MINI put on quite a show in Frankfurt, as it continues to celebrate its 60th anniversary. At the 2019 IAA, the famous British brand showed off its past, its present and its future and it was quite the sight to see.
On one hand, there was a classic Mini Cooper with some wild striped livery that looked great. We’ve been driving classic Minis quite a bit as of late, with two reviews this summer, and we’re big fans of the classics. They’re almost impossibly tiny on the outside but incredibly spacious inside and hilarious good fun to drive. This specific car in Frankfurt was a delight.
Following the classic, MINI showed off the brand’s present. The present being high-performance internal combustion. The former was shown off in the form of the new MINI Clubman John Cooper Works. That packs BMW’s newest turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes a very healthy 302 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. We haven’t driven that car yet but it should be a blast.
There was also the all-new MINI Electric on display, the brand’s new fully-electric hatchback. It uses what is essentially a BMW i3 powertrain, just in reverse. It’s front-wheel drive rather than the rear-wheel drive i3’s setup. So it’s quick enough, with a 7.3 second 0-60 mph time, and packs more than enough range, with a maximum 144 miles of range.
So it was very interesting to see the past, the present and the future of the MINI brand all on display at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. What’s interesting is that, even though the new cars are far bigger and more advanced, they still seem to have the spirit of the original Minis. They’re still small family cars that are just as fun as they are practical. We can’t wait to drive the MINI Electric and to see what the future has in store.
