BMW is trying far too hard to expand the MINI range. The latest Coupe version should have been svelte and sexy but it's truly ugly and should not be inflicted on our roads.

Surely their no-doubt exorbitantly paid designers could have given it prettier lines.

It looks like a bread van that's been sat on by an elephant.

The front end is fine of course - it looks just like most of the other MINIs and the range of engines is also much the same as those available in the standard Cooper - 122bhp up to 211bhp petrol and the SD 143bhp diesel.

It is bound to drive like a dream - just like all the other cars in the range - but from the side and the rear it just looks awful, with not one saving grace.

Whoever agreed to that design should be shot. It looks as though they were trying to save money by using as many panels from the standard MINI hatch as possible.

But the company says that the two seater shares very few panels with the hatch.

Expect top quality trim and a decent level of equipment, augmentable from the usual vast extra list.

The seats will be about perfect, as will the driving position but I think that instead of pedestrians turning and saying wow as it goes past, they will turn making a face and saying yuck.

: N/A

: 122bhp, 1,598cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox

: 127mph

: 9 seconds

: 52

:  N/A

: 127g/km

: 15%

: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles

: 7/10

: VW Scirocco