2014 Mini Cooper

  2014 Mini Cooper

2014 Mini Cooper

Mini’s iconic 2-door hatchback is being redesigned on a new platform to be shared with the first front-drive cars from parent BMW. Other Minis will be updated in due course. All will be somewhat larger--but a “mini Mini” is in the works too.

What We Know About the 2014 Mini Cooper

You may need a scorecard to keep track of the changes planned for the Mini lineup in coming years. The British icon revived by BMW over a decade ago will start its third design generation in late 2013 with a larger 2-door hatchback on a new platform. This so-called F-Series architecture will eventually host all Mini models, as well as the first front-wheel-drive BMWs, a group of new 1-Series “Compacts” that are due to arrive in 2013. The F-platform replaces the R-Series design developed for Mini’s rebirth in 2001 (U.S. model-year 2002) and which was heavily updated in ’06 (U.S. MY ’07). It is essentially the same as the “UKL1” structure developed for the new baby Bimmers. “UKL” stands for ünterklasse, “entry-level” in German.


As elsewhere in the auto industry, the Mini/BMW platform-sharing is advantageous in that it spreads development cost across two products instead of one, thus realizing greater economies of scale and higher profits. Even so, Motor Trend’s Paul Horrell quotes BMW Group design chief Adrian Van Hooydonk as saying that each line will have its own distinct look and driving characteristics. “You won’t see common switches in the interiors,” he says. “The Mini will still be Mini.” Horrell notes that the UKL1 platform allows for different-height cowls (the bulkhead fronting the windshield), which will certainly help designers give each model group its own visual identity.

The new-era Minis will roll out in stages, and rather deliberately, so the full line won’t be changed over until late decade. According to Britain’s CAR magazine, here’s the calendar-year timetable for what follows the 2-door hatch, as things stand now:

• 2014: A first-time 5-door hatchback;
• 2015: A redesigned convertible and, if continued, Clubman wagon;
• 2016: A “mini Mini” hatchback inspired by the 2011 Rocketman Concept and close in size to the original 1959-2000 Mini; (Update: In January 2012, CAR reported the production version of Rocketman was cancelled by Mini because its small size would have required a different platform.)
• 2016 or ’17: a new 5-door “Multi Activity Tourer” or MAT, called “MiniVan” by company insiders; it may resurrect the Traveller name from the 1960s;
• 2017: F-Series/UKL1 replacements for the 4-door Countryman demi-SUV, 2-seat Coupe and Roadster, and 2-door “Countryman Coupe.”

(In most cases, U.S. model-year debuts will come in the following calendar year. Some sources feel another Clubman is in doubt because current-model sales have been below BMW’s expectations.)

That’s close to 10 basic models, each of which will be offered with a choice of engines and many options, just like today. “But hold on,” you say. “Coupe? Roadster? Countryman coupe? Have they even been introduced yet?” No, but they will be by the time the new-era hatchback is ready. These will be the final R-models and thus the last to migrate to the F-platform. Which means that until the changeover is complete, Mini will be selling “new old” and “new new” models at the same time. Confusing? Yes, but most buyers probably won’t care. After all, Mini appeals in large measure as a “fashion” car, and fashion demands constant change, even if the change is only skin-deep. Besides, the R-platform still has a lot of life in it yet.

That’s the big picture being painted by several of our sources. This report focuses on the redesigned 2-door hatchback and convertible, but see the Notable Feature section for details on the interim-introduction Coupe, Roadster, and “Countryman Coupe,” the last previewed by the recent Paceman Concept (and almost sure to be renamed).