Cars
Engines: 118 horsepower; 114 lb-ft of torque from a 1.6L inline-four
- Mini Clubman With Airstream Trailer Concept: First Official Photos
These are the first official photos of a one-off concept of a specially modified MINI Cooper S Clubman and a 6.80-meter or 22-foot Airstream trailer that was created in collaboration with Danish furniture producers, Republic of Fritz Hansen. The design...
- 2009 Mini Cooper Convertible Breaks Cover
Believe it or not, this is the next-generation MINI Cooper Convertible that will most likely make its debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January with sales scheduled to start in Spring of the same year. An anonymous tipster sent a set of seven official...
- Video: 2008 Mini Clubman
MINI circulated a video of its new Clubman that features a unique rear-end design along with an extra rear-hinged door on the passengers side and new proportions compared to the 3door hatch. Set to make its international debut in Frankfurt, the Clubman...
- Across The Pond - The Mini One
View this as a distinctly likely possibility, Across The Pond articles each Friday, aimed at helping you understand the automotive marketplace from a worldwide perspective. Today, our subject is from the Mini showroom. Thought you knew all of BMW's...
- The Good 12 V2.0 For 2009 - Part Ix
MINI COOPER One of many repeat winners in this, The Good 12 v2.0, the Mini Cooper made its case last year with low-cost and low-risk fun. Nothing has changed. Mini still offers the Cooper S. That car, along with the Clubman, Convertible, and John...
Cars
THE GOOD 12 v3.0 - PART VII
MINI COOPER
Owning a Mini Cooper is all about the possession of cake and the consuming thereof. Although priced for Dairy Queen's freezer, this cake takes ingredients from one of the best cake-makers in the world. The pastry chefs hail from the land of the Ultimate Driving Machine. The basic Mini - like the original - is meant to be eaten, I mean.... driven - with gusto.
Moderate levels of horsepower and torque work well when weight is kept in check. A turbocharged Cooper S, though plenty entertaining when driven aggressively, isn't necessary in order to have fun in daily circumstances. Meanwhile the Clubman is a mite fugly and the Convertible a touch bloated. In other words, don't be put off by the Mini Cooper's diminutive stature or its less stimulating straight-line pull. This is a car built for corners.
Don't bother passing judgment on the price per square foot ratio, either. Standard features and dynamics make up for a lack of rear seat space and the nearly absent aperture astern. Besides, the Mini wouldn't be a Mini if it weren't mini. Even a hint of obesity would have ruinous effects on the Mini Cooper's steering and its ability to soak up bumps. So a small cake it is, but a very pretty and tasty cake indeed. Bon appetit.
-----
Engines: 118 horsepower; 114 lb-ft of torque from a 1.6L inline-four
Base USD Price: $18,800
City Mileage: 25-28 mpg
Sales Stats: After the first eleven months of '09 had passed by, BMW announced that Mini had sold 198,163 variations of the One, D, Cooper, and S worldwide. Compared with global leaders like the Ford F-Series, Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf, and Ford Focus.... that's nothing. But for a profit haven like Mini, even a decrease in November still means Mini sales in America topped 2,500.
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOOD 12 v3.0 PART VI
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOOD 12 v3.0 PART VIII
- Mini Clubman With Airstream Trailer Concept: First Official Photos
These are the first official photos of a one-off concept of a specially modified MINI Cooper S Clubman and a 6.80-meter or 22-foot Airstream trailer that was created in collaboration with Danish furniture producers, Republic of Fritz Hansen. The design...
- 2009 Mini Cooper Convertible Breaks Cover
Believe it or not, this is the next-generation MINI Cooper Convertible that will most likely make its debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in January with sales scheduled to start in Spring of the same year. An anonymous tipster sent a set of seven official...
- Video: 2008 Mini Clubman
MINI circulated a video of its new Clubman that features a unique rear-end design along with an extra rear-hinged door on the passengers side and new proportions compared to the 3door hatch. Set to make its international debut in Frankfurt, the Clubman...
- Across The Pond - The Mini One
View this as a distinctly likely possibility, Across The Pond articles each Friday, aimed at helping you understand the automotive marketplace from a worldwide perspective. Today, our subject is from the Mini showroom. Thought you knew all of BMW's...
- The Good 12 V2.0 For 2009 - Part Ix
MINI COOPER One of many repeat winners in this, The Good 12 v2.0, the Mini Cooper made its case last year with low-cost and low-risk fun. Nothing has changed. Mini still offers the Cooper S. That car, along with the Clubman, Convertible, and John...