MINI Straightline Archives

The results are in, and what do you know, people who pay $900 a month to lease a two-passenger car love it. That's the conclusion of a study done by the University of California at Davis in conjunction with BMW.

The UC Davis researchers questioned 57 out of 450 Mini E owners about their driving habits and overall experience with the car. Notes from the other 393 drivers also contributed to the findings. And what were the conclusions?

"Driving the MINI E is a delightful experience and there is no sacrifice of 'real car' values."

"The range of about 100 miles is sufficient for most daily needs."

"Charging at home provides enough energy for most daily driving."

Uh, okay. Now don't get us wrong, we're part of the program and we generally like our Mini E. But reading through the report you would think that it's nearly faultless in its ability to replace a conventional vehicle. Much of this has to do with the fact that the drivers in the program are essentially electric car advocates who volunteered their time and their wallets to be part of the experiment. Did we really need a study to tell us that they like their cars?

Long Term Test: 2009 Mini E
 

Categories: BMW,Future Vehicles,Green Tech,MINI

A report in the British magazine Autocar notes that Mini is already close to giving the go ahead to a John Cooper Works version of the Cooper Countryman revealed yesterday.

When asked whether such a vehicle was in the works, Mini's general manager in the U.K., Jochen Goller, responded, ""It's definitely under consideration," he said. "JCW has been a big success and we'll look at doing it again here."

Mini official announcement of the Countryman already noted that various JCW parts would be offered as stand alone options.

Autocar

First Look: 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman

Categories: Aston Martin,Future Vehicles,Geneva Motor Show,MINI

After yesterday's leak, Mini decided to just go ahead and let the rest of the information out on the upcoming Countryman four-door. None of the info will surprise anybody that has been following the Countryman's development.

Yes, it offers optional all-wheel drive called ALL4. There's no two-speed transfer case or anything serious like that, just a electrohydraulic differential that splits power between the front and rear wheels.

The U.S. engine lineup hasn't been announced yet, but judging from the European lineup our Countryman will probably offer the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder options as the current Mini lineup. One notable change is the addition of full variable valve timing which bumps the horsepower numbers up a bit.

The normally aspirated engine is rated at 121-horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque while the turbocharged engine now generates 181-horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. Both will come with a six-speed manual transmission standard. A six-speed automatic is optional.

All Countryman's will come standard with bucket seats in back that both recline and slide forward and backward. A bench seat will be optional along with a panorama roof and a full-length center console. A sport suspension, wheels up to 19-inches in diameter and various John Cooper Works pieces will also be on the options list.

Categories: Coupes,Future Vehicles,Geneva Motor Show,MINI

According to UK magazine AutoExpress, these are official pictures of the Mini Countryman or Crossman, whatever. It's scheduled for an official debut at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in early March, but these pics reveal pretty much all you need to know.

All the drivetrain hardware will carryover form the current Mini range except for the all-wheel drive system. As you can see, it's not a true off-roader, more like an all-season compact utility vehicle.

AutoExpress 

Categories: Future Vehicles,Geneva Motor Show,Hatchbacks,MINI,Spy Photos

BMW will add Valvetronic to the turbocharged and direct-injected 1.6-liter inline four-cylinder engine in the 2011 Mini Cooper S and Cooper S Clubman. The result is 12 more horsepower for a total of 184 at 5,500 rpm. Torque holds steady at 177 pound-feet.

Valvetronic is of course BMW's electric-motor-driven variable valve lift system. The other main benefits are reduced fuel consumption and emissions. BMW claims this update saves almost half a liter of gasoline per 100 km on the European test cycle.

The company has not yet made any predictions on U.S. EPA ratings, but the engine change should go through sometime this spring.

The normally aspirated 1.6-liter engine in the base Mini Cooper and Clubman does not get Valvertronic, but minor changes (which BMW has not specified) will provide a slight increase in horsepower (from 118 to 122) and torque (from 114 lb-ft to 118) for the 2011 model year.

Categories: Convertibles,Future Vehicles,Hatchbacks,MINI,Wagons

#NAIAS Mini attempted to bring the beach to the Detroit auto show today. It had guys on surfboards, Dick Dale music and even a land shark. Oh, there was a car there, too.

It was called the Beachcomber concept and it was dressed up to look like some kind of surf Jeep with no roof or doors. It showed its mettle by cruising in and mounting the nearly 3-foot berm constructed on the show floor. Can't do that in a Clubman. A Corolla, maybe.
 
