Description
Driving the original – ahem, that's the 25-year-old one – shows just how much Mini DNA the company's worked into today's car, Driving's Peter Bleakney gives us a closer look (you can find the full review on Driving.ca).
Looking at this British-built Cooper Launch Edition 24 years on, we can say BMW hit it out of the park with its remake of the classic Mini, a car that bowed in 1959 as an answer to escalating fuel prices caused by trouble at the Suez Canal (sound familiar?).
The 2002 Mini is perfectly proportioned, with the merest suggestions of front and rear overhangs. It is so cute you want to hug it, and driving it inspires even more love. No coincidence the entry-level 2026 Mini Cooper C 3 Door sports the same dark-blue-with-white-roof colour scheme as the 2002. Park them side by side, and there’s no questioning the family resemblance, the 2026 just a couple of sizes larger.
What do you think of the old versus the new Mini Cooper C? Let us know in the comments below! 👇