Mini 3-Door Hatch

The legacy of the Mini endures.  It continually is voted as being one of the most favourite cars of all time, while also often being voted as Britain’s favourite car ever produced.  There are almost 469 Mini clubs in the UK alone, and over 250 world-wide.  When the Mini first came out it had some ground-breaking features  which included: the Mini car’s unique front-wheel-drive layout (the engine was positioned sideways), four people could fit reasonably comfortably in the small cabin space, and the car’s low centre of gravity and short wheelbase meant that it could outrun bigger cars through the corners.  (It wasn’t uncommon to see the Mini Cooper race cars passing the bigger Jaguar race cars through the tight corners.)  A new Mini was also quite cheap to purchase new.  With this sort of history, what’s today’s Mini 3-Door Hatch like?  Can the modern Mini 3-Door Hatch offer the same level of popularity?

A new Mini has a wider rivalry base than it used to have, as it seems many manufacturers now offer a small car alternative.  But the 2016 Mini 3-Door Hatch is a goodie, and, in case you didn’t know, Mini cars have been designed and built by BMW since 2000.  Now sixteen years on from BMW’s take over, the new Mini is a very well designed car, very solid, eye-catching and fun to drive.  If you’re nuts about driving a safe, yet small, stylish car that’s fun to drive and economical, the Mini 3-Door Hatch might just be the car for you.  While it’s not a big car, it seems that BMW has gently been stretching the car’s dimensions with each new model (they have essentially had three model upgrades since 2000).  There are many people who love the cute Mini looks, and it’s great to know that the BMW Mini is fast becoming an icon in its own right – having  just recently picked up the “Best Premium Small Car of the Year” by ‘Autocar UK’.

Back in the day, you could purchase a new Mini for quite reasonable prices.  One thing about today’s Mini cars is that they fetch a much higher price, and if you want your Mini 3-Door Hatch kitted out with all sorts of amazing technical options and features they can be quite expensive.  That said, a standard Mini can still be quite an affordable small car.  It does come down to your own desires and needs.  You most certainly can kit out your new Mini with all the very latest gadgets and look to highly personalize it with an eye wateringly expensive bill at the end of it!  But, I guess that could be said about any car you really want to buy and individualize while you’re at it.  There is no doubt about the Mini 3-Door Hatch looking great.  There is something about those chunky, low-profile lines that look racy and fun.  You can be forgiven for falling in love with the car’s very fine looks.

BMW has done very well at keeping the third generation Mini 3-Door Hatch interesting, frugal and fun to drive.  You have the option of buying your Mini 3-Door in various trims.   Out on the road, the Mini 3-Door Hatch is loads of fun to drive.  Refinement has gotten even better, and the latest generation Mini 3-Door is bigger and quieter than before, thanks to the increase in dimensions, tighter build quality, stronger materials and excellent muting materials.  Opt for the all-new turbocharged engine and the Mini will really light your eyes up and put a smile on your face.

Competing against cars like the VW Beetle, new Fiat 500, Citroen DS3 and Audi A1, the new Mini 3-Door Hatch does a great job.  It actually uses the same platform as the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer and X1 cars.  If you don’t need the eye-watering high-performance turbo-charged engine, then there are numerous engines available to choose from.  A nice range of BMW-developed three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines move the Mini 3-Door and 5-Door Hatchbacks with ease and remain remarkably frugal. All the engines are very smooth, and, for a diesel, the Cooper D is a real gem being frugal, punchy and very quiet – especially for a three-cylinder diesel engine. The Cooper S and SD models use a larger four-cylinder diesel engine.

BMW has equipped the new Mini 3-Door and 5-Door  Hatch with up to four petrol engine varieties and three diesel engines options for the new car buyer.  The engines range between 70 kW for the One D and 160 kW at the top end found in the JCW model.  The Mini 3-Door Hatch comes with a choice of new six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes.  If you ever get the chance to drive a Mini, you really get served up a special go-kart-like experience.  The 2016 Mini is one of the most fun cars to drive with its safe, predictable handling, lack of body roll and loads of driving dynamics felt by the driver through the seat and steering wheel.  It’s a great feeling.

Mini 3-Door Hatch Interior

Slip inside the fun Mini 3-Door Hatch interior and the quality of the materials and trim are excellent.  The round dials are shapely and fun and you get a raft of technology as standard.  The driver’s seat is has plenty of adjustment, matching the adjustable steering to get you into the perfect driving position.  Front seat room is excellent for such a small car, while the rear seat room is tight – as you would expect.  You can actually seat three across the back seat, though it’s a squeeze.  Two adults in the rear looks and feels much better.  Boot space, while small, can still swallow a handy shopping trip worth (278-litres).

A bit of new interior design has resulted in the window buttons being located on the doors.  Dominating the dash is a large, circular display for the infotainment and optional sat-nav.  In typical Mini fashion, the circular display has an illuminated outer ring.  The familiar line-up of toggle switches is still located on the centre console.  New for the 2016 Mini is the iDrive controller that is located between the front seats – replacing the old car’s joystick lever.

You’re always in for a fun trip whether you care to drive or occupy a passenger seat.  The new Mini 3-Door Hatch has popular looks, plenty of performance and style, and that awesome road holding ability.

The 2016 Mini 3-Door Hatch models, at the time of writing, include the:

• Mini Cooper 3-Door Hatch (100 kW)
• Mini Cooper 3-Door Hatch (85 kW)
• Mini Cooper S 3-Door Hatch (141 kW)
• Mini John Cooper Works 3-Door Hatch (170 kW)

For any more information on the Mini 3-Door Hatch or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Mini dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!