MINI Gets Personal
Published: 19th February 2002
Accessories:
MINI's aerodynamic kit and roof decals offer 21st Century styling with a definite nod to the car's great heritage. The body kit pumps up MINI's sporting looks and costs £900 (£910 on MINIs with Park Distance Control). Available on MINI One and MINI Cooper it consists of front and rear aprons, sill skirts and a custom grille with a roof spoiler as a £155 additional option to complete the look. In addition to the body kit, real enthusiasts can add tail lamps (£195) and side indicators (£21) that sport a white finish. Front spot lights can also be added at a cost of £145.
MINI owners wishing to celebrate the car's British home or past motor sport successes can quite literally fly the flag. Waterproof and abrasion-resistant Union Jack flag (£95) or chequered flag (£110) roof decals can be added as an accessory, topped off with white or black bonnet stripes (£21). All accessory prices exclude the cost of fitting.
Options:
Two new colours, Pepper White and Velvet Red metallic, are added to the
range offering customers a total of ten different shades on MINI One or
MINI Cooper. Pepper White is a solid colour and comes as a no-cost option
whilst Velvet Red metallic costs £250.
A total of nine different wheels are now available. MINI One owners can upgrade the standard 15" steel wheels to alloy wheels from a choice of styles varying in price from 15" 7-Hole light alloy wheels at £270 per set to 17" cross-spoke light alloy wheels at £2,000 per set. MINI Cooper owners can choose to replace the standard 15" 7-Hole light alloy wheels with 8-Spoke alloys at no extra cost and also have the option of painting the alloys white in conjunction with white roof and wing mirror caps to complete the Cooper look.
MINI drivers can now see and be seen even sooner with Xenon headlights that provide more than twice the power of conventional halogen lamps. Xenon technology offers improved visibility to the side and front and the lights are self-levelling in line with current legislation. Xenon headlights include the high-pressure headlight washer system and cost just £350 for the package.
Rear Park Distance Control and satellite navigation system are also available to order. Park Distance Control allows MINI owners to manoeuvre in and out of parking spaces quickly and safely. Two ultrasound sensors are set into the rear bumper and advise the driver of obstacles within close proximity by sounding a repetitive short tone, which becomes more frequent as the car approaches the obstacle, reaching a constant tone at 20cm. Park Distance Control costs £200.
The satellite navigation system has a colour LCD screen set centrally where the speedo is mounted and helps to direct the driver to their chosen destination through aural and visual instructions. The system includes radio BOOST and the MINI trip computer and will cost less than £1,500.
Stop press.....MINI tlc wins major industry award:
MINI's ground-breaking tlc Service pack was recognised as a major step
in the battle to keep the cost of motoring down last night (February 13)
when Automotive Management awarded MINI UK with its Gold Award for Innovation
at its annual awards ceremony. The £100 pack offers 5 years/50,000
miles fixed cost servicing that covers all normal parts and labour and
remains with the car when it is sold on, potentially benefiting residual
values. This is the second top prize awarded to MINI from the respected
trade journal, which also recently announced MINI as its 2001 car of the
year.
