In teasing the new 2015 MINI the British firm went from bulldogs to something quite serious about the new driver assist systems featured in the car. The new MINI comes with comfort and safety technologies usually found in luxury cars, making it eligible to join the premium hatchback class.

To this end, MINI went to BMW’s technology parts bin and picked up a few of their systems and revised them for use in the 2015 MINI hardtop. One of them is a head-up display, delivering important information to the driver via a nifty display located right in his line of vision. This way you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to read the details.

Then there’s the large array of available safety and convenience features. The collision warning and pedestrian warning systems, including city braking function make it easier to avoid dangerous situations, particularly in city traffic. The MINI parking assist feature offers maximum comfort in searching for and using parking spaces, while the reversing camera gives drivers a better view when maneuvering.

What really set the 2015 MINI apart though is its video-based speed and distance control which automatically keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, and the speed limit information system, as well as adaptive high-beam system. There are luxury saloon kind of features not seen before in a car of this size and class.