In a new teaser from MINI Malaysia, it appears that the new petrol MINI Cooper facelift will debut at Malaysia Autoshow 2024. The new version of the MINI Cooper is being teased alongside the new all-new MINI Countryman in a new social media post by MINI Malaysia. And although we have just witnessed the debut of the all-new MINI Cooper electric, what is being teased for the exhibition is more of a “facelift” with the petrol powertrain.
And if all of that sounds confusing to you, you’re not alone. Here’s a bit of a recap to clear things up. Back in September 2023, the all-new MINI Cooper Electric made its global debut with 2 versions – the Cooper E and the Cooper SE. On that new chassis, the all-new MINI Cooper Electric does not have a petrol equivalent. To provide a petrol version of the MINI Cooper, MINI unveiled the petrol MINI Cooper facelift in February 2024, which is made to closely resemble the all-new MINI Cooper Electric.
But how can we tell them apart? Well despite the same design language of both cars, they can be distinguished from their different body panels.
The petrol MINI Cooper’s front bumper starts under the headlight while the EV MINI Cooper’s front bumper’s line is connected to the side of the headlights. The hood lines are also significantly different. Besides that, the front camera design is different with the petrol’s being an oval while the EV’s being a circle. These key visual differences can already be seen in the front profile teased by MINI Malaysia.
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Although it is more of a “facelift”, the new petrol MINI Cooper brings with it a revamped interior that also matches that of the all-new EV version. This means you get the new “full-width” circular OLED head unit as well as the new MINI steering wheel. It isn’t exactly the same cabin design as the EV as some elements do differ due to structural limitations.
Upon its global debut, the new MINI Cooper facelift came with 2 variants – the MINI Cooper C and the MINI Cooper S. They are powered by the same engine as before. the Mini Cooper C will get the B38 1.5-litre turbocharged inline-three mill, but now uprated to make 156 hp and 230 Nm, while the Mini Cooper S gets the B48 2.0-litre inline-four mill that has also similarly increased its power outputs to 204 hp and 300 Nm.
It is quite interesting to see MINI Malaysia teasing the petrol MINI Cooper facelift with no hints of its EV version. Perhaps that will debut in Malaysia a little bit later.
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