DimON

MINI has been slowly revealing bits and pieces of the MINI Yours program over the past few months, and now they’re rolling out the full program in the UK. With special editions such as the Hampton, Soho, London and including the MINI Inspired by Goodwood (the Rolls Royce MINI), the program also features an assortment of standalone options that any owners can order for their Hardtop, Coupé, Convertible or Clubman. MINI Yours for the Countryman will debut in 2012. Full details and gallery after the break. [Official Release] By offering a huge range of style, comfort, convenience and technology options, MINI has always been ahead of the pack at encouraging owners to personalise their cars. Now the British brand is taking this unique appeal and innovation to a new level of sophistication with the launch of a stunning collection of premium options, called MINI Yours. MINI Yours is pure differentiation by design, a vast catalogue of exclusive and design-led exterior paints, tattoos, interior trims and upholsteries that are completely new to MINI. It will ensure a bespoke and truly stand-out result for every owner. Walking into a MINI showroom, any customer can still personalise their purchase from the much-loved and comprehensive list of options. MINI Yours operates at the next level, turning the fun of deciding how your car is finished into an art form. Buyers can select a MINI limited edition such as the MINI Inspired by Goodwood, MINI Soho, Clubman Hampton or the recently announced London 2012 edition. These have all now been integrated into the MINI Yours programme. And for a genuinely bespoke design, customers can select as much or as little as they like from the extensive range of exclusive MINI Yours options. “The introduction of MINI Yours underlines MINI’s reputation as the benchmark car brand in customisation. The sheer number of options available through MINI Yours means customers can tailor-make their MINI using exclusive colours, designs and materials like never before; creating a MINI like no other on the road,” said Jochen Goller, Director of MINI UK. In addition, MINI will lend a helping hand to that process by creating a number of special MINI Yours packages. To celebrate the programme’s UK launch, the first of these is the MINI Avenue. The MINI Avenue package is available with either Highclass Grey or Laguna Green metallic paint. Both feature an identical interior with an exclusive ‘Soda’ repeating design motif. The car’s standard spec includes Satellite Grey Soda Lounge leather with matching black floor mats, Bi-colour Sport leather steering wheel with multi-function controls, Soda mirror caps and special effect white bonnet stripes. The vehicle runs on 17-inch twin-blade spoke alloy wheels. The price of the exclusive MINI Avenue package is £4,880 on a MINI One or One D, Hatch, Convertible or Clubman, which means a MINI One D Avenue would cost £19,360 OTR. “The MINI Avenue package has a sophisticated, classy character,” explained Jochen Goller. “in the future MINI Yours packages will include all sorts of characters; from performance-oriented and masculine designs to really distinctive standout styles. This will make finding two same MINIs on the road even harder!” Tantalisingly, he hinted at even greater levels of MINI customisation in the future. “MINI Yours is an exciting and innovative development for the brand, but it’s just one more step on the journey. It’s not the end. There is far more to come from MINI.” MINI Yours Gallery </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/3564016522_8b50f87247_b.jpg" rel="lightbox-20731">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/stickers.jpg" rel="lightbox-21218">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/my_MINI_desktop1.jpg" rel="lightbox-20998">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/P90086685_highRes.jpg" rel="lightbox-21204">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/desktop-1024x747.jpg" rel="lightbox-20959">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mini_dominates_the_baja_portalegre_500_news_full.jpg" rel="lightbox-21185">

The year-over-year sales results for October are in, and led by best-yet Countryman sales, MINI is up 37% overall. The afore-mentioned Countryman, which has been on sale in the US since last December, had its best month to date with 2,012 units sold state-side. Last year we predicted the Countryman would eventual eclipse sales of the hatch this winter. As you’ll see after the break it’s around 50 units sold away from doing that already. To say the Countryman has been a success in the US market is a bit of an understatement. Also interesting are the sales numbers on the Coupé, which at 414 units, is only outselling the Convertible. Look for that number to rise with a full month of sales and better awareness of the new model, but also expect the Hardtop and Countryman to stay at the top and battle for the sales lead over the next year. Full figures after the break. [source: MINI] </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/P90085951_highRes.jpg" rel="lightbox-20982">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P90086002_highRes.jpg" rel="lightbox-20915">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P90086070_highRes.jpg" rel="lightbox-20932">

