Car Speed Power: MINI

Showing posts with label MINI. Show all posts

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Mini Cooper S John

Mini Cooper S John

MINI is both the name of a subsidiary of BMW, and a car produced by that subsidiary since 2001. The car is marketed as a "retro" redesign of the original Mini, which was manufactured by British Motor Corporation and its successors, assigns, from 1959 to 2000. To distinguish it from its predecessor (the 'classic Mini'), the name for the new car is MINI (written in capital letters). It is often called "The BMW Mini," "New Mini" or simply "Mini" . MINI is manufactured in Cowley, Oxford, United Kingdom, which has been historically Morris car plant.

Mini Cooper S John

The MINI is available in seven models: the MINI One D, MINI One, MINI One Convertible, MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper S, MINI Cooper Convertible and MINI Cooper S Convertible. In Portugal, the MINI One is powered by a 1.4 liter version of the Tritec engine but all other petrol powered mini to use version 1.6 liters. Since 2004, a soft-top convertible option is available in the entire region.

There are many styles and badging differences between the models, perhaps the most obvious is that the Cooper S has a distinctive scoop cut into the bonnet to provide airflow over the heat exchanger mounted on top. The Cooper S also has dual exhaust exit in the middle of the transom. Cooper (non S) has more chrome parts than the Mini One and a single exhaust. The Mini One / D has no visible exhaust pipes at all.

Mini Cooper S John

In some markets like Australia and the United States, only the MINI Cooper and Cooper S are sold because the MINI One's engine was considered to deliver enough power to run an air conditioner - a necessary feature in those climates. However, the only difference between the conductors of "One" and model "Cooper" is a software change in the engine control unit which adjusts for fuel economy on the MINI one one compromise between power and economy in the Cooper. Almost fifty percent of all MINI sold in Australia and about seventy percent of those sold in the United States is the top model in the line of Cooper S.

Mini Cooper S John

MINI One, Cooper and Cooper S use a Brazilian Tritec engine constructed while the MINI One / D uses the Toyota diesel engine built. In August 2006, BMW announced that engines would in future be built in Britain, so the car basically rebuilt the British (as well as the final composition of Cowley, the body pressings are made close to Swindon).

Mini Cooper S John

While modern engineering the Mini to use any of the original Mini, which captures the spirit of a lot of vintage cars. Like the original, it uses a transversely mounted four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. All four wheels pushed in the corners of the body, which is a "two-box 'or' drawing hot hatch '. Design your own car, as the New Volkswagen Beetle, a retro design is consciously drawing the original Mini, with color contrasting colors of the roof, bonnet stripes optional rally lights and with optional black trim around the wheel arches and rocker panels to simulate a range of wheel flares found in traditional Mini.

Mini Cooper S John

Mini Cooper S John

Mini Cooper S John

Friday, August 12, 2011

2010 Mini countryman

2010 Mini countryman

Mini baptized wheel drive system of the future crossover in the style of the great brands on the continent. After xDrive and Quattro, Mini comes with ALL4. If everyone already knows that the new Mini crossover that will be present world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show (March 2010), will bear the name Countryman, Americans from Motoringfile raises a very interesting detail: wheel drive system that will be mounted on the new model of BMW Group will also be named, following to be named “ALL4.

Although it was scheduled to appear in Detroit in January, the official presentation of the new Mini model range will be delayed due to the fact that BMW chose to focus more the attention in these months on developing the new X3 generation model known as the best profit per unit in the entire range of Bavarian.

And as the new X3 will move the manufacturing place from Austria in the U.S. (in Spartanburg), BMW seriously analyze what is the right moment to end the cycle of manufacturing in Europe and to begin the production in U.S.

Friday, February 11, 2011

MINI Cooper Clubman Review

Maxing the Mini: More room, more doors, still cuddly

Little distinguishes the new longer, roomier MINI Clubman's driving experience from that of the standard Mini. Which is great news: None of the coupe's quick reflexes, playful nature, or overall Mini-ness is diminished. The differences are all about space: 3.2 inches more wheelbase (which yields an equal bump in rear legroom), 9.6 inches of increased overall length, and a cargo hold that grows from 24.0 to 32.6 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Plus a few more doors. From the driver's seat, you'll hardly know there's more Mini behind you. But your rear-seat passengers, pets, surfboards, golf clubs, shopping bags, swap-meet treasures, and mall haul will really appreciate the extra room.

