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2020 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP is relatively efficient

The 2020 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works GP is on track to be a heck of a hot hatch what with its over-the-top styling and 301 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. It's also going to be a bit more frugal than the competition. We know this because the EPA released fuel economy numbers for the little monster. In town, the GP will return 24 miles per gallon, and it will get 30 mpg on the highway. Combined driving will result in 26 mpg. The Volkswagen Golf R with it dual-clutch automatic ties the Mini on the highway and in combined driving, but is down by 1 mpg in town. The Honda Civic Type R and Hyundai Veloster N each get worse fuel economy across the board. Both get 22 mpg in town and 25 in combined driving. The Honda then gets 28 mpg on the highway and the Hyundai gets 29 mpg. In defense of the other cars, they are more practical, as they all have usable rear seats, whereas the Mini has ditched its vestigial rear chairs. The Honda and the Hyundai also only come with manual transmissions, which nowadays aren't usually as efficient as automatic transmissions. But on the other hand, the Mini makes more power than all but the Honda, which beats it by only by 5 horses, and it makes substantially more torque than the rest. Regardless, if you happen to want to use just a bit less fuel in your hot hatchback, the Mini may be the choice for you. Related Video:    

2015 Mini Hardtop 5-Door isn't for the country, man [w/video]

We've seen it in super high-res glory, and we can even build one on the automaker's website, but the Paris Motor Show marks the official coming out party for the new Mini Hardtop 4 Door (which is what it's called in the US, despite this Euro car having "5 Door" badging). It's a stretched version of the third-generation Mini Hardtop, but with an extra set of doors for rear seat passengers. Think of it as a more useful Clubman, but with a lower ride height and less rugged-ness than the Countryman. Got it? Good.
Engine options carry over from the normal Mini Hardtop range, with a 1.5-liter turbo-three and a 2.0-liter turbo-four offering 134 and 189 horsepower, respectively. The rest of the car is everything else you know and love from the Mini range, just with a more spacious rear bench. And as you'd expect, there's a nearly endless pallet of customization options.
The Hardtop 4 Door arrives at US dealerships just before the end of the year, commanding a roughly $1,000 premium over its three-door kin. Scope out our new live shots in the gallery above, and take in the extensive press blast, below.

Next-gen Mini could sire 10 different models including PHEV

The first generation of the reimagined, BMW-backed Mini was a simple things, confined to two body styles - hatchback and four-seat convertible. It wasn't until the second-generation platform came along that Mini began truly expanding, offering a long-wheelbase model, a roadster, a coupe, a five-door crossover, and a three-door, um, thing?
BMW is aiming for 10 to 12 different vehicles from just two brands off one platform.
According to an interview between Automotive News Europe and the BMW board member that oversees Mini, Peter Schwarzenbauer, the funky British brand will be expanding far beyond the seven body styles it currently offers. "With the new ULK architecture, we currently have in mind eight to 10 models," Schwarzenbauer told ANE. That architecture he mentions, will also underpin the BMW 1 Series GT and the BMW X1, meaning that BMW is aiming for 10 to 12 different vehicles from just two brands off one platform (and that's only what we know about).