Mitsubishi Minica

Mitsubishi Minica: Which Version to Buy and Why

The Mitsubishi Minica version to choose depends on whether you value maximum performance, low weight, AWD, or a later production date. The strongest options in the supplied specifications are the seventh-generation turbocharged 0.7 MT and 0.7 AT, both producing 64 hp and 97 Nm from 659 cc.

The Mitsubishi Minica version to choose depends on whether you value maximum performance, low weight, AWD, or a later production date. The strongest options in the supplied specifications are the seventh-generation turbocharged 0.7 MT and 0.7 AT, both producing 64 hp and 97 Nm from 659 cc. The eighth generation is newer and offers FWD or AWD with 0.7 MT and 0.7 AT versions, but every listed engine produces a more modest 50 hp and 62 Nm from 657 cc. Buyers seeking the lightest specified Minica should examine the sixth-generation 0.7 MT with 40 hp and a 620 kg kerb weight.

Mitsubishi Minica generations: what changed?

The first generation ran from February 1961 through May 1969. It used a Mini 3-doors body, but the database lists no individual modifications, so its engine, transmission, performance, weight, and economy figures are not measured.

The second generation ran from June 1969 through January 1974 and retained the Mini 3-doors body. No versions are specified, leaving its detailed specs not measured.

The third generation covered February 1974 through April 1977, again as a Mini 3-doors model. The database names no modifications, so there is no measured basis for choosing between its versions.

The fourth generation was produced from May 1977 through January 1984. Its single listed Mini 3-doors version is the 0.6 MT, with 31 hp, Gasoline fuel, a 4-speed Manual gearbox, and FWD. Displacement, torque, cylinder count, engine layout, kerb weight, ground clearance, tank capacity, wheel size, acceleration, top speed, and fuel consumption are not measured.

The fifth generation ran from February 1984 through May 1989 and changed to a Mini 5-doors body. Its two listed choices are the naturally aspirated 0.6 MT with 33 hp and the turbocharged 0.6 T MT with 42 hp. Both use Gasoline, a 4-speed Manual gearbox, and FWD. The 0.6 T MT adds 9 hp, a 27.3% increase over the 0.6 MT. Torque, displacement, cylinders, engine layout, weight, clearance, tank size, wheel size, acceleration, top speed, and consumption are not measured for either version.

The sixth generation ran from January 1989 through August 1993 and returned to a Mini 3-doors body. The catalogue records 24 modifications, with 12 represented in the supplied specifications. Available outputs include 40, 46, 52, and 64 hp, while drive choices include FWD and AWD. This generation also contains a 548 cc 0.6 MT with 46 hp and a 4-speed Manual gearbox, alongside numerous 657 cc 0.7 AT and 0.7 MT versions. Its strongest listed choice is a turbocharged 0.7 MT producing 64 hp and 96 Nm.

The seventh generation was offered from September 1993 through September 1998 as a Mini 5-doors. The catalogue records 30 modifications, with 12 shown in the supplied data. All shown versions are called 0.7 MT or 0.7 AT, so power is essential for identifying them: outputs range from 40 hp to 64 hp. The engine choices include 657 cc three-cylinder and 659 cc four-cylinder units, with Carburetor or Distributed injection (multi-point), FWD or AWD, and naturally aspirated or Turbo configurations.

The eighth generation ran from October 1998 through May 2011 as a Mini 5-doors, with eight listed modifications. Every version has a 657 cc, three-cylinder Inline Gasoline engine producing 50 hp and 62 Nm through Distributed injection (multi-point), with No boost. The meaningful choices are transmission, drive, weight, clearance, and rear-suspension specification rather than engine output.

Mitsubishi Minica engine and specs comparison

Repeated version names are separated below by generation, output, transmission, and drive. Where otherwise identical database entries differ in chassis data, they remain separate rows.

The highest specific output belongs to the sixth-generation turbo 0.7 MT: 64 hp from 657 cc, or approximately 97.4 hp per litre. The seventh-generation turbo 0.7 MT and 0.7 AT make 64 hp from 659 cc, approximately 97.1 hp per litre. The eighth-generation engine produces approximately 76.1 hp per litre, while the seventh-generation naturally aspirated 55 hp engine reaches approximately 83.5 hp per litre.

Mitsubishi Minica performance and mpg

Only the eighth-generation 0.7 AT and 0.7 MT entries with recorded performance figures have measured acceleration and maximum speed. For those versions, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 12.5 seconds and top speed is 130 km/h. Other eighth-generation entries list acceleration and top speed as not measured.

Acceleration and top speed are not measured for the first through seventh generations in the supplied data, including the 64 hp turbo versions. Their greater output and torque can be compared numerically, but the missing performance figures do not support claims about their actual acceleration or maximum speed.

