Booth Babes Of The 2012 Moscow International Auto Salon
Chasing The Sun: South American Road Trip
Stay tuned for more from Chasing the Sun: South American Road Trip in the coming months!
MotoringFile Takes First Drive In Long-Term JCW Roadster Tester
So how is it? In a word: impressive. The Roadster is unique in that taking the top off doesn’t result in inherently flawed dynamics. The large structural brace that separates the driver compartment from the boot gives the car far more rigidity than the four seat MINI convertible, and more than any other drop-top I’ve ever driven. What that does for the dynamics is to simply make it feel like a hardtop MINI – perhaps the greatest compliment.
MINI's Moscow International Motor Show 2012 Presence
California Drivers Suck!
Allstate studied the auto insurance claims frequency of America’s 200 largest cities and found that residents of our nation’s capital were found to get into collisions on average once every 4.7 years. This means they’re a whopping 112.1 percent more likely to be party to an accident than the typical driver in the U.S., who wrecks his or her car once every 10 years.
Taken on a statewide basis, California would seem to have the worst drivers overall, placing five cities among the top 25, including Glendale (5), San Francisco (10), Los Angeles (14), Fullerton (16) and Torr[a]nce [sic] (22). New Jersey came in a close second with four cities among the top 25, with Florida and Virginia tied for third with three cities each.
Montreal Gazette Reviews The Roadster
The Mini Roadster packs a lot of fun into a stylish, powerful package that is fun to drive and be seen in. There is very little not to like on this vehicle, from the looks, driving characteristics and the fact it actually has some usable trunk space – always a bonus in any two-seat convertible.
A Weee Ride In A MINI Coupé John Cooper Works
That is what Shkelqim Shabani @ YouTube does pulling a MINI Coupé John Cooper Works from 0-243 kilometers per hour (that's 01-151 miles per hour if you don't have a calculator handy):
Farmers Weekly Reviews All4 On The Countryman
Despite the ride, the size and the price, I've developed a slightly embarrassing soft spot for the Countryman.
It's fun to drive, and makes a refreshing change from all the lookalike soft-roaders on the market. Not a car for those who spend time off-road, but it's ideal for ferrying the kids to school.
A word of warning, though - steer clear of the wallet-draining options list.
A Look At MINI By Puma
MINI JCW GP2 To Be On Display In Laguna Seca MINI Corral
Brisbane's Water Police Get MINI Countryman
"Brisbane Water Police say no to domestic violence and so should you" - a stance police are hoping the community will adopt."
[Source: Express Advocate]
Choosing The Best Auto Air Freshener
MotoringFile Takes A First Look At The JCW GP's Interiorru
Automedia.com Takes A "Quick-Spin" With The 2012 MCS Coupe
Our recommendation? Cooper S Coupe without the sport suspension (it’s just a little too harsh) as a maximum grin-inducing machine that’s fun to drive, fun to be seen in, and a kick to look at sitting in your driveway. We can’t wait to see what MINI comes up with next. www.miniusa.com
MarketWatch Favorably Reviews The 2012 MCS Roadster
The road to happiness begins with the twist of a lever above the center console and getting out of the car to stow the top behind the cockpit and ahead of the 8.5 cubic foot trunk. It clicks into place and you are ready to drive topless with no loss in trunk storage space.
With the top down this is one handsome devil of a car, one that sits there and says to the owner, “Let’s go play!”
Make sure you opt for the “S” model which brings a lovely 1.6-liter, turbocharged in line 4 that produces 181 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and a very nice 192 pound-feet of torque at a low, low 1,700 rpm, with a 6,500-rpm redline. Tie that to a wonderful six-speed gearbox and you can cruise back roads in third and fourth gears with plenty of reserve power available. If you have engaged the “sport” mode, and you should have, the Mini makes a great variety of noises that will send a tickle up the spine of anyone who enjoys the simple act of driving.
