There’s a new Mini Cooper, and it wants you to know exactly how British it is.

Yep, those Union Jack tail lights come as standard on every iteration of the updated Mini hatchback and cabriolet. Oh, and there’s a big Union Jack on the passenger side of the dashboard, just above the glovebox. See, it’s a Mini, and Minis are British.

Quite aside from the over-the-top patriotism, though, Mini has done quite a lot to refresh its flagship car. Loads of stuff has been carried over from the (also recently refreshed) BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, with which the Mini shares its platform.

That means you get a choice of either a new, seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox, or else the eight-speed automatic that we’re already familiar with. The six-speed manual is still available, if you must, but you can bet that’ll be as popular in the Middle East as those tail lights will be in Argentina.

There’s also a new choice of engines. As standard, you can have a new 1.5-litre, three-cylinder engine, which is actually up on power compared to the old, basic four-cylinder. On the Cooper S model, though, the 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine remains unchanged, save for a slight power boost.

Inside, there’s a new steering wheel with many buttons and functions, and a 6.5-inch infotainment screen, mounted at the top of the centre console, now comes as standard.

What do you think? Scroll down for more pics.