The imminent arrival of the four-door, four-wheel drive Countryman may be the big MINI news at the moment, but the BMW-owned firm are keen to show they haven’t forgotten their bread and butter model. These spy shots show a hatchback Cooper S sporting minimal camouflage and a slight facelift to keep it looking fresh. At the front, the lower grille has shed its chrome surrounding, in favour of two chrome rimmed air-intakes. This design is mirrored at the rear of the car, incorporated within an all-new bumper. Completing the updates are re-freshed light clusters. Meanwhile, inside many of metal-effect finishes in the current car will make way for more upmarket materials borrowed from the Countryman. No major mechanical upgrades are expected but a few minor revisions will concentrate on cutting CO2 emissions and improving efficiency. Expect the updated MINI range to go on sale in August this year. Read more: MINI facelift spied | Auto Express News | News | Auto Express
I swear every time Mini refreshes the exterior they start with the old clay model and just attach more stuff to it.
@ sideways. Even though I try to let these photos grow on me I thought the same thing when I first saw them. Those rear lights will take some getting use to.
Those taillights are still somewhat disguised. Look close at the black area, it looks like tape or vinyl.