The new Mini is still unmistakably a Mini. Though forced to extensively redesign the car for safety, mechanical, and manufacturing considerations, BMW designers were reluctant to risk messing with a successful formula. Anyone who is not already a Mini owner will have difficulty distinguishing the new Mini from the old one, unless the two are side by side. Nevertheless, though the same chassis has been used, there is not a single exterior panel that is common between the two cars.

The front of the Mini had to be restyled to conform to more rigid European restrictions on exterior panel shapes for pedestrian safety, as well as to adapt to the shape of the new engine. However, because the designers didn't wish to alter the iconic bulldog image of the new Mini, the remainder of the car had to be restyled as well.

Close inspection of the exterior shows that in almost all areas, the design and execution of trim features is upgraded from the 2006 model, with examples such as the incorporation of turn signals into the headlamp clusters, incorporation of the headlamp clusters into the fenders but fitting through openings in the hood (in contrast to the previous model which had the headlamps built into the hood), and the grille.

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