All theatrics aside, the Beachcomber is the latest concept version of the Mini Crossover, a production vehicle that will go on sale in Europe later this year and in the U.S. early next year. It will have all-wheel drive, a slightly higher ride height and seating for four. It won't be a true off-roader, just a slightly more rugged and versatile daily driver. Expect to see all the same hardware as the current Mini models, and maybe a diesel version down the road if we're lucky.

Mini Beachcomber Concept

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Convertibles,Crossovers,Detroit Auto Show,Future Vehicles,MINI

BimmerPost has laid out what is apparently the 2010 product plan for BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce on its 5 Series forum. The source of the information is said to be "Scott26/7," who is in turn said to be "BMW's inside man."

Said insider expects the face-lifted E92 BMW 3 Series coupe to turn up at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in both regular and M3 form. The F10 5 Series sedan will also be there, along with a concept Active Hybrid 5 Series sedan. In addition, the production Mini crossover, previewed in Detroit's Beachcomber, is said to be on the unveil list as well.

This also seems plausible enough, as does the suggestion that a long-wheelbase 5 Series sedan will debut the following month in Shanghai.

From there, it gets a bit murkier, with the source suggesting a Motorsport 1 Series will turn up sometime this winter, taking the name 1 Series Super Sport. We've heard this rumor before, but BMW officials told us in September 2009 that there was no truth to it.

For the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the plan shows the unveiling of a "production," leasable version of the BMW Concept ActiveE, as well as a nearly production-ready coupe version of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the 201EX concept. In late November, the source expects the world debut of second-generation 6 Series coupe.

A U.S. debut for the 2011 BMW X1 could come at the 2010 LA Auto Show, according to the source. Interestingly, the source is mum on the status of the redesigned BMW X3. Last we heard, its U.S. launch date had been pushed back, but it's still expected to hit dealers this summer.

Finally, among the assorted concepts we may see this year could be a visionary look into the third-generation Mini Cooper. The concept could be carbon fiber and is said to take the Cooper's "lightness" to new heights. The third-gen Mini Cooper will go on sale in 2013, says the source.

5Post.com

Categories: BMW,Coupes,Crossovers,Future Vehicles,Luxury Cars,MINI,Rolls-Royce,Sedans,Wagons

Santa brought a new Mini Cooper for some deserving resident of Amsterdam, and after it was unwrapped, the box was placed at the curb for garbage pick-up. Right? Or is this just an ad campaign? Or is this installation art worthy of an avant garde art gallery?

Creative Criminals via Autoblog

Categories: MINI,Trends

Mini will bring the whimsy and wonder to the 2010 Detroit Auto Show with the Mini Beachcomber Concept. The Beachcomber is inspired by the door-less Mini Moke sold in the 1960s, but it's built from the architecture that will underpin the production Mini crossover, the Countryman.

The Beachcomber as shown here will probably never go into production (certainly not before the Countryman gets here), but Mini is careful to note that all the pillars have been reinforced so it would be a safe vehicle to knock around in, even without its soft-top roof and lightweight doors (not shown in any of the photos) -- and thus not at all like the original Moke. Mostly, this Mini concept is meant to be a fun-looking thing in much the same way a Jeep Wrangler looks fun after you take the doors off.

Probably we wouldn't want to thrash around in the Mini on real dunes, though, despite the knobby tires on the concept. Mini notes it has a new all-wheel-drive system (ALL4), the same one that will be used on the crossover, and we'd guess this is the latest Haldex system that incorporates an electronic rear limited-slip differential.

Inside there are four seats and a center rail system that evidently makes it easy to attach portable music players, storage boxes, a small cooler, extra armrests... sure. Also, the rear seats fold down, so you could probably carry as much stuff as you can in the similarly sized Clubman. Funny how making room for all your stuff is a concern even in concept cars.

Mini notes in the press release that the production crossover "will be launched later this year in markets outside of North America," basically dashing any hope of us seeing the Mini Countryman before the 2011 calendar year.

More photos plus video of Jeremy Clarkson driving a Mini Moke after the jump.

Continue reading Mini Beachcomber Concept at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Crossovers,Detroit Auto Show,MINI,SUVs

We're a bit late with our quick-take review of November sales (full analysis available on Auto Observer), but the short answer is that, at 746,544, they were flat compared to November 2008. But not everyone was flat.

Hyundai-Kia was up 33.8 percent over Nov. 2008, and the company is 6.2 percent overall for the year. The new models in the Kia line helped, but even the Sonata, about to be replaced by the visually arresting 2011 model, was up 52 percent.

Subaru sales increased 24 percent for its best November ever, and the company is up an impressive 14 percent for the year. Every model posted gains, except for the Tribeca, arguably Subaru's weakest offering in the U.S.