Mitsubishi Minica mpg and fuel consumption are not measured for any listed generation or version. The database also provides no CO₂ or emissions-class figures. Tank capacity is 32 litres in the sixth generation, 34 litres in the seventh generation, and 30 litres in the eighth generation. Earlier tank capacities are not measured. These capacities describe fuel storage, not economy or driving range.

Mitsubishi Minica dimensions, weight, and clearance

Exterior dimensions and wheel sizes are not measured for any supplied Minica version. Weight and ground-clearance data nevertheless reveal useful differences.

In the sixth generation, kerb weight ranges from 620 kg for the 40 hp FWD 0.7 MT to 720 kg for the 52 hp AWD 0.7 AT. Ground clearance is generally 155 mm for FWD versions and 165 mm for the listed AWD versions. The 620 kg, 40 hp 0.7 MT carries 15.5 kg per horsepower. The turbo 64 hp FWD 0.7 MT weighs 660 kg, reducing that figure to approximately 10.3 kg per horsepower.

The seventh generation spans 670–790 kg among the shown versions. Its 64 hp turbo 0.7 MT weighs 770 kg, or approximately 12.0 kg per horsepower; the 64 hp turbo 0.7 AT weighs 780 kg, or approximately 12.2 kg per horsepower. The Manual therefore saves 10 kg. Among the naturally aspirated 55 hp choices, the FWD 0.7 MT weighs 720 kg, while the AWD 0.7 MT weighs 780 kg: AWD adds 60 kg. Clearance is 155 mm on the listed FWD examples, while the shown 55 hp AWD versions have 150 mm.

In the eighth generation, the FWD 0.7 MT weighs 690 kg and the AWD 0.7 MT weighs 750 kg, again a 60 kg AWD increase. Their weight-per-power figures are 13.8 and 15.0 kg per horsepower. The 3-speed Automatic versions weigh 730 kg with FWD and 780 kg with AWD; AWD adds 50 kg. Both have 160 mm clearance. Other eighth-generation versions record 150 mm clearance, while some clearance values are not measured. Gross weight is 810 kg for specified FWD versions and 970 kg for specified AWD versions; other gross-weight figures are not measured.

Which Mitsubishi Minica version should you buy?

For maximum measured engine performance, choose a seventh-generation turbo 0.7 MT or 0.7 AT with 64 hp and 97 Nm. The 0.7 MT combines that output with a 5-speed Manual gearbox and a 770 kg kerb weight. The 0.7 AT uses a 4-speed Automatic and weighs 780 kg. Both are FWD. Compared with the seventh-generation 55 hp engine, the turbo supplies 9 hp and 38 Nm more; compared with the 40 hp engine, it supplies 24 hp and 46 Nm more.

For the best power-to-weight result available from the supplied figures, choose the sixth-generation turbo 0.7 MT with 64 hp, 96 Nm, and a 660 kg kerb weight. Its approximate 10.3 kg-per-horsepower ratio is better than the seventh-generation turbo Manual’s 12.0 kg per horsepower and the eighth-generation FWD Manual’s 13.8 kg per horsepower. It uses a 5-speed Manual gearbox and FWD.

For AWD with the least recorded weight, the sixth-generation 40 hp 0.7 AT weighs 670 kg, while the 40 hp AWD 0.7 MT weighs 680 kg. If more output matters, the sixth-generation 52 hp AWD 0.7 MT weighs 710 kg; it supplies 12 hp and 4 Nm more than the 40 hp Manual while adding 30 kg. The 52 hp AWD 0.7 AT weighs 720 kg.

For a later model with a straightforward choice set, select an eighth-generation 0.7 MT or 0.7 AT. All listed versions provide the same 50 hp and 62 Nm, so the FWD 0.7 MT at 690 kg offers the strongest weight-per-power figure in that generation. The AWD 0.7 MT adds 60 kg without changing output, while the 3-speed AWD 0.7 AT adds 50 kg over the corresponding FWD Automatic. Choose AWD for the drivetrain configuration itself, not for extra engine performance.

For the greatest measured ground clearance, look at the sixth-generation AWD 0.7 AT and 0.7 MT versions with 165 mm. That is 10 mm more than the comparable 155 mm FWD entries and 5 mm more than the eighth-generation 3-speed 0.7 AT versions with 160 mm. Wheel sizes are not measured, so they cannot be used to refine the choice.

The data does not provide prices, listings, reliability records, or problem statistics. Consequently, it cannot establish whether the added output, AWD, Automatic transmission, or later production period is worth an actual price premium. On specifications alone, the sixth-generation turbo 0.7 MT is the power-to-weight choice, the seventh-generation turbo 0.7 MT is the highest-torque Manual, and the eighth-generation FWD 0.7 MT is the lightest later-generation option.