MINI hatchback

The modern MINI retains much of the charm and appeal of the 1959 original but has built on that to become a high quality - and expensive – car that wouldn’t be out of place on either the driveway of a stately home or a suburban semi. There are now six models in the hatchback range, starting with the First and ending at the performance-focused John Cooper Works, so there's probably a model that suits all desires, if not wallets. And if that isn’t enough, the wide range of options makes the MINI a car that you can personalise so much that you'll never have to worry about seeing someone driving a car that looks the same as yours. And if the wide choice of hatchback models doesn’t suit you, there are a now MINI coupes, convertibles, estates (the Clubman) and crossovers (the Countryman), as long as your pockets are deep enough. Since the launch of the first of the modern MINIs, a number of other cars have tried to copy the success story, most notably the Fiat 500 and Citroen DS3, but few - if any - match the MINI for driving pleasure, excellent resale value and style.