MINI Painted Pepto-Bismol Pink
Jordan's Abu Khader Automotive Celebrates 53 Years Of Mini
TTAC Reviews The 2012 MCS Countryman All4
When the Countryman arrived, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. As MINIs go, this thing is huge, but as crossovers go, it’s quite MINI. If you want a German vehicle with British styling, mild off-road prowess, four doors and four seats, this is the vehicle for you. It’s also the American-sized MINI destined to introduce the brand to a wider variety of shoppers. There are only two problems. The first is price. While the Countryman may start at $22,450, the S should be the real base model at $26,050. Why get the CUV if you don’t get AWD? We’re up to $27,750. Add the minimum in gadgetry and you’re over $30,000. With pricing like this, styling becomes the only reason to buy a MINI Countryman over BMW’s own internal competition: the BMW X1.
Auto Express Looks At The MCS Highgate Convertible
The Highgate is a stylish, high-spec addition to the MINI range, and drives with all the verve of the standard car. Buyers don’t make a huge saving – a Cooper S Convertible fitted with the same options doesn’t cost that much less – but the point is to add a little extra exclusivity to MINI ownership.
Detroit Free Press Reviews The MCS Roadster
The Mini roadster is an attractive and in many ways, enjoyable car. Its greatest problem is that Mini builds another car that's very similar and arguably better.
MINI Of Concord Sponsors Oakland Pride
Control A Mini MINI By Bluetooth
With the BeeWi Mini Cooper S and free mobile app that can be used on your smartphone or tablet to enable you to turn your office, kitchen, living room or anywhere else into a Mini Cooper S race track and race the remote controlled vehicle for hours of fun, and the mobile apps pair with the Mini Cooper S over Bluetooth 2.1.
Using the BeeWi control pad app the users gains fully directional steering so you can dive the car in all directions, and features both beginners and expert modes so you can work your way up from being a novice to an expert at driving the Mini Cooper S, which is available for both Android and iOS platforms from John Lewis for £49.99 and from Argos for £39.99.
New MINI Collaboration Models
Motor Trend Pits 2013 Velostar Turbo Against 2012 S Clubman
Motor Trend compares the two and hands the win to the MINI Cooper S. It, in part, concludes:
Experience trumps youthful zeal. It looks like it's from an earlier, simpler time, yet the lessons it's learned and can teach in enjoyable driving are worth their weight in gold.
MINI's "Win Small" Campaign Looks To Be A Huge Success
The pint-size campaign coincides with strong sales figures. The most recent MINI sales report for July 2012 reported the brand’s most successful July to date in the US. It sold 5,855 automobiles in the month of July, up 9.8% from July 2011. On that measure, MINI was the most successful brand in the BMW group, outstripping overall BMW sales that were up by 4% compared with July 2011. The brand now plans to continue its campaign throughout August, indicating that perception may remain high among potential customers.
MINI Connected Update To Version 2.3.0 Now Available
An update to MINI Connected Version 2.3.0 is available for download at iTunes. The application now supports Foursquare and iPhone calendar access. Full details can be found in the official copy from iTunes republished by MotoringFile.
What Can You Pack In A MINI Roadster?
MINI Provides Stability In Turbulent Times
This Is Why Sordo Failed To Podium At The 2012 Rally Deutschland
Chris Atkinson came in fifth and Dani Sordo placed 10th in the 2012 Rally Germany. Sordo experienced tire problems on the penultimate day of the rally, probably in no small part due to this driving error:
"It's Still Cool To Skim A Little Off The Top"
That is how Michael Banovsky subtitles his review of the 2012 MINI Cooper S Coupe for Sympatico.ca Autos. Banovsky likes the vehicle but is taken back by its price:
If you're still reading and don't work for MINI, think the Coupe is cool, and have the money to buy one, please do so. MINI says they're not expecting to sell many, for what it's worth.
I'm not paid to buy cars (and would get fired anyway for spending company money on Citroëns, Tatras, and Matras), I'm paid to, among other things, review cars.
And so I must place the MINI Cooper S Coupe among its competition.
