Performance Mini Magazine No.64 Low Rider Vorige editie

I’ve recently got back from road testing the latest Gen 3 Hatch and first
impressions are good. Apart from the obvious design cues that have been followed over from the R56, under the skin it is a completely new and thoroughly up-to-date car. The techy geeks among you will absolutely love the new rendition, which is packing more toys than Hamleys to keep you totally connected with the real world. BMW
has, without a doubt, gone back to the drawing board with this new model and enhanced it to create what truly is the MINI of the future.
Of course it will sell; the Hatch is MINI’s most popular model – 22,682 were registered in the UK last year – but there will always be the die-hard Gen 1 and Gen 2 owners who prefer their model of MINI for a whole host of reasons and there’s nothing wrong with that. Would I personally consider buying a Gen 3 MINI Hatch? Judging by pictures of the JCW
Concept, I’d hold out for this super-tuned model. From face value, it looks as striking as any GP special edition. You can read our full report on the twin turbo Gen 3 1.5-litre Cooper D and 2.0-litre Cooper S from p27. As well as the publicity surrounding the all-new Hatch, we were given a teaser of what the new Clubman will look like, just before its
world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. It is still somewhat of a niche model in the current seven-car lineup, slotting into fourth place overall of UK total registrations in 2013, just marginally in front of the Paceman. With MINIs getting bigger by the minute and catering for almost every type of lifestyle change, I wonder where the Clubman now fits into this. The latest F56 Hatch has grown in length and offers more legroom, headroom and boot space, while the 2015 five-door F55 version will offer even more, since it will share the same platform as the new Clubman. Then of course you can’t rule out the spacious and popular Countryman, which is a hit with growing families.