MINI COOPER

MINI COOPER is finally coming to India. The British premium small car manufacturer made the announcement at the Frankfurt motor show. Ian Robertson, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing said, “We will come to India with the hatchback, convertible and Countryman range of vehicles at a very competitive price tag.” BMW is one of the most luxurious car makers in the country and has been offering a variety of cars to the Indian consumers since a long time. Now BMW is all set and geared up to launch its small car range that has been produced by its owned subsidiary Mini. The fresh range of Mini cars comprise of Cooper, Countryman, Hatch, Convertible and Clubman models.

Engine: 1.6 liter diesel and petrol engines, Kerb Weight will be 1165 kg, Dimensions: Length of 3723 mm, Width of 1913 mm and Height of 1407 mm. The petrol variant will have power/torque 122bhp/16.3kgm whereas the diesel variant will have 112bhp/25.5kgm., The vehicle is expected to be priced at Rs.12 lakh. , The expected launch in India would be around mid 2012.

The manufacturers view India as one big, unexplored market and are even going to the extent of undertaking feasibility studies to explore the possibility of assembling this vehicle locally at their Chennai factory. This exercise, of course, is aimed at increasing the affordability of this vehicle compared to the fully imported Beetle by Volkswagen.

MINI has ensured that their package isn’t just skin deep and that the up market package is suitably complimented by an equally entertaining engine. The Cooper S comes fitted with a turbocharged 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine which produces a rather generous 184 bhp @ 5,500rpm and solid 240Nm of torque surging from 1,600rpm right up to 5,000rpm. The low torque peak translates to power being delivered to the wheels at the simple caress of the accelerator pedal. Apart from that, the gearbox ensures you get the most out of your drive experience and as you belt down a straight, you find yourself redlining before switching gears each time. The bottom line is that the MINI Cooper S is an absolute blast to drive.

The shades available for the interior include Gravity leather, Punch Leather and Lounge leather. It is available in three trim levels; Base Cooper, Sportier Cooper S and John Cooper Works. The safety features of the Mini Cooper are designed to keep the driving experience very safe and secure yet exhilarating. ABS, air bags, ventilated front disc and rear disc brakes, auto-delay off head lams and traction control offer stability and control. The emergency interior seatback release, seat belt pretensioners , height adjustable seat headrests, stability control, dynamic traction control and post collision safety system all are the major highlights of the safety system of the Mini Cooper.

Mini Cooper Hatchback has been developed under complete surveillance of its highly qualified engineers. The design of this hatchback is cool and trendy. The bulged appearance from all angles renders a cute look to it. The radiator grille outline, air dam outline, headlights along with the tailgate handle bar is finished in chrome. The roof and ORVMs are touched-up with perfect contrast color

Entire India is waiting for the launch of Mini Cooper hatchback, reason being that this car possesses the most impressive specifications that a hatchback car has in the country. Mini Cooper is likely to come with high safety sensors, which perceive the crash or accident situation beforehand and then instigates all the safety systems present in the car.If the exterior design got you staring, the interiors ram home the retro theme. The large speedometer is definitely retro and so are the numerous push button controls and a number of items that need explaining out of the owner’s manual.