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The New Mini emerges after years of argument. When BMW owned Rover it said that the chosen successor was designed in Britain and was being developed by British designers. Now Frank Stephenson, an American working in Germany, is held up as its creator.

Stephenson says his Mini, 57cm longer and 24cm wider, is what Sir Alec Issigonis, responsible for the first Mini, would have produced had he been designing now. I don't think so. The new car is presented as a sporty hatchback, a plaything that seats only two in comfort and for which style prevails over function. Issigonis would have hated it.

BMW's marketing people are sure that today's buyers will love it and have lots of buzzwords and key phrases to "position" the Mini. One of them is: "Retro - no; cult - yes". They don't like the term retro because it implies short-lived fashion. But a cult needs followers, and predicting it will become one is wishful thinking, even if they can point to 2,000 advance orders six weeks before in goes on sale at BMW dealers - in Britain first - on July 7.

So, forget about the Mini as you know it; only the brand remains as a symbol. When I went to drive the New Mini in Italy last week, I determined to set aside fond memories of Continental adventures long ago in my old Mini Cooper.

It was the Cooper version of the new car that was available for test. It costs £11,600, rather less than had been predicted, and invites comparison with the sports versions of other tiddlers, like the Peugeot 106 and VW Lupo GTi, the Toyota Yaris T Sport and the Ford Puma coupé.

Mini Coopers are a cheerful duo-tone, with white or black roof contrasting with the rest of the body, and silver or white alloy wheels. The 1.6 litre 16-valve engine develops 115bhp in the Cooper. There is also a 90bhp version called Mini One, which will sell for £10,300, and next spring a more expensive Mini Cooper S with a 163bhp supercharged engine will complete the range.

Only a few miles up the road, I realised that the behaviour of the New Mini is of a different order from most small cars. Where other sporty superminis buck and thump over bumps and power out of corners, this one is composed, steers impeccably, and damps out undulations like a bigger and more sophisticated car. The secret is a stiff bodyshell and rear suspension akin to the BMW 3-series' multi-link "Z axle".

The engine isn't as slick. It lacks low-speed torque and isn't helped by high ratios in the five-speed gearbox. It does not have the get-up-and-go of the low-geared Yaris T Sport.

But I have a suspicion that most New Minis will not be bought for the way they go. Nor will the shortage of rear seat and luggage space be a disadvantage. It's the looks, style and image that will really count.

Personally, I think it is trying too hard. It wants to outsmart the Smart with its fussy fascia and circular pods, big central speedometer and old-fashioned flick switches. The interior apes the aluminium features of the Audi TT - except that here they are all too obviously plastic.

Despite my misgivings, the signs are that the fashion police will approve. They will like the squat, chunky looks, bright colours and wide choice of extras. I suppose it was inevitable that a British icon, reinvented by the Germans but made in Oxford, should include among those options a Union Jack roof.

This article is copyrighted and courtesy of The Sunday Times.

Ray Hutton
Article Date: May 29, 2001
Car Accociations: NEW_MINI,
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