$22,000-odd gets you a 300-horsepower Ford Mustang, a 3-ish-door Hyundai Veloster Turbo will cost $25,000 when it goes on sale shortly, and Mazda's 263 horsepower Mazdaspeed3 is $29,000 and change.
A 200-horsepower Scion FR-S rear-drive sports car—the current darling of sporting types—is $26,000.
I realize it's not exactly fair comparing a new car to a used one, but if you want a stylish coupe, you can find a lightly used certified pre-owned Audi TT with full financing available and extended warranty in the low to mid-$30s. Even a rear-drive, certified pre-owned BMW 1-Series Coupe will run you in the mid to high $20s.
The Mini Cooper S Coupe starts at $31,500.
I'm treating the Coupe as an anomaly in the sparkling MINI lineup. The hatchback is fantastic, and really does deserve all of the praise lobbed its way. The convertible and cabrio offer open-air fun, for a premium. Clubman and Countryman models are for those who need more space.
Like I said in the opening: nobody really knows what's cool. If you like it, buy it. I'll respect you for being a little different, even if it doesn't make sense on paper.
Eastern Switzerland MINI Adventure
Spend a quarter hour with icefiredrops @ YouTube in his MINI on the backroads of Eastern Switzerland.
2012 Rally Deustchland Features Three MINI Crews
2012 WRC Rally Deutschland starts Friday, August 24, 2012 and features three MINI WRC contending teams - Dani Sordo finished the Shakedown in seventh place; Chris Atkinson had the tenth fastest time; and Paolo Nobre is prepared for day 1 according to MINI Motorsport.
Araujo To Sue Motorsport Italia MINI Over Dismissal For Atkinson
Ridelust Reviews The 2012 JCW Cooper Coupe
OK MINI – you’ve done it. You’ve made this die-hard muscle car guy see the light with your little hot-rod roller skate. It handles like a go-kart, has great power and the uncanny ability to plaster a smile on the face of anyone who drives it. This is the 2012 MINI JCW Cooper Coupe and after spending one week and more than 1,000 miles with this little bad-boy I can tell you hands down that this thing is a f*ckin’ riot. I picked up my red and black coupe at San Francisco International airport. I was tired, hung over and quite honestly not in the mood for a road test, much less a spirited drive home. However once I laid eyes on it all that changed. Sitting before me was the little beastie you see here. It looked wickedly bad-ass with its red hat and black trousers and stood out like nothing else in the lot. It was, for lack of a better description, a big middle finger being flipped to the rest of the cookie cutter transportation that littered the lot. Hell, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t psyched knowing that this one was mine.
MCS Less Expensive To Insure Than A Prius
Matt Lauer In A Union Jack MINI
[Source: MINI USA Photos @ Facebook]
Non-Run Flat Run Flat Tires?
. . . that promises to prevent flat tires (from small punctures, anyway), boost fuel economy by up to 10-percent, make tires last up to 25-percent longer and significantly reduce tire noise.The process is called "Rhinotire" and costs $75-$100/tire but adds a pound of weight per tire.
You May Want To Avoid BP Gasoline
The campaign affects unleaded regular gasoline that was shipped from BP’s Whiting, Ind. storage facility last week and acquired at BP gas stations and other locations, which include Costoco, Maijer, Thorntons and Luke Oil gas stations.
With its policy of corporate transparency BP doesn’t explain the problem, although gasoline has caused problems for vehicle owners only inviting customers who experienced problems between August 13 and 17 to call 1-800-333-3991 for assistance.
Coming To MINI Although BMW Buyers Not Happy
In a BMW press release, the maker states that some drivers have "expressed the desire to deactivate this function in certain situations".
While drivers can press a button to deactivate BMW's MSA Automatic Stop/Start, the system reactivates automatically the next time the car is driven.
BMW now says customers can take their cars in to the dealer to have the system set to "last user mode", whereby the stop-start remains in whatever setting it was when the engine was last switched off.
