A MINI what? 1st Gen? “R” what?

The information below concerns the MINI Cooper produced by Bavarian Motor Works (BMW). In 1994, BMW purchased the British Rover Group which consisted of the brands Rover, Land Rover, Mini and MG and the defunct brands including Austin and Morris. Some were sold but the Mini brand was kept and launched in 2001. The revised brand is referred to as MINI instead of Mini so that is one way to differentiate between the classic and new cars.

For information on the Mini Cooper, see this information.

I hear people talk about a 1st Gen, 2nd Gen or 3rd Gen MINI Cooper.  They also mention an “R” or “F” MINI Cooper.  What the heck are they talking about?

The “generations” for MINI Coopers basically are for major changes with the models and not for years.  The generations do not start at “1” for each model.  There aren’t Generation 1 versions of the Clubman, Countryman, Coupe or Roadster.

The “R” and “F” designations are for the various combinations of models, generations and years.  MINI started with the “R” designation and then changed to the “F” designation.

Note: The R50 and R53 to date were the only models to have the “non-S” and “S” with separate designations.  After that, both “non-S” and “S” have the same designation.

Generation 1 MINI:

R50 MINI Cooper Hatchback (Hardtop): 2002 to 2006

  • 2-Door; Rear Hatch; Front & Rear Seats;
  • Hatchback with normally aspirated non-supercharged W10B16 engine

R52 MINI Cooper and Cooper S Convertible: 2004 to 2008

  • 2-Door; Rear Trunk; Front & Rear Seats;
  • Convertible with normally aspirated non-supercharged W10B16 engine
  • Convertible S with Supercharged W11B16 Engine

R53 MINI Cooper S Hatchback: 2002 to 2006

  • 2-Door; Rear Hatch; Front & Rear Seats
  • Hatchback S with Supercharged W11B16 Engine

Generation 2 MINI:

R55 MINI Cooper Clubman and Clubman S: 2008 to 2014
Note: there wasn’t a 2015 Clubman

  • 3-Doors; Split Rear Doors; Front & Rear Seats
  • Pre-Facelift Models (2008 – July 2010):
    • Clubman with non-turbo N12B16A engine
    • Clubman S with turbo N14B16A engine 2008 thru Jul 2010 production
  • Post-Facelift Models (Aug 2010 production to 2014):
    • Clubman with non-turbo N16B16A engine
    • Clubman S with turbo N18B16A engine
  • JCW MINI Cooper S Models: May 2010 to June 2012 with turbo N14B16A engine and September 2012 to 2013 with turbo N18B16A engine

R56 MINI Cooper and Cooper S Hatchback: 2007 to 2013

  • 2-Door; Rear Hatch; Front & Rear Seats
  • Pre-Facelift Models (2007 to July 2010):
    • Hatchback with non-turbo N12B16A engine
    • Hatchback S with turbo N14B16A engine
  • Post-Facelift Models (Aug 2010 to 2014):
    • Hatchback with non-turbo N16B16A engine
    • Hatchback S with turbo N18B16A engine
  • JCW Hatchback S Models: July 2010 to June 2011 with turbo N14B16A engine and March 2012 to 2014 with turbo N18B16A engine

R57 MINI Cooper and Cooper S Convertible: 2009 to 2015

  • 2-Door; Rear Trunk; Front & Rear Seats
  • Pre-Facelift Models (2009 thru Jul 2010):
    • Convertible with non-Turbo N12B16A engine
    • Convertible S with Turbo N14B16A engine
  • Post-Facelift Models (Aug 2010 to 2015):
    • Convertible with non-Turbo N16B16A engine
    • Convertible S with Turbo N18B16A engine
  • JCW MINI Cooper S Models: March 2010 to June 2012 with Turbo N14B16A engine and June 2012 to 2014 with Turbo N18B16A engine

R58 MINI Cooper Coupe: 2011 to 2015
Note: The Coupe model was discontinued in 2016

  • 2-Door; Trunk; Front Seats only (2-seat hardtop)
  • Coupe with non-Turbo N16B16A engine
  • Coupe S with Turbo N18B16A engine
  • JCW MINI Cooper S Model: January 2011 to July 2012 with Turbo N14B16A engine and September 2012 to 2014 with Turbo N18B16A engine

R59 MINI Cooper Roadster: 2012 to 2015
Note: The Roadster model was discontinued in 2016

  • 2-Doors; Trunk; Front Seats only (2-seat convertible)
  • Roadster with non-Turbo N16B16A engine
  • Roadster S with Turbo N18B16A engine
  • JCW Roadster S Model: August 2011 to June 2012 with Turbo N14B16A engine and July 2012 to 2014 with Turbo N18B16A engine

R60 MINI Cooper Countryman: 2010 to 2016

  • 4-Door; Hatch; Front & Rear Seats; Optional AWD
  • Countryman with non-Turbo N16B16A engine
  • Countryman S with Turbo N18B16A engine including ALL4

R61 MINI Cooper Paceman: 2013 to 2016
Note: The Paceman model was discontinued in 2016

  • 2-Door; Hatch; Front & Rear Seats
  • Paceman with non-Turbo N16B16A engine
  • Paceman S with Turbo N18B16A engine including ALL4

Generation 3 MINI:

F54 MINI Cooper Clubman: 2016 to 2019
Note: there wasn’t a 2015 Clubman

  • 4-Doors; Split Rear Door; Front & Rear Seats; Optional AWD
  • Clubman with B38A15A 1.5 liter 3-Cylinder engine
  • Clubman S with B48A20A 2.0 liter 4-Cylinder engine – July 2016
  • Clubman ALL4 and ALL4 S (same engines) – March 2016

F55 MINI Cooper Four Door: 2015 to 2019

  • 4-Door; Rear Hatch; Front & Rear Seats; also referred to as the Five Door
  • Four door with B38A15A 1.5 liter 3-Cylinder engine
  • Four Door S with B48A20A 2.0 liter 4-Cylinder engine

F56 MINI Cooper Hatchback: 2014 to 2019

  • 2-Door; Rear Hatch; Front & Rear Seats
  • Hatchback with B38A15A 1.5 liter 3-Cylinder engine
  • Hatchback S with B48A20A 2.0 liter 4-Cylinder engine
  • JCW Hatchback with Engine Code B48A20O0

F57 MINI Cooper Convertible: 2016 to 2019

  • 2-Door; Rear Trunk; Front & Rear Seats
  • Convertible (Start of Production November 2015) with B38A15A 1.5 liter 3-Cylinder engine
  • Convertible S (Start of Production with B48A20A 2.0 liter 4-Cylinder engine
  • JCW Convertible S (Start of Production March 2016) with Engine Code B48A20O0

F60 MINI Cooper Countryman: 2017 to 2019

  • 4-Doors; Split Rear Door; Front & Rear Seats; Optional AWD and Plug-in
  • Countryman with B38A15A 1.5 liter 3-Cylinder engine
  • Countryman S with B48A20A 2.0 liter 4-Cylinder engine – July 2016
  • Countryman ALL4 and ALL4 S (same engines) – March 2016
  • Countryman eALL4

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