The article was originally produced on May 6, 2014, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

New "new" Mini Cooper S

Bigger, more technology and better performance. The new "new" Mini Cooper S is here and is living proof of how the brand manages to surpass itself in terms of development!

Since BMW, in 1994, took over the iconic British Mini, a lot has happened. The brand was born in 1959 and then under the name BMC (British Motor Corporation). Before the name Mini became permanent in 1969, the model was manufactured under several names such as e.g. Morris, Austin, Wolseley and Riley. Manufacturing also took place in various parts of the world, Spain, Australia, South Africa, Venezuela and Chile to name a few in addition to the UK. In the early eighties, a Mini model called Metro was produced, but it was not a success and is considered by many not to be a pure Mini. It was only when the "new" Mini (now under BMW auspices) was presented in 2001 under the name New Mini that the success story could continue. The shapes, which were directly inspired by the original, made many fall for its cute attitude. The new Mini's trendy status is as obvious as the brand's cult stamp these days.

Now the "new" Minin has done its job and after about 13 years in the limelight, it is high time to replace this trendsetter. Succeeding in this has undeniably not been an easy nut to crack. To improve the new and third generation Mini, a lot of new safety thinking has been mixed into the car. For example, there is now a pedestrian-adapted system that brakes the car in the event of a collision. The front is also now lower and should spare pedestrians when the accident does occur. The latter has meant a more sporty look at the front, something the brand has benefited from in its positioning in terms of attitude with the car. The new Mini Cooper S is much sportier than its predecessor! In a somewhat joking way, parallels have been drawn with the car having a go-cart in its genes, something that can also be found in the car's system image when you change the character of the chassis settings. 

What has also been significantly improved is the interior design. Now the car feels extremely well built compared to its predecessor. The test car has an interior from the John Cooper Works version with black leather and red stitching, both tasteful and sporty. In the middle is still a large and round instrument panel that has a navigation and infotainment system, which has LED lighting around it that can change color just like many other illuminated panels in the car's interior. The speedometer and tachometer have now moved and sit behind the steering wheel in a more traditional way. Under the large round board in the middle we find a number of rocker switches, including the start button, something that brings to mind historic racing cars. Behind the gear lever is the control for controlling the infotainment system and it consists of a round puck similar to the one you can find in BMW cars. Which of course is not so strange since that is where the system comes from. Nowadays, you can connect to Facebook, listen to Web radio or surf via the system. A fun detail is the ECO driving system where you can collect points depending on how you drive. 

Just like the brand plays on, the Mini has a very go-cart-like demeanor on the road. Four wheels in each corner and a low center of gravity are the recipe for very good driving characteristics. The lively engine of 192 horses does a really good job. The 0-100 sprint takes place in 6.7 seconds if you choose it with a six-speed automatic transmission. The top speed is at 233 km/h. However, it is not at these speeds that the car is experienced at its best, the more winding the roads, the more fun it will be! It is clearly felt how the improvements have made the car more reliable when the curves become tighter. With a car this small with so much power, there is no need for four-wheel drive, the mouthpieces are already pointing straight up.

To make the car personal, there is a plethora of colors and accessories available, almost so much that only the imagination sets limits. Imagination also seems to be the thing that succeeds in getting the brand to crack the nut with renewing an already existing icon. Because New "new" Mini Copper S actually has exactly the imagination that will make the car roll on and feel new this time too.