THE Mini has been subjected to a facelift which appears to have made the car look worse, writes William Scholes.
This presumably wasn't the intention. The main culprit, as you can see, is the infliction of a larger grille, framed by a hexagonal trim piece. It makes the small car look like it has gained an unnecessarily large proboscis.
BMW has recently taken to sticking enormous, ugly grilles on to most of its cars, so perhaps it's unsurprising that its little brother is going in a similar direction.
If you can look past the 'styling' changes, there are some worthwhile technology upgrades as part of the Mini's revamp.
Inside, the Mini has moved further away from the overtly retro look of earlier generations, with a cleaner, less cluttered look to the dashboard.
There's an 8.8-inch infotainment screen in the middle of the car, while the driver gets a 5.0-inch digital display instead of conventional dials.
The depth of options which allow owners to personalise their car has been key to the Mini's popularity since BMW rebooted it 20 years ago. This has widened further, with the highlight being a new gradient-effect 'multitone' paint scheme for the roof.
Engines, a Mini strong point, remain unaltered. That means you can get your Mini with a fizzy 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine or, in the case of Cooper S and John Cooper Works models, a 2.0-litre petrol. Diesel has been banished from the line-up.
The recently-launched Electric model uses a 181bhp electric motor linked to a 28.9kWh battery; range is claimed to be "up to" 145 miles, though 100 miles appears to be a more realistic real-world range.
The cosmetic and tech updates apply to the Mini three- and five-door hatch models, as well as the Electric version (which is only available as a three-door) and Convertible.
Prices start from £16,045 for a three-door and from £16,745 for the five-door. Convertible models start from £20,705, while Electric versions start from £27,920 prior to the government's £3,000 plug-in car grant.
