Tag: Cooper S

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Hyundai MINI

Hyundai v MINI

Hyundai v MINI

There’s big news for those who have been following the MINI USA challenge to race a Porsche 911. Like Porsche, you might have stopped worrying about the try hard Jim McDowell, even though there have been developments since our last update—including a Rocky IV spoof.

Back to that big news, well, the article title kind of gives it away I guess, but Hyundai have thrown their hat into the ring and have laid down a counter challenge to race MINI. After the break you can see the YouTube reply from the Korean upstarts who still have a lot to learn in Slick Marketing Presentations 101. (Although, the Hyundai Top Gear spoof was very well put together).

That said, in their 3.8 litre V6 Genesis Coupé, Hyundai might have already prepared a match for the best MINI can offer around Road Atlanta. It seems this desperate PR stunt originally launched by MINI won’t go away, so let’s wait and see what happens next…

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MINI

MINI Cooper S facelift spotted

MY11 MINI Cooper S facelift

MINI is about to give its bread and butter model range a bit of a spruce up. While development cars have been spotted in the past these pics from Auto Express give us the best look yet at the 2011 spec MINI which is close to production.

The car photographed is the Cooper S model and you can see at the front the lower grille has some new intakes—which offer increased cooling to the front brakes. It is understood buyers will be able to option a Chrome Line package which would see those new intakes have the brightwork shown in these pics. If you’re a real trainspotter you might even notice the headlight cluster has had a minor tweak as well.

Round the back of the car (see pics below) more chrome trim has been added to the lower skirting to match the front. While this car is mostly undisguised there is still some tape covering the rear tail lights. Likely to be hiding the expected LED lighting detail.

From the side on view you also get a good look at the new Cooper S alloy wheels. Euro customers should be seeing these changes in their MINI Garages around August. That means we’ll probably have to wait until September-October here in Australia.

As always more detail on the latest MINI news can be read over at MotoringFile.

[Source: Auto Express]

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MINI

MINI gives Countryman an early preview

MINI Countryman preview

Earlier in the week MINI gave journos from around the globe a sneak peek at the new MINI Countryman. Yeah, I know, must be another lost invitation in the mail for AUSmotive. Anyway, MINI didn’t muck about either, sending the hacks out on a track with the most powerful Cooper S version, and fitted with the company’s new ALL4 all-wheel drive system.

So, is this just a big lard arse that will damage the excellent reputation BMW has forged for the MINI brand? Here’s a snippet from the MotoringFile review:

“So here it is. My chance to rip the Countryman apart for being overwrought and overweight. When it was first announced no one at MotoringFile hid their feelings of disdain for the idea of a MINI crossover. Why? It was against what we all knew the brand to be. But more than anything it was an affront to the performance mind-set that so many of us have when it comes to these small cars. And yet I’m sitting in Munich after just driving a pre-production R60 trying to conjure up the adjectives that best describe how shockingly good the car really is.”

Sounds promising. Well, for those readers who can get past the fact that MINI are a) making a crossover and b) making a proper mid-size car at all. There will be a lot who won’t. And that’s probably fair enough, too.

The MotoringFile article is quite detailed and includes some great information on the new Countryman, so do check it out if this car floats your boat. Below you will see more images from the preview. Also included is MINI’s press release from Munich. Not sure why the cars are wearing camouflage given official images of the Countryman were released in January, but there you go.

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MINI

MINI plans updates for JCW

MINI JCW diffuser spy pic

US website Left Lane News has some great spy pics of a new MINI John Cooper Works prototype. It’s understood sales of the flagship JCW model have been below expectations and to help put things right MINI plans to make the model more attractive to buyers.

One angle MINI has chosen to tackle the issue is to give the bodywork a once over to make it more unique against the regular MINI range. You can see from the image above that there are plans for a rear diffuser which is heavily inspired by the MINI Challenge racecars. The camouflage also indicates changes to the side skirts and front end spoiler are also in the pipeline. It is expected this new aero-kit will be factory-fitted for MY11 JCW models.

MotoringFile expects power for the JCW to be up slightly to around 215bhp (160kW) with efficiency improvements of around 10%, as well. MF also tells us production is expected to start in September and the car will be on display at the Paris Motor Show in October.

There’s plenty of pics in the Left Lane News article, so make sure you check them out.

[Source: Left Lane News via MotoringFile]

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MINI

2010 MINI Countryman photo gallery

2010 MINI Countryman

Following the leaked images earlier in the week MINI promptly responded by releasing over 50 official pictures, as well as confirming the model’s Countryman name. You can see those images, along with MINI’s press release after the break. As usual, simply click on the pics you like to launch wallpaper-friendly 2000px super images.

The Countryman, previously previewed with the Beachcomber Concept, will be the first MINI to feature their new ALL4 all-wheel drive system. It is worth noting, though, ALL4 remains an option to be ticked at this stage, it is not standard equipment (pending Australian market specification).

MINI’s full complement of engine options will find homes under the Countryman’s skin. That means the about to be updated 135kW Cooper S engine right down to oil-burner from the 66kW One D. The only motor missing from MINI’s kit bag is the very enthusiastic 154kW John Cooper Works option. But, hold the phone, a JCW Countryman may be coming at a later date, along with the growing rumour of a World Rally Championship entry.

Personally, I am pleasantly surprised by the general look of the Countryman. Having said that, it is definitely a car that needs to be seen in the metal to truly judge its proportions. The finer design details set a unique language for the Countryman, while clearly being a part of the MINI range. The detail of the roofline over the Countryman’s C-pillar is very reminiscent of the similar juncture on the MINI Coupé Concept.

