April 12, 2015

MIAS 2015: MINI Goes Five


MINI Philippines unleashed two new models for 2015 at the Manila International Auto Show. Headlining the brand’s new-for-the-year offers is a car that will push the convention of what a MINI means: the 5-door model. Dubbed internally as the F55, the new MINI 5-door comes in both Cooper and Cooper S flavors and ups the SRP by P 100,000.

The 5-door model sports a longer wheelbase (up 72 millimeters), all of which go aft of the B-pillar for a roomer backseat that now sprouts three individual seats (with headrests). Aside from the additional wheelbase, the MINI 5-door offers 15 millimeters more headroom and 61 millimeters more interior width. It’s also made more practical with a larger cargo hold: 278 liters, up 67 liters from the 3-door model. The extra wheelbase also mandated a stretched body, up some 161 millimeters.

Despite the extra size, the MINI 5-door promises to keep the same go-kart feel and precision as its lauded 3-door model, which incidentally won Car of the Year – Philippines for 2014-2015. The MINI 5-door comes with the same engines as the 3-door: a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder with TwinPower Turbo for the Cooper and a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with TwinPower Turbo for the Cooper S. Pricing for the Cooper 5-door is P 2,300,000 while the Cooper S 5-door is P 2,800,000.

Joining the F55 at the MINI stand is a revised version of the Countryman. The changes are primarily cosmetic with a new hexagonal shaped grille, new headlamps, and revamped bumpers. It also sports a larger luggage compartment that’s been expanded by 30 percent. Prices have also been bumped up P 50,000 across the line: P 2,550,000 (Countryman), P 3,050,000 (Countryman S), and P 3,900,000 (Countryman JCW).

No comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment or share your views. Comments that are derogatory and/or spam will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to moderate and/or remove comments.