mph. Fuel economy of 48.7 mpg on the combined cycle is nearly 8 mpg better. The more powerful 175 bhp Cooper S replaces the supercharger with a new twin scroll turbocharger in the interests of efficiency, and will feature gasoline direct injection. This engine also has an "overboost" function which temporarily raises the torque by 15 ft·lbf (20 N·m) under hard acceleration. As a result, 0-62 mph is covered in a claimed 7.1 seconds, and top speed is 140 mph. It achieves similar improvements in fuel economy to the Cooper, returning 40.9mpg combined. Both cars come with six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. The turbocharged engine is the same (although with some French engineering modifications) as the one in the Peugeot 207 GTi/RC.

All models of the Mk II "Hill Assist", a feature which prevents the car from rolling backwards on an incline by holding the brakes on after you lift your foot from the brake pedal until you press the accelerator.

The interior of the Mk II echoes the style of the earlier model but is in fact a complete redesign. The boot of the new car has an additional 10 litres of load space.

The Mk II MINI is built by MINI's Production Triangle - Plant Swindon (body panels), Plant Hams Hall (engine) and finally Plant Oxford, where final assembly work is completed

๏ Prototype & Concept Cars ๏

BMW first showed the MINI as a concept car that looked very different from the production cars. It had circular headlamps, huge wheel flares and a much more rounded appearance overall compared to the production design.
Before the first sales of the MINI, prototype versions were shown at the 2000 Paris Auto Show. These were essentially identical to the version that was finally sold except that the colours used ('Candy Blue' and 'Flamenco Orange') have never been used in production cars.
BMW demonstrated a hydrogen-powered internal combustion technology in some of their concept cars in 2000 and 2001, and MINI showcased a hydrogen powered concept car in 2001 at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The car differs from electric-motor hydrogen concepts, such as the Honda FCX in that it uses a cylinder-based internal combustion engine.

An all-electric MINI is in use at the in Mexico that uses around 200 kg of Lithium Ion batteries. Three electric MINIs were also made for use in some subway scenes in the 2003 movie The Italian Job to satisfy the subway authorities concerns over possible carbon monoxide poisoning.
With higher powered engines, the standard front wheel drive MINI tends to produce more wheel spin instead of more acceleration — a four wheel drive would be a natural solution to that problem.
Getrag (who make the MINI's gearbox) demonstrated a four wheel drive version of the MINI in 2004.At the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005, MINI revealed a retro version of the classic 'Mini Traveller' station wagon. Based on a stretched wheelbase with two side-hinged rear doors and separate rear seats replacing the split bench seat of the standard MINI. At the Tokyo Auto Show, the same basic concept reappeared with some fanciful additions — a circular roof section could be removed to form a picnic table with four folding chairs. The rear side windows were replaced with fold-down storage containers containing cutlery, cups and plates. In Detroit, a further version was presented without the table and chairs — but with a radically restyled interior.

Additional MINI models, including a four-door version, a two-seat roadster and a dune buggy have been shown as computer-graphic mock-ups at various times.

๏ Gellary -1- ๏