Our Fleet Test Drive: Mini 5-door hatchback - 2nd report

Date: 17 March 2015   |   Author:

Equipment: Six-airbags, cruise control, Mini Connected, air-con, DAB, USB, aux, Bluetooth, 8.8 inch display, front and rear Isofix, tyre repair kit or spacesaver, heated mirrors Options: Media XL pack £1175, Chili pack £2250, 17-inch alloys £450, Bonnet stripes £80, Chrome Line interior £110, Heated seats, £215, Rear parking sensors £260, LED headlights with cornering £695 Why we're running it: To find out if the Mini is the best five-door premium supermini available for corporate drivers

As soon as I presented BusinessCar's shiny new long-termer at home, I was met with moans and groans about how the interior had changed for the worse.

In place of the previous-generation 'clock' style dial is a fancy new circular screen (2), which can be split to display two images. You can have radio station information on one side and navigation and maps on the other.

There's also Mini's version of the BMW i-control, which is used to navigate the menus with a radial dial.
By moving with the times and including up-to-date technology like this, does Mini chip away at what it's about as a brand?

There are certain design updates that really don't work, such as the LED trimming around the edge of the central dial, and luckily, you can turn off the illuminations; however, overall I'd have to disagree with my partner.

Even the graphics on the display still have that Mini twist to them, and the interior still feels unique without being a throwback, so I think Mini has successfully managed to move the design forward without completely losing its identity in the process

Verdict
	Dual-screen graphics are handy		LED lights on the central display look naff

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