Photo: MINI
Everybody knows that MINI has more special editions than there are Muppet characters. However, the new generation of the hardtop has not exhibited such behavior... until now. Say hello to the MINI Seven, a famous nameplate that's being reused by the Cooper and Cooper S Hardtop models.
The Seven is, of course, a name that belongs to the original Austin model launched in 1959 that became the Mini. But because the current car is built on a BMW platform and comes with five doors and a massive body, we don't see the connection.
Ever since BMW took over MINI, the British brand has been all about heritage. But we don't see that helping them right now. We think yellow is still the best color for the car, but the Seven only comes in Lapisluxury Blue (shown above), Pepper White, Midnight Black, and British Racing Green.
The roof has to be colored in silver for Seven looks to be pulled off, and you are also stuck with the 17-inch wheel. We're no fans of the silver stripes with brown pin striping either, something we wouldn't want on a $30,000 new car.
If you are a fan of the Golf GTI, you'll love what they've done to the interior. Specific to the MINI Seven is a Diamond Malt Brown fabric and leather upholstery combination. If that's not to your liking, it can be configured with regular leather in Cross Punch Carbon Black, Lounge Satellite Grey, or MINI Yours Lounge Carbon Black. The configuration continues with four different inserts for the dash and the option of having Malt Brown or Carbon Black for the lower dash insert. We think it's too 90s to have brown inside a black car.
The only upside seems to be the high level of standard equipment. Heated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, Comfort Access, a Harmon/Kardon stereo, park-distance control, power-folding, auto-dimming mirrors, and a 6.5-inch Mini Connected system are all standard features. Too bad they haven't done anything to the 1.5 turbo of the Cooper, because this engine is asking for power in a world where the Civic 1.5 makes 174 hp.
Ever since BMW took over MINI, the British brand has been all about heritage. But we don't see that helping them right now. We think yellow is still the best color for the car, but the Seven only comes in Lapisluxury Blue (shown above), Pepper White, Midnight Black, and British Racing Green.
The roof has to be colored in silver for Seven looks to be pulled off, and you are also stuck with the 17-inch wheel. We're no fans of the silver stripes with brown pin striping either, something we wouldn't want on a $30,000 new car.
If you are a fan of the Golf GTI, you'll love what they've done to the interior. Specific to the MINI Seven is a Diamond Malt Brown fabric and leather upholstery combination. If that's not to your liking, it can be configured with regular leather in Cross Punch Carbon Black, Lounge Satellite Grey, or MINI Yours Lounge Carbon Black. The configuration continues with four different inserts for the dash and the option of having Malt Brown or Carbon Black for the lower dash insert. We think it's too 90s to have brown inside a black car.
The only upside seems to be the high level of standard equipment. Heated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, Comfort Access, a Harmon/Kardon stereo, park-distance control, power-folding, auto-dimming mirrors, and a 6.5-inch Mini Connected system are all standard features. Too bad they haven't done anything to the 1.5 turbo of the Cooper, because this engine is asking for power in a world where the Civic 1.5 makes 174 hp.
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