Nissan was up 21 percent, even as its incentive spending dropped. Maxima sales climbed 84 percent to 4,995.

Mercedes-Benz was up 19 percent, and virtually all the credit goes to the E-Class -- 4,824 examples of the midsize Benz sedan found homes, up a staggering 113 percent year over year.

Auto Observer: Automakers See Glass Half-Full After Flat November Sales

Graphic courtesy of Bob Holland

Continue reading November Sales in Review: GM, Ford Flat, But Hyundai, Subaru, Mercedes Climb.

Categories: Auto Industry,BMW,Ford,General Motors,Hyundai,Kia,MINI,Mercedes-Benz,Nissan,Subaru,Volkswagen

Curious whether the new 2010 Honda Accord has an optional neck massager? How about the tow rating on the Ford F-150? And what about those European cars, they're always adding some new totally nonessential technological "feature."

Now there's an easy way to find out. Our 2010 Buyer's Guide lists every model change from every manufacturer. From colors to options to full redesigns, it's all there.

2010 Buyer's Guide 

Categories: Acura,Aston Martin,Audi,BMW,Bentley,Bugatti,Buick,Cadillac,Chevrolet,Chrysler,Dodge,Ferrari,Fiat,Ford,GMC,General Motors,HUMMER,Honda,Hyundai,Infiniti,Jaguar,Jeep,Kia,Lamborghini,Land Rover,Lexus,Lincoln,Lotus,MINI,Maserati,Maybach,Mazda,Mercedes-Benz,Mercury,Mitsubishi,Nissan,Pontiac,Porsche,Rolls-Royce,SMART,Saab,Saturn,Scion,Subaru,Suzuki,Tesla Motors,Toyota,Volkswagen,Volvo

This might be the best manufacturer promotional video we've seen all year. It was obviously shot last winter around the time Mini launched the new Cooper convertible in the southern Austrian Alps. Veteran racers Paddy Hopkirk and Rauno Aaltonen each won Monte Carlo in a Mini Cooper S back in the 1960s, and here they're retracing their old route in a John Cooper Works convertible.

But they're not just out for a boring cruise -- they're pushing the car a bit, comparing it to the old Mini rally car, using the handbrake to get the JCW convertible turned in. Interspersed in all this is 1960s' footage of them doing the same with the old Minis. This video is really well edited.

Categories: Classic Cars,Convertibles,MINI,Motorsports

In celebration of Mini's 50th anniversary, one of the races at last weekend's 2009 Goodwood Revival consisted entirely of original Group 2 Mini Cooper S hatchbacks, all of which raced prior to 1966. Roger Phillips was among the racers in the 30-car grid, and he had a camera and Vbox mounted in his car. So you can get a feel for the sounds, sights and modest speeds of wheel-to-wheel racing in classic Minis.

If your attention span lasts that long, part 2 of the video is after the jump.

Continue reading Video: 2009 Goodwood Revival from the Cockpit of a 1275cc Mini Cooper.

Categories: Classic Cars,MINI,Motorsports

It's called the Mini Roadster Concept, but this two-passenger soft top will make its way to showrooms soon. That was the big announcement at today's press conference in Frankfurt. It followed a presentation that was largely billed as a celebration of the brand's 50th anniversary, complete with confetti, cheerleaders and cake.

Like the Mini Coupe concept that was revealed earlier this month, the Roadster concept rides on a slightly modified Cooper platform and is powered by the turbocharged engine found in the current John Cooper Works model.

Mini officials said little about the intended specifications for the production model, as they seemed happy enough just to have found a way to get it to production in the first place. Expect to see both the coupe and the roadster some time in 2011.

Mini Roadster Concept

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Convertibles,Frankfurt Auto Show,MINI

We've never been able to put our finger on it, but the four-seat Mini Cooper Convertible doesn't sit quite right on the eyes, particularly with its top up. Seeing these first photos of the Mini Roadster Concept, which will be unveiled later today in Frankfurt, we wonder if maybe the rear seats were the problem all along. With just two seats, the Roadster concept makes for a more natural-looking Mini convertible.

It also looks sportier than the four-seat convertible, so to emphasize that angle, Mini went ahead and specified the 175-hp, turbocharged version of its 1.6-liter engine from the Cooper S. Check our full story for more details, and check back on Straightline later today for photos and details from the show floor.

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Mini Roadster Concept

Continue reading Frankfurt Preview: Mini Roadster Concept.

Categories: Concept Vehicles,Convertibles,Frankfurt Auto Show,MINI