MINI Range gets a Refresh for 2021
The most British a car can get, the MINI has been a staple of the UK since 1959! The MINI is, and has always been adored by a lot of people thanks to its sporty feel, always stylish design inside and out, plus, competitively strong engines! Along with endless personalisation options, no wonder this car holds its place so well to this day! We could argue whether the MINI is really a mini car at all, as its seemingly getting bigger every year… But that doesn’t affect how this car performs, and the boys at MINI have been working on updates for the 2021 models and they look as stylish and MINI-like as you can imagine!
Morris MINI Minor and the new 2021 MINI Cooper S
All four MINI models; MINI 3-Door Hatch, MINI 5-Door Hatch, MINI Electric and MINI Convertible have received the treatment, with new exterior design cues, three new paint finishes and a five new light-alloy wheels! MINI claim that the new design is focussed on being modern, with even more attention focussed on the car’s central design features.
“The new MINI design is more modern – it’s fresher, clearer,” says Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design. “All innovations follow a common mission: Purify MINI! Less complexity, more individuality”.
Adding to the already very impressive choice of colours, the design boffins at MINI have brought in ‘Rooftop Grey’ (whatever that is?) on all models, and ‘Island Blue’ now available on all models. The MINI Convertible though, gets the new ‘Zesty Yellow’ exclusively to itself!
A unique roof-paint finish is offered on the MINI 3-Door Hatch, MINI Electric and the MINI 5-Door Hatch. The new Multitone Roof features a colour gradient from San Marino Blue through Pearly Acqua to Jet Black, created with a new painting technique. They have really put the effort in to make the MINI as standout as possible, and that is what a MINI is meant to be!
The interior gets a dose of upgrades as well, as you now get a leather sports steering wheel and digital cockpit as standard across the range! Plus, the new 8.8-in colour touchscreen controls the infotainment system, while the chrome you saw in previous models has been replaced with piano black finishing around the air vents, door handles and screen.
Now, this is my favourite bit, mood lighting has been added as standard to all models, with a choice of two colour schemes: ‘Lounge’ and ‘Sport’. Each mode has six colours from turquoise to petrol blue in ‘Lounge’ and in ‘Sport’, the screens turn red and anthracite.
The recent addition of the MINI Electric has brought a green alternative to those wishing to make the switch to E-power sooner rather than later. It has been a big success for MINI and has, as MINI always do, regenerated interest in the brand! The MINI E has a range of 145 miles (WLTP) and will climb from 0-62 in 7.3 seconds, not bad at all if this is just your town run-around!
If you would prefer a combustion powered MINI, there are plenty of options for those too, no judgement here! In the standard models you can get a very good 1.5-litre petrol, the larger 2.0-litre petrol is reserved for the John Cooper Works models. You have the option of manual or automatic on all models apart from the MINI Electric, which comes only in Auto.
All new models receive MINI’s new version of Adaptive Suspension, available for the first time on MINI, redefines the brand’s hallmark go-kart feeling. It achieves a noticeably optimised balance between sportiness and ride comfort through the use of continuous frequency-selective damping. MINI is world famous as a rally car and has always been described as a go-kart! But this new suspension system almost makes it one! You won’t find yourself loosing grip easily.
The MINI range is considered to be the more premium end of the market for hatchbacks like the Audi A1, but in recent years the re-sale price hasn’t quite been up to the same level as its competitors. Our advice if you are thinking of buying a MINI is to know what you want from it, as there are endless options on these cars! MINI are constantly working, like so many other brands, to be more modern and economical. There is a really good blend of those in this new update, and I am sure they will do well when they hit the showrooms in the UK very soon!
Looking for a used MINI? Why not check what we have on offer here?
