News > Motoring Forward: A Closer Look at the Next-Generation MINI Cooper

The R56 is still a couple of years away – and cloaked in secrecy – but recent spy information is giving us a pretty clear picture of what the next generation MINI Cooper is going to look like inside, outside and under the hood.

Before we continue, we must take a moment to feel for poor old Bavarian Motor Works. They acquire the car that, for a complex mixture of reasons, has been one of the world’s most popular designs and now, a scant four or five years later, they are changing it. There will always be those people who will hate them for it – not matter how minor the change – and there will always be those who don’t think they’ve enhanced it enough. Be that as it may, read on and arrive at your own conclusion.

The Powertrain

Certainly, BMW will be supplying the engine. It’s a four-banger they worked with Citroen/Peugeot on (for logistic support) and it will pump out 115 bhp. A new turbocharged (yes!) engine for the MINI Cooper S is slated for 170bhp and features a twin-scroll exhaust turbocharger that will virtually eliminate turbo lag.

What’s particularly nice about both of these engines is the level of maintenance they require. Oil changes will be approximately 20,000 miles, depending upon your driving style. The spark plugs and air filter only need changing about every 40,000 miles. The timing chain driving the camshafts is not only very precise and reliable, but is also completely maintenance-free for the life of the engine. And something called “automatic hydraulic valve play compensation” is supposed to eliminate the need for service or maintenance on the valve drive.

Both engines will feature the 6-speeder, and there is a strong possibility that the near future of the next generation MINI Cooper will feature the Getrag all-wheel-drive version that the powertrain company created and demonstrated on a current MINI version for the automotive media.

The Exterior

Don’t panic, but the MINI will sport an updated face, a necessary modification due to the new 2005 EU pedestrian crash regulations and the new engines that will be fitted behind it.

The front will become slightly more upright and the lights will be moved a bit to the outside and, as a cost-cutting measure, will include the running lights and fog lights within the headlamp assembly. The bumper will be more rounded and noticeably larger. The wipers will move down and the black air vents will become a single vent that stretches across the width of the vehicle. The hood itself will keep the clamshell design, but the lights will no longer be integrated into the hood but rather mounted underneath. The side vents and side marker lights will stay where they are currently but will grow substantially in size.

In the back, the lights will be wider, shorter and feature a large round starburst red light with a yellow turn indicator inside it. The third brake light will move from the roof to just inside the top of the rear window to provide more room for the new rear spoiler, which is longer and taller.

The Interior

While nothing appears definite yet, it is rumored that the interior is being thoroughly re-thought, maintaining the same basic design (the tachometer isn’t moving or shrinking!) but using better, less plastic-y materials and improved ergonomics. The center stack, for instance, will be narrower and more tapered to provide more legroom, the toggle switches will grow in size to accommodate big American fingers, and the cupholders will also change so they can handle more than the standard-sized cola can.

It is also likely that we will begin to see some BMW design begin to creep in, such as the ignition system that uses a pushbutton system and a key fob rather than the traditional key, an iDrive (with the optional navigation system), more intuitive seat controls and a better Bluetooth wireless communication system installed at the factory.

In back, legroom is reported to be much improved and behind the seats we should look forward to better storage, with a shallow area under the floor (as in the current 3-Series Beemer wagon) and an umbrella holder integrated into the gate.

The Verdict

While the jury is still out on these changes, two things are important to remember. First, all of these modifications are still being tinkered with and nothing, as they say, is written in stone. Second, when the new MINI design first came out, there was plenty of uproar from the traditionally minded faithful, yet the car went on to win the hearts and minds of the world undeterred.

All – or at least, most – of these changes seem good to us, but even if you don’t like them there is still an up-side. You can hang on to your existing MINI and expect that its pre-mod style and features will bring an enthusiast’s price down the road.