Here's an early glance at the next-gen Cooper and Countryman's redesigned steering wheel, flashy wheels, and admittedly great seats.
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BERNHARD FILSER |
- Mini unveiled a number of design elements for the forthcoming Cooper and Countryman lines.
- The emphasized pieces include a new steering wheel, stylish wheels, and some fancy seats.
- For some unknown reason, Mini felt the need to emphasize a new circular OLED screen but not provide photographs of it.
Mini is facing a transitional moment, with many models due to be refurbished or enter a completely new generation—or, in the case of the Clubman, perish entirely. As the new age dawns, the carmaker has unveiled a few anticipated design highlights slated to appear on its new vehicles, including redesigned wheel designs.
Snazzy Rims
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MINI COOPER |
Mini tempted us with two new sets of wheels, including a modern-looking six-spoke version with flat silver blades over the spokes. A fairly busy set of multispoke wheels (seen above) were also showcased, with silver metal embellishments overlaying a gloss black surface.
Cool Seat Styling
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MINI |
Mini also showed off some really snazzy new seats with a multicolored textile design on the bolstering. The leather inserts are perforated in a design somewhat evocative of a diamond-stitch on higher-end autos.
Sweet Steering Wheel
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MINI |
Among the sneak glances is a new steering wheel design. An un-pictured basic option comes with two spokes, while the optional wheel (seen above) has a third spoke made of fabric. While it certainly won't influence actually controlling the vehicle, it does look rather nice.
M.I.A. OLED
Another new element coming to Mini models is a contemporary rendition of the brand's trademark circular center display. Previously, we've seen fuzzy spy shots of a new circular infotainment screen, and now Mini has confirmed it to be an 11.0-inch OLED touchscreen.
This was verified along with the other data, all of which included a picture. Annoyingly, the corporation felt forced to mention it in the press release but chose without presenting a single picture of it. Why, Mini? Why?
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