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2023 Mini lineup gets smarter, more colorful

Mini has already announced the changes it's making to its line-up for the 2023 model year. The numerous special-edition models that it unveiled in February 2022 will be joined by new exterior colors, additional upholstery options and more available driving aids. While a completely new version of the Hardtop is on its way, the current-generation model will return for 2023 — it might be its final model year. Buyers who select the Signature or the Iconic version of the Cooper S or the John Cooper Works can order Zesty Yellow, which is an eye-catching color that was inaugurated by the 2022 Convertible. Multi-tone roof options are also available on the aforementioned variants. The electric SE's Signature and Iconic trim levels can be ordered in Island Blue, while Rooftop Gray leaves the palette. And, the Iconic trim level can be configured with Cloth Leatherette Black Pearl, Cloth Leatherette Black Pearl Light Checkered and Chesterfield Leather Malt Brown upholsteries. Mini notes that this is the first time it offers the Chesterfield Leather Malt Brown option on the battery-powered Hardtop. Park Assist and a head-up display join the list of features included in the Driver Assistance package, while adaptive cruise control is now a standalone option. In turn, this makes the Driver Assistance Package available regardless of whether buyers get a stick or an automatic, because adaptive cruise control isn't compatible with the manual transmission. And, yes: the stick shift is sticking around for 2023. Similar changes apply to the Clubman and the Countryman. The former is available with the same multi-tone roof option as the Hardtop and with the Driver Assistance Package regardless of transmission type, and the Driver Assistance package offered on both models gains Park Assist and a head-up display. Finally, the space-saver spare tire is exclusively offered as a standalone options on both bigger Mini models. Pricing for the 2023 model year stays relatively flat, which is a nice surprise. The only exceptions are the Cooper variants of the Hardtop, the Convertible and the Countryman, which cost $500 more than they did in 2022.

Evo's Mini-focused tribute to Best Motoring is the best thing you'll see all day

Our friends at Jalopnik are absolutely spot on with their argument that "your life is shit" if you've never experienced Japan's outstanding Best Motoring. The show is easily one of the best car-related things on the Internet, taking the creme de la creme from what is now known as the Super GT series, as well as D1 drift and other disciplines, and plopping them in some of the finest cars of the 1990s and 2000s. Seriously, go and check it out. Back? Good. In honor of Best Motoring, Evo has put together its own tribute (some might call it a cover version) of the video series, assembling four drivers and four cars for an all-out track battle. The vehicles in question all sport the Mini badge, and they run the gamut from hot road cars to one-make racers. First, we have Andy Wallace and the best car of the bunch, a 2006 John Cooper Works GP (full disclosure: your author owns an R53 and will never be convinced that it isn't the finest example of the revived Mini, because supercharger). He'll be followed by Marino Franchitti in R56-based, 2013 John Cooper Works GP, while Dickie Meaden and Jethro Bovingdon are in the race-prepared, second-generation Mini Challenge JCW and third-generation Mini Challenge S275, respectively. Everything from the track action (which we won't spoil for you), to the camera work to the pre-race introductions is spot on, just like we'd expect from Best Motoring. It's outstanding, and you should be sure to take a look at it straight away.

2020 Mini Cooper SE First Drive | Little range, big fun

The all-electric Mini Cooper has been a long time coming. The company’s first step toward electrics began in 2008 with the experimental Mini E, a car that used a powertrain co-developed with an outside company and that had some major compromises. It didn't have a back seat, there was even less cargo space than a regular Mini and it wasnÂ’t available to purchase, being offered in limited numbers for a short lease. More than a decade later, the 2020 Mini Cooper SE is available for purchase or lease to anyone, and offers the complete Mini experience, with in-house BMW-Mini technology and fewer compromises. ThatÂ’s also how Mini is marketing the Cooper SE: The S in the name is there to tell you it's as much fun to toss around as the grin-inducing Cooper S. The blunted performance from extra weight and limited range might say otherwise, but from behind the wheel, this is a Mini worthy of its S, and not some fun-challenged economy-mobile. The powertrain uses the same electric motor youÂ’ll find in a BMW i3. It makes 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque, which is just 8 hp and 8 lb-ft less than the gas Cooper S. Weight is an issue for performance numbers, since the 3,153 lbs SE lugs around an extra 453 lbs compared with its gas sibling. That reduces its 0-60 mph time from 6.5 seconds to 6.9, and its top speed also drops to just 93 mph as a function of its single-speed transmission. But a half-second to 60 mph is less significant from behind the wheel. Simply put, the Mini Cooper SE feels sprightly. It has the electric motor trademark of instant throttle response, which is amplified by the more aggressive throttle setting in Sport mode. The other trademark is a big lump of torque, though not quite as much as the tire-torching Chevy Bolt EV or Hyundai Kona Electric. These characteristics make the Mini fun for squirting around town and for making passes on the highway. Power starts falling off if you keep your foot down, so on-ramps arenÂ’t as thrilling as the longer-legged gas Minis. Also impressive are the regenerative braking modes. The Cooper SE has a mild mode and an aggressive one, with the former feeling a bit like the engine braking in a manual-equipped gas car, and the heavy one making it easy to drive with one pedal. The extra weight doesnÂ’t hinder handling. In fact, there may be some incremental improvements, as the electric Mini has a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, better than the front biased gas Minis.