The Clubman notion isn't a new idea, but it remains a good one. It's the third body style in the reborn MINI lineup, alongside the second-generation coupe, which came to market early this year, and the convertible, still on the carryover gen-one platform for another year or so.

Mini's design job is clever. The longer roof appears flat at first glance, yet there's a gentle curve to it. Like Clubmans of old, access to the cargo bay is via two hinged "barn doors." Besides the squarer look, the exhaust pipes are no longer centered in the rear valance, instead splitting to the sides in a more conventional, dual-exhaust fashion. A spoiler at the top of the rear deck integrates the center high-mounted stoplight. In keeping with the Mini's USP of allowing the owner a wide variety of color combinations, there are many different ways to spec out the body, bumper, roof, and window-surround finishes.

Joining this club is all about space and access to it, so besides the split rear-cargo doors, there's a rear-hinged, half-door-size access panel on the passenger side that makes back-seat entry and egress a much easier proposition than in the coupe-all the better by which to enjoy the much-needed increased legroom. A squeege over three inches more room may not sound like much, but it's a world of difference in a car this compact. Full-size adults now sit comfortably in back, with plenty of head and knee room for six-footers.

This access door is well integrated into the exterior styling, with the door handle mounted inside so as not to spoil the smooth two-door look. In the name of safety, it can be opened only when the front passenger door is open. The split rear seats fold to create a commodious space for stuff-interesting in that packaging efficiency was one of the aspects that set the original Mini apart from other compact city cars of the 1960s. The centers of the two cargo area doors come together to form a pillar that bisects the driver's view out the rearview mirror, not so different from what the driver of a 1963 "Split Window" Corvette experiences. But the blockage isn't wide enough to hinder rearward vision, and it's something you quickly get used to.

No special structural reinforcement was required to accommodate the increased number of doors and hatches. Overall weight grows by about 175 pounds. Engine, transmission, and equipment levels are otherwise a direct carryover. We spent all our drive time aboard a turbocharged, 172-horsepower Cooper S version and could detect no meaningful decrease in acceleration. The extra ounces will, however, take a bit of sparkle off the naturally aspirated, 118-horsepower base model's straight-line punch. We'll verify this with instrumented testing as soon as we have the opportunity.

Same goes for handling. Overall, the Clubman S feels no different through a smorgasbord of cornering situations from the new Cooper S we just added to our long-term test fleet. One major difference in the Clubman's driving persona is ride comfort. Those three-plus inches of additional wheelbase really smooth out the standard Mini's tendency to hop on bad pavement, over railroad crossings, and the like. It's a dramatic improvement, and one that, combined with all the extra room, makes the Clubman a much happier long-distance car than the short-wheelbase model.

One bane that hasn't been exorcized, at least in the S, is torque steer. Power out of a corner, and the wheel wiggles in your hand. When the turbo boost kicks in, it wiggles worse. Perhaps Mini could have dialed out some of the effect, but steering feel would have diminished because of it. While this problem doesn't kill the Mini's fun factor, it knocks it back a notch or two. There'll never be a rear-drive Mini, but an AWD version might be fun, no?

The car's only other maddening trait, also shared with non-Clubmans, is the HVAC system's too small, too slippery, and just poorly designed fan and heat/cool controls. The tiny, click up-and-down fan switch is slick plastic and practically requires long fingernails to operate. Wearing gloves? Forget it. Why not some large, knurled knobs? And much of the center-stack lettering is too small. These are two instances where function followed form, and Mini ought to get to fixing them. Now.

MINI hasn't yet released the Clubman's pricing structure, but indicates it'll fall midway between the current coupe and convertible models. That translates to about $20,750 for a base Clubman and around $24,000 for a Clubman S, reasonable enough if you fancy the new model's design and extra space.

Besides being a blast to drive, reasonably economical, and a cheeky fashion statement, the Clubman's most significant accomplishment is that its increased passenger comfort and extra cargo room make the Mini a real car for more people. For many buyers, this functionality will more than offset the few extra dollars and the few extra pounds the Clubman packs over the standard models. Mini USA estimates that 15 percent of the cars it sells will be Clubmans. We say it had better be prepared to build more than that.