BMW is all too aware that the premium designer baby car market it carved out over the past decade is now under lethal threat from the Audi A1 and Citroen DS3, as well as the Fiat 500 and Alfa Mito. So in comes what the Bavarians call the Mini LCI – Life Cycle Impulse. Basically a minor facelift and specification upgrade, the 2011 Mini provides small but palpable improvements on a number of fronts, to help keep the target audience happy. But the biggest improvement is under the bonnet of the Cooper D – a BMW-made 1.6-litre turbo-diesel replaces the old Peugeot-supplied unit. Performance, refinement and efficiency all take sizeable steps forward, making this first-ever transverse application of a BMW engine a worthwhile addition to the likeable Mini family.