Beirut – The all-new MINI Hatch is set to make the small car segment bigger and better with a host of innovative new features and an all-new design. Launched by Bassoul Heneine Sal, the BMW Group importer in Lebanon, the new MINI carries forward the tradition of the classic Mini that goes back 55 years.
Taking road presence to a whole new level, the all-new MINI Hatch retains many of the historic design cues that are trademark features of the iconic brand, but if you take a look closer, you’ll find almost an entirely new car.
The premium small car with a big personality boasts a new design, new generation engines, improved driving comfort and a vast range of new quality materials and colours, and driver assistance systems such as head up display, parking assistant, rear view camera, collision and pedestrian warning and high beam assist.
The exterior design has been refined to include newly designed round LED headlights, hexagonal front grille and upright rear lights with wide chrome surround. The selection of exterior colours has been extended to include five new colours. The roof and exterior mirror caps can be finished in a contrasting white or black as an option at no extra cost. Roof rails in black matt are available as an option for the time.
On the inside, the new model is still very much MINI, but offers many new changes including improved materials offering a combination of leather finish or fabric & leather combined as an alternative to the standard fabric version. One of the most important new features is the instrument panel that has been completely redesigned, with the speedometer now positioned behind the steering wheel.
There is a new centre console with LED rings running around the edge that offers a totally new way of communicating with the environment and the driver.
Key insertion as previously required is no longer necessary in the cockpit of the new MINI. As soon as the key is inside the car, the engine of the new MINI can be started by pressing the new toggle-type start/stop button located in the middle of the centre console, which lights up red.
Nagy Heneine, General Manager of Bassoul Heneine Sal said: “As a brand, MINI has been winning the hearts of customers in Lebanon for over 12 years. The launch of the all-new MINI Hatch is certain to be the start of a new MINI chapter in Lebanon. With increased space, redesigned interior as well as a host of technological innovations and customizable options; I am confident that this new vehicle will be a success in our market.”
More interesting still is the optional head-up display, which projects information including your speed and a navigation map onto a small transparent panel on at the base of the windscreen, right into the driver’s field of view.
Just when you thought MINI couldn’t possibly make the all-new model’s go-kart handling drive experience any more exciting, they did exactly that. The new MINI Hatch is available with a new generation of engines.
For the first time both three-cylinder and four-cylinder engines are used with six-speed automatic gearbox and MINI TwinPower Turbo technology in Cooper and Cooper S variants. The Cooper is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine, with outputs of 136hp while the Cooper S 2.0 litre 4-cylinder unit outputs 192 hp. Across the board, this makes them more powerful and more efficient than the predecessor model.
From the moment the driver opens the door of the new MINI, a promise is made – this is about to be the most exciting driving experience you will find – and with three driving options, Sport, Mid and Green customers are spoilt for choice. These options allow owners to pick from sporty, comfort or economical driving modes to maximize fuel efficiency and/or enhance MINI’s driving fun.
And the driving experience doesn’t stop there. The new Dynamic Damper Control (DDC) option actually lets the driver control the stiffness of the suspension. Want a softer, more fuel-efficient ride? Or feeling hungry and in the mood to enjoy a few sharp turns? The DDC happily complies, stiffening your suspension for even more aggressive cornering.
Cutting-edge active and passive safety measures ensure you can enjoy every corner without worrying about a thing. From super high-strength multiphase steel to intelligent warning and protection systems to 3-point automatic you and your passengers are safe while you experience driving fun.