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2019 Mini Cooper gets updated, becomes even more British

For the 2019 model year, Mini is rolling out a slew of updates to its current two- and four-door hardtop models and the convertible. It's a very modest revision in most respects. From the front, the only real change is to the headlights. The LED running lights that encircle the main lighting element now illuminate in a full circle, and that full circle flashes amber to function as a turn signal. The sides are also virtually unchanged, but coming around to the back you'll find the most obvious change. No longer are the taillights simple rounded rectangles with circles inside. Now the lighting elements are fully LED and in the shape of the Union Jack, the British flag. It's executed well, but it's a little silly. What's next, a horn that plays "Rule, Britannia?" How about appending the initials "HMS" ahead of the Cooper name? We kid, but we do worry a little about Mini focusing too much on kitschy British references. View 14 Photos Other exterior updates include three new metallic colors called Emerald Gray, Starlight Blue, and Solaris Orange. They can be joined by the Piano Black package that swaps the chrome around the lights and grille for gloss black. The custom Mini Yours fender badges and lights that are made with 3D printing or laser engraving are also available. The interior is mostly unchanged. Bluetooth connectivity is now standard across the board, along with a 6.5-inch infotainment screen. There are new options, too. Both two- and four-door Mini hatches can be ordered with Malt Brown Chesterfield Leather. Like the exterior, the interior has a Piano Black trim option. It adds gloss black trim throughout, along with a panel on the passenger side with a Union Jack motif. That motif has transparent sections that light up in the same color as the driver-selectable interior lighting. An updated 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and wireless phone charging are also options. Related Video:

2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP spied in clearest photos yet

We suspect we won't have long to wait until we see the new Mini John Cooper Works GP. Why? Well, it seems Mini isn't trying very hard to hide the car. One of our spy photographers caught a prototype testing at the Nurburgring, and the camouflage, while creatively using race track outlines for the pattern, was not particularly effective. As such, we get our best look at the super Mini, and it looks wild. Although they've been tucked closer to the body and shortened, the GP still sports some wild vented overfenders at each corner like the concept. We're very curious what kind of aerodynamic advantage they provide. The front fascia has been toned down substantially and is fitted with much shorter spoilers, but what's left still blends into the front fenders. The rear fascia is similarly toned down with a far less extreme diffuser. But the rear wing is still over the top. It's arguably more interesting than the concept's since the wing is split in the middle. It also has a big "GP" embossed on each side of the wing. Since the Mini John Cooper Works GP Concept made its debut at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, a production version's reveal at this year's Frankfurt show would be fitting. And considering how close to finished this prototype appears to be, plus Mini's announcement that it will go into production in 2020, a reveal in the early fall seems quite reasonable. It should be a monster of a hatchback, too, since Mini says it will have over 300 horsepower, challenging the likes of the Honda Civic Type R and Ford Focus RS.

Mini Cooper Countryman only small car to earn good grade in latest IIHS crash tests [w/video]

Competitors in the small-car segment didn't do nearly as well. Four vehicles earned "poor" grades.
Only one small car out of 12 tested earned a good grade in the latest round of crash-test results compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Mini Cooper Countryman received a "good" ranking on the organization's small-front overlap test.