For quite awhile the MINI world has been awash with rumors of “drastic” changes to the interior of the new Cabrio and the '05 MINI in general. Well thanks to MINI2 and Paul Mullet (who once again scored leaked photography) I'm happy to report that you can change the word “dramatic” to subtle. MINI has clearly massaged the interior but kept the original look completely in tact. Here's an excerpt of the MINI2 article:

As you can clearly see (click the image for an enlarged view) the “new” interior is not that different at all in appearance to the current car. This leaked photograph reveals some of the changes we have already written about on MINI2, but a picture is worth a thousand words, and we do aim to please! The first thing we noticed is the new, three part dashboard. The Air Bag has been moved to above the hard plastic dash surfaces (you can just work out the text “Air Bag” above the left hand side vent). This means the dash is smoother, with no break required for the hinged panel in front of the passenger. It could also hopefully mean less of the dreaded creaks and rattles for new owners.

Another change that you may have to squint a little harder to see is the previously reported locking glove box. The hinge looks the same as before, save for the need for a key hole, of course! You can also see the new three spoke multi function steering wheel, which is already in production and being delivered to new MINI purchasers.

The sharp eyed among you may also have picked out the chrome rings around the dials. We understand that MINI will offer a chrome interior pack to new customers from the factory, as well as a dealer retrofit option. It is unclear whether you will be able to order selective rings for just the dials and vents you wish, or if you will have to order them as a set. We certainly hope these are competitively priced as the current aftermarket options often seem to be very expensive.

Mostly, we hope that picture will put to rest any fears that BMW will somehow be “messing up” the interior, as we've reported on MINI2 for some time, the changes we believe they have in store for us are minor, and should improve quality, as well as offering visual design tweaks, nips and tucks.

But, what about the rumoured “Lexus Style” “Chronograph” new dials that MINI have been reported as introducing? Well, as we've maintained since these rumours first surfaced, these will be an optional extra, not standard fit, and they will not dramatically affect the car's appearance.

For our last New Year's treat, this exclusive design drawing of the new dials should give you a good impression of how the finished article will appear. The speedo will be moved along side the rev counter if specified.

You can check out the entire article with larger photographs here.