Volkswagen arguably kicked off a retro revolution with its New Beetle in 1997, but it was BMW that really delivered with a new icon in 2000 when it revived the Mini hatch.

My girlfriend used to own a second-generation Mini Mayfair special edition before we moved to London, and that car has highlighted Mini’s move away from retro styling and towards BMW’s world of functional technology. The biggest change has got to be the big dial in the middle of the dash.

As soon as I presented BusinessCar’s shiny new long-termer at home, I was met with moans and groans about how the interior had changed for the worse.

In place of the previous-generation ‘clock’ style dial is a fancy new circular screen (2), which can be split to display two images. You can have radio station information on one side and navigation and maps on the other.

There’s also Mini’s version of the BMW i-control, which is used to navigate the menus with a radial dial.
By moving with the times and including up-to-date technology like this, does Mini chip away at what it’s about as a brand?

There are certain design updates that really don’t work, such as the LED trimming around the edge of the central dial, and luckily, you can turn off the illuminations; however, overall I’d have to disagree with my partner.

Even the graphics on the display still have that Mini twist to them, and the interior still feels unique without being a throwback, so I think Mini has successfully managed to move the design forward without completely losing its identity in the process