Mini India has launched the updated range of Minis including the 3-Door hatch, the Convertible and the John Cooper Works hatch in India. The 3-Door starts at Rs 38 lakh, ex-showroom, the Convertible has been launched at Rs 44 lakh while the JCW hatch costs Rs 45.5 lakh. All are available with turbo-petrol engines and come as completely built units (CBUs).
Design and Exterior
The new range comes with a few new features and minor changes in the design, the 3-door hatch and the convertible comes with new 17-inch light-alloy wheels and the JCW comes with ‘JCW Track Spoke-Black’ as standard with the option of larger and fancier 18-inch JCW Course Spoke 2-tone alloys.
The 3-Door hatch and convertible feature an updated hexagonal radiator grille, keeping it true to the older design yet giving it a new aesthetic. There are redesigned bumpers which no longer house fog lamps. The fog lamps are now integrated into the headlamp cluster. To increase the aerodynamics, air intakes are vertically integrated with the bodywork.
The JCW on the other hand has been designed to flaunt its sportier character with bonnet stripes, contrasting paint for the roof and vents in the front bumper for improved aerodynamics.
The 3-Door hatch and the convertible are available in all new Rooftop Grey metallic, Island Blue metallic, Enigmatic Black colours and Zesty yellow only for the convertible. Chili Red for the JCW and the new Multitone Roof for Mini 3-Door and Mini JCW featuring a colour gradient from San Marino Blue through Pearly Aqua to Jet Black.
Interior
The cabin layout is more or less the same compared to the outgoing models save for the colours for upholstery and some added equipment.
There’s now a standard 8.8-inch colour touchscreen display, touch-sensitive buttons and piano black high-gloss surfaces that augment the appeal of the cabin. There is also the option of a 5-inch multifunctional instrument display on the steering column, enhancing the drivers base. That said, there’s plenty of standard kits like LED headlamps, auto wipers, ambient lighting, traction control and more.
Additionally, if you have the bucks to spare, you can splurge on adaptive dampers which will set you back by Rs 85,000, panoramic sunroof for Rs 1.4 lakh and an array of colour lines for the upholstery costing between Rs 1.3-1.6 lakh.
Engine
The Minis are powered by the staple 2-litre 4-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that is shared with other BMW models as well like the 3 Series and the X3. On the Mini 3-Door hatch and the Convertible, this engine produces 189bhp and 280Nm. The 3-Door hatch reaches 100kmph in just 6.7 seconds while the Convertible takes 7.1 seconds for the same.
On Mini John Cooper Works, the same engine has been tuned to deliver more oomph as it produces 228bhp and 320Nm of torque. Thanks to the bump in power, the JCW sprint to a 100kmph in just 6.1 seconds, making it the quickest of the lot.
In terms of transmission, the JCW gets an 8-Speed Steptronic Sports Transmission while the other two get a 7-speed twin-clutch transmission. At just Rs 26,000 you can also get a ‘Sport’ variant of this 7-speed DCT.
The new Mini series is surely exciting and we look forward to driving it and giving you a detailed review. With this launch the Mini range in India comprises these three hatchbacks and also the new Countryman, which we have already reviewed in the past.