Currently reading: Mini overhauls trim levels to ease buyer confusion

Pepper and Chili Packs ditched in favour of trim choice for the first time, higher levels of kit as standard

Mini has overhauled the trim structure of its entire model line-up, streamlining the range and getting rid of several diesel variants in the process.

Mini’s range has typically been one of the trickiest to decipher, particularly for buyers new to the brand. There are no traditional trim levels, with the engine typically dictating what kind of spec the Mini is in, and then options are sold in packs that bear no relation to their content, or have consistency in price across the range.

To that end, staples of the Mini range such as the Pepper Pack and Chili Pack, offered since the relaunch of Mini under BMW in 2001, have been axed, with the standard kit of each Mini boosted, and the same options offered for the same price across all model ranges.

A buyer selects their Mini bodystyle - three-door hatch, five-door hatch, Mini Convertible, Mini Clubman or Mini Countryman - and then an engine. A 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol in two states of tune for One and Cooper models, a more potent 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit in the Cooper S, and then in the Clubman and Countryman variants a 2.0-litre Cooper D four-cylinder diesel.

Mini has now introduced trim levels for the first time. Engine selected, buyers then choose from either Classic, Sport or Exclusive variants. Classic variants are the entry-level, Sport adds in a series of John Cooper Works features, including a bodykit, sports suspension and bucket seats, and Exclusive is a plush, premium range-topper with leather seats.

Mini range 2 007

Options can then be added through some simplified packs. Comfort and Comfort Plus offer some fairly typical options, including climate control, heated seats and parking sensors, a reversing camera one of the features added for Plus. Navigation and Navigation Plus offer a full suite of infotainment and connectivity features. Safety kit is added trough the Driving Assist Pack.

Mini is then still offering a full-range of personalisation options on top, but believes this new strategy will allow dealers to carry more stock and reduce wait times for buyers.

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Diesels have been dropped in the three-door and five-door hatch ranges, having not been offered in this generation of Convertible. The high-performance Cooper SD variants are no more across the Mini range.

Mini’s decision marries in with two growing trends: the wider shunning of diesel across the industry, but perhaps more pertinently in this instance the fact that there is almost no demand for diesel in small cars now anyway.

The simplified range is also a nod to the fact each individual specification of car must be put through a WLTP emissions test, fewer variants leading to fewer tests and models to homologate.

Mini is now selling cars though its website as part of these changes, which come in from November 1 ahead of the delivery of the first customer cars in January.

The pricing of the Mini range has also been adjusted accordingly. The three-door Classic costs from £16,190 (Sport and Exclusive from £20,230), the five-door Classic from £16,890 (Sport and Exclusive from £20,230) and £20,930), the Convertible Classic from £20,080 (Sport and Exclusive from £22,680), the Clubman Classic from £21,085 (Sport and Exclusive from £23,985), and the Countryman Classic from £23,385 (Sport and Exclusive from £26,285).

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Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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catnip 10 October 2018

Is this really any simpler? 

Is this really any simpler?  Before you would, say, choose a 3-door MINI Cooper, add a Pepper pack and/or a few options, job done. Now it seems you will choose a 3-door model, with the higher tuned 1.5 petrol (which will then be called a Cooper?), then you choose Sport trim level, then maybe add a couple of options.....

One of the great things about MINI up until now is that you can choose exactly the options you want, with any engine, and don't have to have things you don't, which can be the problem with trim 'levels'. It sounds like this flexibility of choice is being taken away now, and is it just a coincidence that there are no 3-door models shown in any of the photos above?

finecitytom 10 October 2018

Configurator is broken

Perhaps they are still tinkering with it but seems impossible to spec a countryman atm. Also it looks like all the ALL4 Cooper S versions are gone.

catnip 10 October 2018

finecitytom wrote:

finecitytom wrote:

Perhaps they are still tinkering with it but seems impossible to spec a countryman atm. Also it looks like all the ALL4 Cooper S versions are gone.

It took MINI months to get the configurator working earlier in the year when the range was updated, technical ability is not a strong feature of the MINI website team.

Luap 10 October 2018

finecitytom wrote:

finecitytom wrote:

Perhaps they are still tinkering with it but seems impossible to spec a countryman atm. Also it looks like all the ALL4 Cooper S versions are gone.

In my experience, it rarely works well..

Ski Kid 10 October 2018

wow , Countryman Sport and Exclusive at £226,285 are good value

must have some extras included as the classic is Countryman classic starts at £23385.