The third gen hardtop Mini (previously known as Cooper) is very close to its mid-cycle refresh, and it will soon be updated in order to keep it fresh and desirable. Thanks to spy photographers work, we have here the pictures of the prototype of the updated model that is caught way ahead of its official debut that should be sometime later this year or even early next year. When it arrives, it should come as a 2018 MY.
What we can see from the images is that internals of the headlights have been changed and as it appears some changes happened on the taillights as well. As of now, the bumper design is the same as the one on the ongoing model, but we should be fair to expect that a revised design on more advanced prototypes will happen. The one we have here for you is the version of the sportier Cooper S Hardtop, but we expect same changes on the base Cooper as well as on the high-performance oriented John Cooper Works models.
Since these are very early prototypes, not much info is known, especially regarding the engine compartment. We presume that the current inline three and four cylinder units should carry over from previous MY with some slight tweaking and tuning. There is also a big possibility that Mini will decide to offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain which made its debut in the 2017 Mini Cooper S E Countryman, as an option of course. That setup should combine the 1.5 L turbocharged inline three unit with an electric motor for a total output of 221 horsepower, which for a vehicle of this size and weight is a recipe for a lot of fun.
Since it is very early, we should try and wait for more official info that are coming our way. Mini enthusiasts, as well as everyone else, stay close for updates which will be posted as soon as we get them.
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