Which would you have? All things (price) being equal, which would you prefer to have in your driveway? Vote after the break. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. <a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2012-MINI-Roadster-103-1024x6611.jpg" rel="lightbox-20905">

Here’s the latest in MINI’s Another Day, Another Adventure series of videos. This time, they’re featuring the new MINI Roadster and the always fascinating city of Istanbul. Full press release after the break. Official Release: This debut film was shot on the history-laden streets of Istanbul. Emmy-nominated director Peter Berg (Hancock, Very Bad Things) announces the newest player on the MINI line-up with sophisticated calm in the face of adventure. Caught under a morning sun that seems to have come up a little sooner than expected, the MINI Roadster emerges from the dusty heart of the Bosporus capital to eventually discover the kind of smooth early morning drive we all fantasize about. Want a taste of that dream? Watch and enjoy. </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Want a closer look at the newly announced MINI Roadster? Look no further than the 75+ photos in the gallery below. We’ve got every detail, inside and out, captured for your inspection. And be sure to give us your first impressions in the MF comment section. </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MINI-Roadster-551.jpg" rel="lightbox-20737">

Dear Motoringfile.com readers, On October 21, 2011, I finally got the chance to drive the what is possibily the most argued about MINI ever created; The MINI Countryman. The MotoringFile long-term tester, in a drive from Illinois to Michigan, where we where celebrating Woofcast 400. Following Gabe in his fancy BMW, we begin our journey to Detroit by navigating to the nearest coffee shop. The roads were quaint and all of the trees were changing color, something I’m not used to being from the West Coast. Coffee procured, we begin heading out of town, starting with a run down Lake Shore Drive. Around town, this MINI drives as you would expect. You can tell it’s larger than the hardtop, and heavier too. It definitely drives heavy. A fact that I found really noticeable going around corners without the sport button pressed. Navigating Chicago’s pot-hole riddled roads was a breeze, with a good ride. I would have expected this MINI to have a quieter interior. There was a fair amount of road noise from the run-flat tires and wind noise from the windows. And this was at speeds much less than highway speeds. On the highway, it was a great cruiser. And not afraid of speeds that could earn you more than a few motoring awards. I had my iPhone connected for music playback and the bluetooth connected for voice communications, and both of those worked very well as you would expect. MINI Connected was installed, so I put it on my iPhone. I didn’t get a chance to really play with it, but I did look and I wasn’t impressed. Something I would want to revisit in the future. Is it me, or has the nav system gotten slow? I’m used to navigation provided by a stand-alone device or the older nav systems. This one seemed to lag quite a bit. By which I mean I knew where I was 10-20 seconds after I was there. Tough to decide on “is it this street or the next one?” when there is so much lag. Halfway through Indiana we made a stop for provisions for the evening and some lunch. I had about 3 hours in this MINI so far and wasn’t really impressed. Little things had bothered me like the way it handled and the amount of noise in the cabin at speeds. Also, while the entertainment/nav system is chock full of features, getting around in is not what you expect. It’s a push down and turn controller, that you turn the opposite way that you think you should to makes the changes you want. I spent 6 hours in the driver seat of that MINI and never got used it. Driving it on the highway, besides the road and wind noise, was nice. It was a comfortable ride and I was never not comfortable in the sport seats. One thing I did notice on this that I haven’t noticed on the 6-speed manual transmission before is the sheer reach required to get into 5th and 6th gear. I felt as if I was reaching into the passenger side footwell to make the gear change. But I have a short wingspan. Gabe kept telling me that hitting the sport button was where it’s at, so I did. Everything tightened up a bit, throttle response improved and in general, it felt like sport mode, but not really. I could tell a change in acceleration or throttle response while in sport mode, but just barely. The steering did felt a a little tighter too. Then, I did straight line acceleration with the sport button pressed. What a squirrelly machine! Gobs of torque steer and an overall feeling of being a little out of control. But boy does this MINI go! In unsuccessful attempts at keeping up with Gabe and Nathaniel in the BMW, I made the red needle travel north of 100MPH more than once. I was really excited to get the chance to drive this MINI over an extended period of time and glad that I did. I also know that many of you really enjoy your Countryman, and I’m sure with time (and some non-runflat tires), I would too. I’m disappointed that the first impression wasn’t that great. Sincerely, Don ‘db’ BurnsideMINI Enthusiast, Podcast host, 2003 R50 driver </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MG_32718.jpg" rel="lightbox-20702">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/wrrlive.jpg" rel="lightbox-20696">

