New Mini range with sub-100g CO₂/km model

“The pace at which MINI is bringing new technology to the market is breathtaking” said Jochen Goller, Director of MINI UK.  “The current generation of MINI Hatch, Clubman and Convertible are all quite recent cars and were state of the art when they were launched.  With the refreshment of MINI design and the extraordinarily economical new diesel engines MINI has moved the game forward even further.”

“With the introduction in August of the Model refresh and MINI’s strong MINIMALISM strategy it now positions the MINI Brand having 26 core models (including Countryman), 23 of which are underneath 160 g/km CO₂, 14 under 130 g/km and 8 under the 120 g/km threshold, in addition to the MINI Hatch One D and Cooper D now having 99 g/km and being congestion charge exempt. We are extremely confident that MINI can continue to hold its market leading position in an ever increasing competitive sector”, said Lee Connolly Product and Planning Manager, MINI UK.

New diesel engines bring MINI record low fuel consumption and 99 grams of CO₂

Following the March introduction of new, more efficient petrol engines for the MINI range, two all new diesel engines make their debut in the revised and refreshed range.  The 1.6 litre, four cylinder engines are based on the accumulated development prowess of diesel power units by the BMW Group.  Accordingly they share the efficient bore/stroke ratio of BMW’s two litre units, all aluminium construction for light weight, common rail direct injection and a turbocharger with variable turbine geometry.  The result is a state of the art diesel engine that marries strong power delivery, high torque from low down the rev range that delivers pulling power whenever it is called for, supreme economy and low emissions and engine acoustics that set new standards in the premium compact car segment.

The results are nothing short of amazing.  Both the MINI One D and MINI Cooper D achieve the same low fuel consumption of 74.3 mpg and CO₂ emissions of 99 g/km.  These values are an absolute record for any series production car produced by the BMW Group.  However, such is the efficiency of both engines that the driving qualities deliver MINI brio in spades.  The Cooper D Hatch accelerates from zero to 62 mph in 9.7 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 123mph.  The huge torque of 270 Nm is available from 1,750 rpm ensuring that it is always ready to harness the engine’s power.  The less powerful MINI One D Hatch (90hp as compared to the Cooper D’s 112) has a torque value of 215Nm available from the same low engine rev range but still reaches 62mph in 11.4 seconds and hits a top speed of 115 mph.

The new diesel-powered MINIs are MINIMALISM personified.  In addition to the high efficiency of the new diesel engine, they employ fuel-saving and emission-lowering technology including Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop, Gearshift Indicator, Electromechanical Power Steering and demand-controlled auxiliary units such as the alternator.  All of these technologies and the standard six-speed manual gearbox play a role as it ekes the most out of every drop of fuel while also minimising the tailpipe emissions.

In the same vein a diesel particulate filter and an oxidation catalyst is standard fitment on all the new MINI diesel models. They share the same housing and operate maintenance-free for life.  As with all MINI models they all comply with the EU5 emission standard.

New models:  MINI Convertible with diesel power for the first time

For the first time in MINI history a diesel engine will appear under the bonnet of an open MINI when the MINI Cooper D Convertible joins the range in August.  Using the same 112hp engine as the Hatch, the Convertible accelerates to 62mph in just 10.3 seconds and can reach a top speed of 121mph.  Despite this performance potential, the MINI Cooper D Convertible sips diesel fuel at a parsimonious 70 mpg and emits just 105g/km of CO², the lowest emitting and most economical ‘full’ convertible vehicle on the UK market today.

Like the Convertible models, the fresh visual cues apply to the Clubman models as well.  Similar record efficiency values apply to the diesel-engined Clubman range that includes the all new MINI One D Clubman for the first time.  Both display comparable performance to the Hatch as well as similar miserly fuel consumption and low emissions.  The Clubman is also equipped with a new retractable cargo cover in the luggage compartment.

Full performance data is contained below:

Prices will be announced in a few days.