This, says BMW, is the first Mini that makes absolutely no pretence of being more than a two-seater. The Mini Coupé, we are told, has been built from the outset for maximum driving fun - a small, agile sports car in the tradition of the MG TC and Austin Healey Sprite.
It also claims that this is the quickest production Mini yet - not surprising given that it has, to quote Lotus founder Colin Chapman, added lightness to the original Mini concept.
The Mini Coupé will be available in South Africa from the fourth quarter of 2011 with the latest generation of four-cylinder petrol engines, with outputs ranging from the 90kW of the Mini Cooper Coupé to the Mini Cooper S Coupé (135 kW) all the way up to the 155kW John Cooper Works Coupé.
A six-speed manual box is standard, a six-speed auto an option on Cooper and Cooper S variants.
The front end is pure Mini, but the rear treatment is completely new, making it the first Mini with a three-box body shell. BMW calls the truncated glass-house a "helmet roof", and it makes possible a roof spoiler as well Mini's first active boot-lid spoiler, which extends automatically at 80 km/h. The Coupé has a sporty, flat silhouette; it's actually 29mm lower than a standard Mini.
Nevertheless, it's still a hatchback with a wide, high-opening tailgate giving access to a large, variable-use luggage area. There's also a parcel shelf behind the seats and a large through-loading hatch.
The Coupé runs McPherson strut front suspension with longitudinal control arms made of aluminium to reduce unsprung weight, and a multilink rear set-up with anti-roll bars at both ends.
The optional sports suspension has firmer damper settings and comes with sturdier anti-roll bars, while the accessories range includes John Cooper Works suspension, with 10mm lower ride height, even stiffer damping and thicker anti-roll bars.
Standard kit on the Cooper Coupé specifies 15" alloy rims, with 16" hoops on the Cooper S and special 17" lightweight, cross-spoked Challenge rims on the John Cooper Works Coupé.
This model also has run-flat tyres as standard, and they're available as an option across the range. Tyre pressure monitoring is standard in any case.
The electromechanical power steering system soaks up steering shocks, reducing bump steer, and an active return function returns the steering wheel precisely to the centre position when straightening up after a turn.
A Sport button on the centre console, standard on the John Cooper Works Coupé and optional on all other model versions, allows the driver to choose between the standard set-up and a more performance-minded driving style that requires more steering input but provides a more responsive feel - and also makes accelerator response sharper and sportier.
BMW expects that Mini Coupés will be driven hard and has fitted brakes to match. The Cooper Coupé comes with 294mm vented front discs and 259mm solid rear platters, the Cooper S Coupé has 294mm front discs and the John Cooper Works gets 316mm front and and 280mm rear discs.
Stability control is standard, with ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist hill hold and corning brake control. Standard on the John Cooper Works Coupé and optional on the others are traction control and a push-button electronic differential lock that also allows a bit of wheelspin for hot launches.
Disengage the stability control, and the diff lock is automatically switched on.
And just how quick is it?
The base 1598cc Cooper engine pushes out 90kW at 6000 rpm and 160 Nm at 4250rpm, taking the Coupé to 100km/h in nine seconds and on to 204km/h, while burning 5.4 litres/100km and emitting 127g/km of CO2.
The Cooper S Coupé with twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection and fully variable valve management delivers 135kW at 5500rpm and 240Nm from 1600-500rpm (260 Nm with overboost from 1700-4500rpm), sprints to 100km/h in 6.9sec and hits 230km/h flat out, at a cost of 5.8 litres/100km and 136g/km.
The John Cooper Works Coupé engine is boosted to 155kW at 6000rpm and 260Nm from 1850-5600rpm (280Nm with overboost from 1700-4500rpm), good enough for 0-100 in 6.4sec and a 240km/h top speed, using 7.1 litres/100km and emitting 165g/km of CO2.
As we said: maximum driving fun.