MINI auto news

Review: 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe

The six basic building blocks of life are sulfur, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen. Arrange those in any number of ways and you can get either a single-celled paramecium or Angelina Jolie. The Mini brand works much the same way. Take the same group of engines, interior bits and exterior design elements, combine them in various ways and you get everything from a three-door hatchback to a five-door crossover.

It all started with the three-door hatchback, but Mini kept reconfiguring its basic elements to create a full range of automobiles that now includes the Convertible, Clubman wagon, Countryman CUV, a new Roadster, and this little guy: the 2012 Mini Coupe, available for our test purposes with the aggressive John Cooper Works package. All members of the Mini clan, however, share the same DNA and do little to hide their lineage.

Truth be told, just the idea of the Mini Coupe has few fans around the Autoblog offices. What point is there to a Mini that's smaller, heavier and more expensive than the standard hatchback? It seems to some that the Coupe exists just because it's an easy and obvious way to configure those basic Mini building blocks. But just because one can build something doesn't always mean one should. There's got to be a reason.

Does the Mini Coupe have a reason for being? Or is its existence owed simply to the fact that it could be made, so it was?

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Official: Mini adds revised powertrain, automatic option to John Cooper Works models

The Mini John Cooper Works line is set to get a little more efficient. Engineers have given the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine a tune-up with new reinforced pistons, a sturdier cylinder head laded with lightweight cams, and sodium-filled exhaust valves. Though the forced-induction four-pot is good for 208 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, an overboost function can step up the power to 207 lb-ft.

For the first time, Mini buyers can snag their own John Cooper Works creation with a six-speed automatic transmission, complete with wheel-mounted shift paddles. Combined with electric power steering, the changes should be good enough to offer a sizeable jump in fuel economy.

No official numbers have been released as of yet, but Mini says the new John Cooper Works Hardtop is capable of returning 7.1 liters per 100 kilometers on the EU cycle when equipped with the automatic gear box. That works out to around 33.1 mpg, though the Environmental Protection Agency figures are bound to vary greatly.

Mini has also officially announced the John Cooper Works Countryman will feature all-wheel drive as standard equipment. Using the same engine and transmission options as the rest of the JCW line, the high-riding JCW Countryman can nip to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. Scroll down for the full press release.

Continue reading Mini adds revised powertrain, automatic option to John Cooper Works models

Spy Shots: 2014 Mini Cooper gets mellow in yellow

Given the spate of new models Mini has introduced in the past few years, from the Clubman to the Countryman to the Coupe to the Roadster, it sometimes seems like BMW has forgotten about the original model, the plain old Mini Cooper hardtop. It was last redesigned for the 2007 model year, which seems like a long time ago because, well, it is. Which is why Mini will shortly introduce an all-new hardtop Cooper, which our camera spies have captured testing in Europe.

We're told that the new model is codenamed F56, but more importantly, its underpinnings are said to be shared with the next-generation BMW 1 Series. While Mini will continue to put four-cylinder engines underhood, there's presumably a three-cylinder in the works as well, though we're not sure whether that model will make it to our shores.

While we've seen some spy shots of the 2014 Mini Cooper before, these seem to confirm that the car will grow a bit in size, both length and width. We are told that the longer hood and greater front overhang may be the result of fake front body panels, but the new front and rear glass appears to accurately represent the forthcoming production car, which will have a more raked angle to its windshield and rear window.

BMW is expected to start production of the 2014 Mini Cooper early next year.

Official: New Mini John Cooper Works GP unveiled

Spy shots pretty much said it's coming, and here it is: the new Mini John Cooper Works GP. It's making an appearance at the Mini United Festival in France this weekend, and while Mini has yet to detail specific power numbers or show off the car's interior, it has produced a Nurburgring time: 8 minutes, 23 seconds, which, as we reported back in April, betters the last Mini GP (circa 2006) by 19 seconds.

Like its predecessor, the GP-spec hardtop loses its back seat for weight reduction, gets a full complement of power and suspension upgrades, including a race-spec suspension and brakes, and sports exclusive aero tweaks, wheels and graphics to differentiate itself from "regular" JCW models. Figure on a power figure north of the 214 horses the last GP produced (standard JCW Minis make 208 hp right now). Only 2,000 of the new Mini JCW GPs will be built and sold globally.

