Mini Cooper change is not minor

You need more than just pictures, and a side-by-side staring match would be best of all, but the 2007 Mini is different from the car that brought the British star back from the dead.

This time, BMW - which owns the rights to the Mini name and shape - has made the car bigger, faster and more efficient.

And it also has a BMW engine in place of the wheezy DaimlerChrysler four that was fitted to the outgoing car.

There will also be a turbocharged motor in the new Cooper S, replacing the previous supercharged engine and continuing the push towards turbos that BMW began with the latest leader in its 3-Series coupe family.

"Mini hasn't been re-invented, just refined," spokesman for Mini in Australia Alexander Corne says.

"It proves that Mini has grown up a little bit, but it has not lost any of its cheeky fun. The biggest difference is going to be the new engine and the new interior.

"We'll be doing two models again. The Cooper and the Cooper S."

The car is expected in Australia in the first quarter of 2007, almost exactly five years since the rebirth of the baby boomer.

The base motor lifts power from 85kW to 88kW and 150Nm to 160Nm, though the 0-100km/h sprint time is unchanged despite a 10kg weight reduction.

But the Cooper S will be one-tenth quicker to 100km/h, at 7.1 seconds, with the BMW turbo-motor good for 128kW and 240Nm against the 125kW and 220Nm on the old car.

There is also an overboost feature that lifts it to 260Nm in brief bursts. The Mini will come with six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, still with front-wheel-drive, with steering wheel buttons for auto change.

The package for Australia will still have six airbags, anti-skid brakes and stability control, although the exact specification will not be set until closer to the on-sale date.

"It will be here next year, around the time of the Melbourne Motor Show. So on sale in March," Corne says.

"Orders are still very strong for the current car," he says.

The plan is already set for the changeover, with Mini pushing hard on the visible changes inside the car and the mechanical overhaul.

"It's got state-of-the-art engineering in the engines. The Cooper has valvetronic and the S has a turbocharger with direct petrol injection, so it's the same technology as the six-cylinder engine in the BMW 335 Coupe," Corne says.

"The growth is at the front for improved pedestrian impact safety, and slightly at the rear to balance the proportions. It's pretty minimal, 60mm overall.

"The interior is new. There is a new dash, new seats, and the effect is more masculine and quite sporty. It retains a central speedo design and toggle switches, which are Mini icons, but everything has been upgraded."

Mini has confirmed the base car, but there is no news on a change to the convertible or the introduction of the third model in the lineup, almost certain to be a multi-purpose wagon.

"There is going to be another model, but it won't be coming for a while. And the Cabrio continues unchanged, with the same body and engines, for the foreseeable future," Corne says.