Pay more for a diesel Mini

And you might go slightly quicker

By PH Staff / Thursday, 23 June 2005 / Loading comments

A bit quicker but more costly

BMW is boasting that it's hiking the power and speed of the Mini One D -- but it's also adding a higher-than-inflation price jump.

The car will be 20 per cent more powerful from September, increasing its power output by 13bhp and knocking nearly two seconds off the 0-62mph sprint, said BMW.

But don't hold your breath. The current, £11,695 Mini One D 'sprints' to 60mph in a leisurely 13.5 seconds, propelled by a 75bhp diesel engine with 133lb-ft of torque. Two seconds off? You'd hardly notice. Top speed's a bit quicker too but you don't want to know.

The stronger four-cylinder power unit has been thoroughly revised with new engine management systems. It offers the same economy as its predecessor, the combined fuel figure being 58.9mpg giving a range of up to 600 miles.

Interior tweaks

All Minis get more kit from the autumn. Single CD, radio boost and passenger airbag de-activation will be added to all models. White indicators will become standard on Mini Cooper S and Mini Cooper S Convertible.

Also, hyper blue metallic paint, previously only available on MINI Cooper S, will now be an option across the range while the price for satnav and Bluetooth falls by £210, to £1440 and £840 respectively.

And the price? That goes up by an average two per cent across the entire range apart from the One D, to which a 4.7 per cent increase will apply "to reflect the more powerful new engine", according to BMW.

That's the price for being a style icon, one would suppose.