Given that the regular John Cooper Works models are fairly marvelous as is, the GP should be deliriously fun. No pricing yet, but since a loaded-up John Cooper Works easily runs into the high-$30K range now, we'd expect the limited-production GP to skip right past the $40,000 mark.

Now, when are they unveiling the GP Coupe?

New Mini John Cooper Works GP unveiled

Spy shots pretty much said it's coming, and here it is: the new Mini John Cooper Works GP. It's making an appearance at the Mini United Festival in France this weekend, and while Mini has yet to detail specific power numbers or show off the car's interior, it has produced a Nurburgring time: 8 minutes, 23 seconds, which, as we reported back in April, betters the last Mini GP (circa 2006) by 19 seconds.

Like its predecessor, the GP-spec hardtop loses its back seat for weight reduction, gets a full complement of power and suspension upgrades, including a race-spec suspension and brakes, and sports exclusive aero tweaks, wheels and graphics to differentiate itself from "regular" JCW models. Figure on a power figure north of the 214 horses the last GP produced (standard JCW Minis make 208 hp right now). Only 2,000 of the new Mini JCW GPs will be built and sold globally.

Given that the regular John Cooper Works models are fairly marvelous as is, the GP should be deliriously fun. No pricing yet, but since a loaded-up John Cooper Works easily runs into the high-$30K range now, we'd expect the limited-production GP to skip right past the $40,000 mark.

Now, when are they unveiling the GP Coupe?

Long Term: 2011 Mini Countryman: April 2012

April was a busy month for the long-term 2011 Mini Countryman, with over 2,500 miles added to the odometer and a heaping helping of people and things passing through its doors. When I picked up the Countryman, I was impressed by the fact that all four of its winter tires were neatly stowed behind the front seats. However, the biggest of Mini models didn't fare so well when the rear seats were occupied.

On a shopping day with the kids, a relatively small amount of goods proved to be far too much for the Countryman's diminutive trunk. As a result, I had no choice but to disperse boxes at the feet of my wife and kids, which was a decidedly unpopular move (don't let the smiles fool you). The kids didn't love the lack of roominess, but I can assure you that my 2,500 miles were mostly enjoyable.

I got a huge kick out of the Countryman's spirited handling, even though I didn't find our long-termer to have the same go-kart-like demeanor of its smaller siblings. The good news, however, was that I was able to average 26 miles per gallon during my month with the Mini, with a high of 30 mpg and a very entertaining low of just over 20 mpg. But don't blame the Countryman for that 20 mpg number - that tank of gas was all about exploring the performance limits of our smallest long-term loaner. And even so, my own average fuel economy is higher than the dismal numbers that Editor Ewing brought up in last month's update.

One thing I didn't like about the Countryman was a sometimes jarring ride, which we've attributed, in part, to the dreaded run-flat tires. The throttle was also a bit odd, as the first few degrees of pedal travel felt a bit dead. It took a few days to get used to it, and it helps to always drive in Sport mode.

The Countryman did require a non-scheduled trip to the dealership during its month in my hands. After just a few days with the car, I noticed that the fan kicked on at full blast every time I turned on the car. I didn't think much of it at first, until I came back outside one day and discovered that the fan was still on after about 10 minutes of the vehicle being turned off. The 'check engine' light illuminated the very next day, so off to Motor City Mini we went. As it turned out, the engine's thermometer was on the fritz, and the dealer replaced the part under warranty. That one issue aside, we've enjoyed nearly 15,000 miles of carefree Mini motoring.

Our Mini will spend the month of May shuffling between a number of staffers, with a few road trips planned as warmer weather starts to grace southeast Michigan. Stay tuned to see how the Countryman fares.

Keep your eyes locked on the official Autoblog Facebook page for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (@therealautoblog, look for the #ablongterm hashtag).