BMW also confirms that its "M" performance models are already set to last user mode.
TTAC Reviews The 2012 And 2013 MINI JCW Coupes
There is little practical reason to buy the JCW Coupé over the regular hatchback JCW Cooper, unless you live in an area with three-person HOV lanes and your carpool is a dynamic duo.The regular JCW Cooper delivers 99% of the fun for nearly $2,000 less, has two extra seats, more cargo room and is far more attractive. If money is no object MINI has an even better solution for you: the MINI JCW Roadster. The drop-top MINI two-seater solves all the aesthetic issues of the Coupé and goes topless to boot. The problem? The price. A roadster is $3,300 more than the Coupé in 2012 and $4,350 more for 2013.
Because of how great the JCW Coupé felt on the track, I spent an entire week trying to find a compelling reason to buy one over the regular JCW Cooper hatchback. I’m still searching. Likewise the MINI Coupé seems to be the answer to a question few have asked. If you are one of the few people I met that liked the way the Coupé looked, or you just want one of the rarest MINIs around, then the JCW Coupé is for you. Everyone else should stop at the Fiat dealer and check out an Abarth on their way to buy the JCW Cooper hatchback.
You Thought Tight Rope Walking Niagara Falls Was Hard?
How about walking a tightrope between two speeding Volvo Trucks? To do it you have got to have Faith - Faith Dickey that is -
[Source: via Jalopnik]
[Source: via Jalopnik]
MINI Cooper S Gets Nailed
Spy Photos Of A Smaller BMW X6
Want a BMW X6 that's smaller, even less practical and has a huge dollop of retro smeared over it? Look no further than our latest spy shots of the new Mini Paceman.
Sordo Eyes Podium In WRC Rally Germany
The Motor Report Reviews The 2012 MINI JCW Roadster
Despite already having a perfectly capable cabrio in its range, MINI gives us this riotous less-is-more Roadster. Less seats, more cargo space, and buckets of fun.
Some will find the price of entry a hurdle, it’s getting up there, but this car is unique. It’s one for extroverts - a bit mad - people who wouldn’t find that topless trip to the snow such an odd thing to do.
Among the convertible classes, the Roadster is at the top of the pile for driver enjoyment: you just can’t ignore that cracking engine and kart-like handling.
With all the John Cooper Works kit, this MINI Roadster is no shrinking violet. If you’re worried what the neighbours might think, then this one isn’t for you. But for a good time, give MINI a call.
Gear Patrol Goes Behind The Wheel Of The MINI JCW Coupe
Bradley Hasemeyer reviews the 2012 MINI John Cooper Works Coupe for Gear Patrol. Claiming "it’s not the best looking Mini out there" Hasemeyer provides this video.
MSN Autos Canada's Quick Spin In A 2012 MCS Coupe
Any way you slice it, $31,000 for a two-seat sports coupe is a lot of money — we're talking certified pre-owned BMW Z4 territory. However, there's plenty to like about it. Out of all the cars we've tested this year, not one has garnered as much attention as the little red Coupé, and none has put a smile that simply cannot be wiped off our faces.
It is true that the Mini Cooper S Coupé does not accelerate more quickly, pull more g-forces around a corner or stop any faster than a standard Cooper S. It is not cheaper, more fuel efficient, or more practical either. But Mini did not promise any of this — only that it's fun. And so, if that's what you're after, we'd say the admission price is worth the while — placebo effect or otherwise.
Facebook "The Source" App For News On The MINI JCW GP
"Leak the news and you could win a test drive. Be The Source."
Enter the Competition.
More MINI RUSHOUR Racing
Here are 8 minutes of highlights from the second race of the fourth weekend of MINI Rushour in Italy including in car video from car number 14 of the Project Team Events' Andrea Gagliardini.
[Source: MrGaia4 @ YouTube]
[Source: MrGaia4 @ YouTube]
Chris Atkinson To Pilot Lead MINI of WRC Rally Team Portugal
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