Apart from just-announced seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, a mid-life revision is being applied to some models.
Erm, where has it changed on the outside?
In the brand’s typical fashion, you need to have eyes of an eagle to spot any design changes made to a Mini. This has been made even harder when it comes to a mid-life update like this.
Announced for the three- and five-door Hatch, as well as the Convertible, the design changes revolve mainly around the details.
They include the LED head lights, tail lamps with a Union Jack graphic and new logos and colour combinations.
Making things better for those who need to be different is the availability of the brand’s new personalisation scheme called Mini Yours Customised (such as panels for the dashboard, as pictured below).
The interior has also been revised with new steering wheel and a restyled gear lever for the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
And why has the gearbox changed?
According to Mini, the twin-clutch unit allows for quicker and more satisfying gearshifts suiting the brand’s character better than the regular torque-converter type.
However, only selected models get the twin-clutch auto initially including the petrol-powered models; the Cooper SD diesel, for another, use the eight-speed torque-converter auto.
An interesting thing to note is how parent firm BMW’s M division is moving away from twin-clutch autos (like in the new M5 which has gone torque-converter now). Some sources say regular slushers cope with high-torque engines better.
What about the engines?
The only model so far to see some technical changes include the entry-level One which now displaces a larger 1.5-litre three-pot motor. But the One has rarely appealed in Thailand because an imported Mini would already cost two million baht.
The Cooper and Cooper S, the core-selling models in this country, remain unchanged and is expected to continue lurking in Thai showrooms when sales start in a few months.
