2014 Mini Cooper launched at Rs 31.85 lakh
It had been announced earlier that BMW’s Mini would launch the 2014 Cooper, in both 3-door and 5-door avatars, and today, the German-owned British marque has launched the car starting at Rs 31.85 lakh, while the 5-door will start at Rs 35.2 lakh (ex-showroom, pan India)
The third-generation Mini (fourth if you include the 1959 original) is completely new though it retains strong visual links to the first Mini-by-BMW. The large round headlamps, upright tail lamps, floating roof, blacked-out pillars and thrusting bulldog-ish grille are a nice throwback to the original. The new Mini has grown a bit around the waist and put on some weight, overall length grows by 98mm to 3821mm, width by 44mm, wheelbase by 28mm, and kerb weight of the basic model is up by 31kg. And the most distinguishing feature are the LED lamps which get distinctive elliptical rings for day-time running lights.
The interiors are a serious improvement over the older model with the the speedo moving back to behind the steering wheel, the power window switches moving back to the doors, and the menus which are neatly integrated within a BMW-like iDrive controller. The starter button is a big red toggle switch on the centre console and the large central pod remains, now housing a big 8.8-inch colour screen for navigation and menu function, surrounded by an LED ring. For a mere Rs 1.25 lakh, you can get the Harman Kardon Hi-Fi system while there is an optional sports exhaust to enhance the sound.
While three engine options are available abroad, in India, the 3-door and 5-door versions will share the 1.5-litre 3-cylinder diesel engine that produces 114bhp at 4000rpm and 270Nm of peak torque at 1750rpm. With a claimed efficiency of 25.6kmpl, the hatch will still be able to reach the ton in under 10 seconds and hit a top speed of 203kmph.
While the 3-door version will face-off against the to-be-launched Fiat Abarth 595 Competizione, the five-door version will offer a little more practicality and compete with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, BMW 1 Series, and Audi’s A3 sedan.
To read our Editor’s take on the 2014 Mini Cooper S, click here.