Okay, now to address the elephant in the room. Why on earth is MINI making the Countryman at all? “Alec Issigonis” and “turning in his grave” are terms on high rotation since these photos came to be. But would Issigonis really be recoiling in such horror?

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MINI

MINI’s iconic hot-hatch cleans up

MINI Cooper S (R56)

The MINI Cooper S has just been named best hot-hatch in the annual What Car? awards. This is the third year on the trot the MCS has claimed the award, with the British publication stating, “just as brilliant as ever, the Mini is still the headline act in this category”.

That in itself, though, is not such a big surprise as the MINI has been widely praised since BMW relaunched the brand in 2001. However, what might raise a few eyebrows is the news that CleanGreenCars.co.uk has named MINI the cleanest car manufacturer. In addition to this, the Cooper S was previously named Green Sports Car by What Car? in their 2008 awards.

CleanGreenCars reached their conclusion by calculating the average CO2 emissions of each car sold during 2008 and compared the data against 2007 figures. The result being the average CO2 emissions from the MINI fleet is 137.24g/km, an improvement of almost 7%. MINI is marginally ahead of Fiat, with 137.32g/km, and next best, Peugeot with 140.16g/km.

With more frugal diesel models to be added to their range, MINI can expect their average emissions figure to lower even further.

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MINI

Beds are burning

MINI Cooper S convertible catches fire in western Sydney

Ever wondered what happens if you drive your car over a mattress and just keep on driving? Well, wonder no more, as a thoughtful MINI Cooper S Cabrio owner has done the experiment for you.

As you can see from the pictures the result is not pretty (there’s two more pics after the jump). The owner had not long collected the car from a western Sydney dealer when she reportedly drove over a mattress of some description. Not realising something was wrong she kept on motoring. Soon enough, though, there was a distinct smell of smoke. The driver pulled to the side of the road and within minutes her new car was in flames and just as quickly it was a smouldering wreck.

An eyewitness speaking to ninemsn said, “She was agitated, bewildered and very, very emotional. Everyone thought someone was dead. She was pretty lucky. I told her she should go buy a lottery ticket.”

Source: ninemsn and MINI2.com

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MINI

The new MINI Cabrio

R57 MINI Cooper S Cabrio

This is the new MINI Cabrio. Shown here in 128kW turbo Cooper S guise, the roofless MINI will strike a fashionable pose at your favourite café—if you’re into that sort of thing.

The R57 Cabrio will reach Australian shores in the second quarter of 2009. It features a completely redesigned rollover hoop system, and the slightly awkward rear hinges from the old model have been deleted, resulting in a cleaner design for the hatch compartment. In the unlikely event that you do decide to roll your new MINI Cabrio, the rollbars will activate in a mere 150 milliseconds. Providing you protection when you need it, and staying out of your vision when you don’t. Neat, huh.

The automatic soft top roof opens in 15 seconds and can be activated at speeds up to 30km/h. Other features include standard Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) across the range, hands-free Bluetooth  phone capability (including iPhone), MP3 player compatibility and, oddly enough, an automatic air conditioning system that adjusts accordingly even when your roof is down.

In an ever so MINI way, there is also an optional Always-Open Timer that sits next to the tachometer on the steering column. This little dial keep tally of the number of hours your MINI Cabrio’s roof has been down. Fair enough, I suppose.

More images and words after the jump.

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MINI Random wallpapers

Random wallpaper: Team MINI at 2006 Targa Tasmania

Team MINI at 2006 Targa Tasmania

While trawling the press archives at AUSmotive I often stumble across some pretty cool images. Rather than keep them all to myself, I figured it would be nice to share a few from time to time. In the first of what will become a randomly updated series, I trust you enjoy this image taken from the 2006 Targa Tasmania. Click on the image above for a 2000x1320px version. Should you choose to use this as a wallpaper/desktop image that size should cover most monitor resolutions. If not let me know what size you need and I’ll see what I can do.

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MINI

First generation MINI Cabrio ceases production

R52 MINI Cabriolet Cooper S Sidewalk

Even though the R56 MINI has been on sale for some time, the R52 Cabriolet models currently on sale were still based on the first gen MINI platform. In readiness for the all new R57 model, Cabrio production has come to a temporary close after 164,000 R52s rolled off the line at MINI’s Plant Oxford. The MINI Cooper Cabrio accounted for 79,500 of the total sales with the MINI Cooper S Cabrio (and John Cooper Works versions) selling around 56,500 units. The remaining 28,000 were MINI One Cabrio models, not sold in Australia. The very last R52 Cabrio rolled off the line last week. It was a MINI Cooper S Cabrio Sidewalk finished in metallic White Silver, sold to a keen MINI fan from the USA.

News of the last R52 Cabrio came just days before MINI announced its one millionth MINI for export. Oliver Zipse, Managing Director MINI Plant Oxford said, “Export is a key factor for the success and stability of our MINI Plant in Oxford. Since MINI was launched we have seen a significant increase in export from less than 60 per cent in 2001 to over 80 per cent this year. The high customer demand in almost 80 countries around the world, from Chile to China, has driven MINI’s success over the last seven years.”

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MINI

MINI John Cooper Works teaser ad – version 2

Following on from MINI’s first teaser for the “Not extreme enough” MINI John Cooper Works campaign is this second effort. Looks like they put a bit of elbow grease into this one.

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MINI

MINI Cooper S – Upside down Miss Jane!

R56 MINI Cooper S rollover

Yikes! Images of this R56 MINI Cooper S rollover have recently surfaced on the Minifinity.com internet forum. The accident happened in Malaysia and, while details of the moments leading up the incident are only speculation, there has been an alleged eye witness report stating the driver and passenger walked away with no serious injuries.

See below for more images, or read the thread on Minifinity.com for more detail.

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