Power for the Cooper models — which should start around $25,000 — will come from a 16-valve, 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine that will deliver 115 horsepower and take a Cooper from 0 to 100 kmh in a little more than nine seconds.
That's with the base five-speed manual shifter. Times with the automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT) and the CVT with the Steptronic feature that turns it into a manu-matic transmission are yet to be determined. North American BMW types are quick to point out that the CVT will be reconfigured to improve launches, so a performance-seeking consumer should ignore any negative comments in European media reports.
Cooper S will of course deliver quicker launch times and handle better in all situations and could have a sub-$30,000 sticker. At least Rob van Shaik, who is running the Mini operation for BMW Canada, hopes it will.
Van Shaik does his best to point the Mini in two distinct marketing directions at the same time. "The Mini is the new release of the original that looks to the future," he says. "On the one hand, it presents in many respects the best technology that is possible today in this category. On the other hand, many of its emotional aspects embody the characteristics — even the genes — of the original car.
BMW's press material grandly states that the new model is a "fully viable four-seater expressing a modern, urban lifestyle which goes beyond fashion and passing tastes in meeting the expectations of customers in the new millennium. It encapsulates a love of life, provides a link between classes, nations and generations and is the exact opposite of a status symbol."