What's the news?
We've already seen the stretched MINI 5 door, with its whopping extra 72mm of space inserted between the wheels and its gargantuan 278-litre boot. OK, so maybe it's not that big but it's bigger than the regular three-door hatch.
Now though, it's getting a smaller engine and a new basic trim - the MINI One First, which has a new 1.2-litre three-cylinder unit that has some impressive tech credentials. It's turbocharged, as are all the current MINI engines, and has 75hp. That's not bad for a 1.2 but more impressive is the 150Nm of torque thanks to variable valve timing and direct fuel injection. MINI claims that it will get from 0-100km/h in 13.4 seconds, which is hardly savage, but comparable to a One D.
Fuel consumption is quoted as 5.2 litres per 100km (around 55mpg), but the CO2 emissions could be problematic - at 121g/km they push the One First into Band B1, costing an extra €70 a year to tax. Not a massive amount, but it could be enough to put off some buyers.
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