Official: Mini previews 2012 Life Ball Roadster

Mini has been involved with Life Ball, one of Europe's largest charity events, since the brand first bowed in 2001. This year, the automaker turned a brand-new Mini Roadster over to Franca Sozzani, chief editor of Italian Vogue, for a complete makeover. Sozzani dipped the convertible two door in matte Deepest Purple paint with contrasting rally stripes and added steel accents on the side mirrors and wheels to help set the machine apart from the standard model. The charity car also sports a unique floral design on the roof. Mini will auction off the special Roadster at the Hall of Ceremonies at Vienna's Hofburg palace.

Life Ball highlights the fight against AIDS. The celebrity-studded event features live music and a fashion show, and Mini says that sales of its past Life Ball models have raised over $654,000 for AIDS research. Scroll past the break for the full press release.

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Auctions: Why did this Mini sell for over $65,000?

There's good reason this Mini more than doubled it's pre-sale estimate, and it's not because Neil Armstrong once drove it. No, Lot 307 at Bonhams' Hendon, U.K., sale was bid up to $65,100 because it's an exceptionally rare early Mini, just the eighth of the iconic cars ever manufactured, according to the auction company.

The seller was clearly able to capitalize on the current collector car trend of finding unrestored survivor cars - those gems that have somehow escaped not only the ravages of time and oxidation, but five decades of enthusiastic collectors armed with an attitude that tearing it down to the base metal and building it back up, "better than new," is the only way to enjoy vintage iron. The auction company advertised this 1959 Austin Seven (the Mini name wasn't applied to the Austin version until 1961) as the oldest unrestored Mini, saying that only three earlier cars are known to exist, one of which is in the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust museum.

Unrestored cars have achieved their recent popularity in part because they serve as records of how the cars originally came from the factory. Production standards in the '50s and '60s were much more lax than they are now, and written records can be hard to come by, hence the need for cars like this to direct historians and restorers alike.

The Mini, of course, is one of the most popular cars of all time, remaining in production with few changes from 1959 through 2000. Over 5.3 million of the cars were produced over that period, before BMW shut down production to launch its modern version of the car.

Scroll down to read Bonhams full catalog description.

Continue reading Why did this Mini sell for over $65,000?

Spy Shots: Mini Paceman Countryman Coupe spotted testing

Mini will launch its seventh model - a two-door version of the Countryman crossover - at the Paris Motor Show later this year, and our trusty spy photographers recently spotted this prototype out testing. Many sources have stated that the car will be dubbed Countryman Coupe when it hits the market, but we've also heard rumors that the vehicle will wear the Paceman name that was given to the original concept that debuted at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show.

Whatever it ends up being called, the two-door Countryman formula is pretty simple. The rear doors have been removed, allowing for a more swept-back roofline that integrates into an updated rear fascia. The rear end design - as previewed in these spy shots, anyway - is immediately reminiscent of the Land Rover Evoque, the Countryman's main competitor.

Mum's the word on powertrain choices, though we'd expect the four-door Countryman's range of naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines to carry over largely unchanged, mated to both front- and all-wheel drive. Stay tuned for the car's official unveiling in Paris later this year.

Sonny Lim sketches the next-generation Mini

Mini has made it clear that it is hard at work on a successor to the automaker's bread-and-butter Cooper. Word has it we'll get our first glimpse at the next-generation Mini toward the end of next year, and when it debuts, Sonny Lim believes the machine will be smaller, more mainstream and far less gimmicky than the current creation.

Having served as the senior designer with BMW DesignWorksUSA, Lim knows a thing or two about BMW styling. His sketches show a modern three-door hatch that's still easily-identifiable as a Mini thanks to bulging fender arches pushed far to the vehicle's corners, pie-plate headlights and a traditional Mini grille.

Lim says the next-generation Cooper will be more true to the concept of the original Cooper. Measuring in at just 140.6 inches from stem to stern, the Mini Zero Concept is shorter than the current hatchback and just slightly longer than the the now deceased Mini Rocketman Concept. The clipped size means the Zero weighs in at 1,851 pounds, which should help it yield better fuel economy and performance with minimal changes to the drivetrain. Head over to Behance.net for a deeper dive.