What's the news?
MINI is tidying up the interior of all of its models with new interior displays, switchgear, connectivity and lighting. All of these changes come into effect from July 2017.
Universal to all models - the three-door Hatchback, the larger Five-Door, plus the Convertible, Countryman and Clubman derivatives - will be a clearer-to-read instrument cluster; this the one mounted above the steering column. At night, it will glow white instead of the traditional orange (this colour shift also applies to cars fitted with the Head-Up Display, or HUD) and the fuel gauge has been redesigned to be more legible at a glance. This is good news, as the current 'individual light bars' meter of the MINI family is a bit of a sod to see in bright conditions.
That HUD is also worth mentioning, as individual height setting for it will now be stored in the personal profile on the vehicle's key, as will settings for the electrically adjustable seats and exterior mirrors. Furthermore, controls for the HUD will be managed from a separate menu in the MINI's infotainment operating system.
One of the most individual features of the modern MINI clan is the Driving Modes switch. Currently, if you want to go into either Sport or Green modes from the Standard setting, you have to turn a collar at the base of the gearlever either to the left or to the right, accordingly. Well, that collar is being junked - in future, a toggle switch underneath the air-con array will be responsible for setting the car's driving character.
Anything else?
There are also some model-specific spec changes coming into effect from July. Alertness Assistant, a drive fatigue monitor, will be introduced to the Hatchback, Five-Door and Convertible cars, where it will be included with the optional MINI Visual Boost screen, and either of MINI Navigation or MINI Navigation XL.
Meanwhile, the larger Clubman and Countryman machines will enjoy Apple CarPlay support, if buyers choose Media Pack XL or MINI Tech Pack.