Five-door MINI

THE SECOND VARIANT  of the latest Gen 3 MINI Hatch is the first time the British brand has been represented with a five-door model in the small car segment.

The F55’s wheelbase has been expanded by 72mm (to 2,567mm) over the F56, creating space for three seats in the rear, with 72mm more foot space and legroom, 15mm more headroom and 61mm more interior width at elbow height. Luggage compartment space has been boosted to 278 litres that’s 67 litres more than in the three-door model.

The new MINI five-door demonstrates superior driving fun, efficiency, ride comfort, safety and connectivity with a new generation of engines, model-specific suspension settings, premium features including innovative driver assistance systems and the latest MINI Connected services.

At launch, the new MINI five-door will be released in four model variants with two petrol and two diesel engines. The Cooper is powered by a 136bhp, 3-cylinder petrol engine, Cooper S a 192bhp, 4-cylinder petrol engine, Cooper D a 3-cylinder, 116bhp diesel lump and the Cooper SD features a new 4-cylinder diesel engine with an output of 170bhp all with auto stop/start function and optional green mode. Six-speed manual transmission comes as standard, with a six-speed Steptronic transmission or Steptronic sports transmission as an optional extra.

The suspension setup is model-specific with a single joint spring strut front axle and multi-link rear axle giving maximum agility with a high degree of stiffness. Standard trim includes light alloy wheels in 15-inch (MINI Cooper and Cooper D) or 16-inch format (Cooper S and Cooper SD) with other sizes available as an option up to 18-inch.

As with the latest F56 Hatch, its big bro shares MINI Driving Modes which are changeable via a rotary switch at the base of the gear lever; standard setting is MID mode, then SPORT and GREEN modes.

Standard safety fittings include front and side airbags, side curtain airbags, three-point automatic belts on all seats, at front with belt tensioners and belt force limiters, twin ISOFIX children’s seat attachments at rear and optionally also on the front passenger seat, tyre pressure control and a partially-active bonnet for optimised pedestrian protection.

Inside, there is a wide range of innovative driver assistance systems such as the heads up display, parking assistant, rear view camera and driving assistant including camera-based active cruise control, collision and pedestrian warning with initial brake function, high beam assistant and road sign detection.

Of course also available is the MINI Connected in-car infotainment programme along with Emergency Call and MINI Teleservices for use with a permanently installed SIM card. There are also exclusive MINI functions such as Mission Control, Dynamic Music, Driving Excitement and MINIMALISM Analyser, MINI Connected XL Journey Mate with Real Time Traffic Information and online connection also allows the use of social networks too.

MINI has introduced an extensive range of standard features and high-end options to enhance comfort, safety, premium characteristics and individual style like LED headlamps (including LED daytime driving lights), heated windscreen, Park Distance Control, electrically operated glass roof, roof rails, electrically heated and folding exterior mirrors, automatic anti-dazzle interior and exterior mirrors, automatic air-conditioning and Harman Kardon hi-fi speaker upgrade.

Solar farm helps drive MINI Plant

MORE THAN 11,500  solar panels are helping to harness renewable energy to power Oxford’s MINI Plant.At more than 20,000m2, the plant’s new bodyshop now boasts one of the largest, roof-mounted solar farms to be installed in the UK.The photovoltaic system is fully-commissioned with a generating capacity of over three mega watts and covers an area equivalent to five football pitches. The installation will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 850 households.

The plant’s bodyshop, which contains 1,000 robots, was opened at the end of last year to build the new MINI F56 Hatch. The building already has an impressive list of environmental credentials including 3,869 individually programmable LED lights, a special energy-saving ‘rest mode’ for the robots, a water harvesting system to supply the toilets and so-called heat wheels in the building’s roof control the recirculation and admission of fresh air to reduce the amount of heating and cooling required.

Don’t pay twice for servicing...

IT’S WELL DOCUMENTED that MINI owners have great taste, but recent findings suggest that they must also have deep wallets! New research shows that drivers of the British brand still seem hell-bent on wasting their cash by not using the full value of the TLC servicing packs attached to their cars.

MINI TLC, which costs from £299 and covers all servicing costs for five years or 50,000 miles, is designed to offer buyers complete peace of mind. It’s a hugely popular proposition, with over 97 per cent of buyers selecting the pack when buying their new car.

However, MINI has discovered that one in four owners who have value left on their packs are choosing to service their vehicles outside of the MINI dealer network, effectively paying twice to keep their pride and joy in tip-top shape.