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.