Alfardan Automobiles president Omar Alfardan, general manager Mohamed Kandeel and BMW Group Middle East’s MINI manager Sarah Junghardt flank the all-new MINI Hatch at the event

 

The all-new MINI Hatch, on sale now at Alfardan Automobiles’ showrooms, sets out to continue the global success story of the “first ever premium automobile in the small car segment” while carrying forward the tradition of the classic MINI that goes back 55 years.

The all-new MINI model was unveiled at an exclusive event at The St Regis Doha. Taking road presence to a whole new level, the all-new model retains many of the historic design cues that are trademark features of the iconic brand, but has emerged as an entirely new car. 

The premium small car with a big personality boasts of a new design, new-generation engines, improved driving comfort and a vast range of new quality materials and colours. In addition, it comes with 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 variants. The roof and exterior mirror caps can be finished in a contrasting white or black as an option at no extra cost and roof rails in black matt are optional. 

On the inside, the new model offers many new changes, including high-end materials offering a combination of leather finish or fabric and 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. 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.

MINI Connected, a connectivity feature, enhances the driving experience by keeping the driver connected with the outside world through both Android and iPhone platforms. Once the MINI Connected App is downloaded, other features become available, including worldwide radio at the touch of a button and access to Facebook, Twitter and RSS news feeds while driving. All of these are displayed on an innovative MINI central display that measures 6.5” or an optional 8.8” with LED rings running around the edge.

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. The Cooper S 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit outputs 192 hp with maximum torque of 280Nm reaching 0-100 in 6.7seconds. Across the board, this makes them more powerful and more efficient than the predecessor model.

There are three driving options - Sport, Mid and Green, which allow owners to pick from sporty, comfort or economical driving modes to maximise fuel efficiency and/or enhance MINI’s driving fun.

The new Dynamic Damper Control option lets the driver control the stiffness of the suspension by offering a softer, more fuel-efficient ride or stiffening the suspension for even more aggressive cornering.

Cutting-edge active and passive safety measures ensure that MINI owners can enjoy every corner without worrying about a thing. From super high-strength multiphase steel to intelligent warning and protection systems to increased luggage space – the MINI motorists and their passengers will sit comfortably and stay safe while they experience driving fun.