mikebush +1 опередил меня. На последних 4х(!!!) страницах высказаны буквально следующие конструктивные критические замечания: 1. Место для финиша было маловатым. 2. Не на всех чеках персонал был подготовлен должным образом. Не волонтёры, а именно персонал самой организации. Человеческий фактор, с которым сложно бороться, но пробовать нужно. 3. Много бегали. В этот раз для многих это было весело (для меня в том числе), но в зимнем квесте лучше избежать. 4. .... собственно всё. Теперь по остальному трёпу-ниочём: 1. Если вам, вашим сотрудникам, хамят, то вы реагируете! Те кто говорит о непрофесионализме Ольги за то, что она выплеснула на всех свой правилный гнев за людское неуважение к близким ей людям - такие же хамы. Один товарищ за это ушёл только что в читальню на 3 дня. Будут ещё желающие - тоже пойдут. И мы ещё называемся КЛУБОМ, СООБЩЕСТВОМ, мать вашу! Я всегда думаю о всех как о семье. Так получается, что всё по житейским правилам - в семье не без ..... 2. Если кому то не нравится что-то в любом клубном мероприятии, есть 2 варианта развития событий: а) больше в них не участвуй или б) организуй сам лучше. Все готовы лаять с трибун! Иди и сделай или вали! Повторяю ещё один (наверное 500й) раз: MINIpeople -это абсолютно добровольное собрание людей! Никто, никому тут НИЧЕГО не обязан! В том числе и организации-партнёры клуба. Ну и в завершение: лично я, считаю эти 3 квеста одними из наиболее организованных из всех клубных квестов. В этой серии квестов была проявлена организованность наивысшего класса среди людей, которые делали это в первый раз, в частности, и среди оргов просто квестов в целом! Пока все шапкозакидатели этой темы не попробуют сделать квест своей группкой сами, считаю большинство высказыванием пустым трёпом. Организаторам - зачёт почти по всем пунктам! По тем, по которым незачёт, критика была высказана уже субботним вечером и, уверен, все они, по возможности, будут устранены. Совет на следующий квест как оргам, так и всем участникам: - Перед началом выполнения задания на чеке попросите листок с подробным описанием задания. Он есть на каждой точке, но иногда его забывают дать орги или участники не смотрят на него. Читайте внимательно. - есть смысл на каждом чеке спрашивать есть ли тут секретное задание. Иногда, когда стоит очередь, чекер может забыть или неуспеть выдать (мы быстро бежим в машину и в спину уже ничего не слышим) вам доп легенду и тогда вы в пролёте. - Одевайтесь удобно и по погоде. - задания не являются супер секретной шифровкой. Не вчитывайтесь в задание слишком "глубоко", но и не упускайте ключевых слов.

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/3cylinder1.jpg" rel="lightbox-20686">

It’s no understatement that the MINI WRC team is racing strong this year. Even though drivers Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke are only running about half of this year’s rally schedule of 13 races, they’ve already managed two podium finishes and and a 4th/5th finish in their latest race, the Rally of Spain. After the race, Meeke had this to say: After 40 kilometres [25 miles] we were only four seconds off the top speed. Now we know we’ve got a fast car on our hands. Next year we’ll be competing for the championship title. For a team just getting off the ground, in an incredibly challenging racing series like WRC, MINI’s successes so far are nothing short of phenomenal. It’s a testament not only to MINI’s racing heritage, but MINI’s commitment to taking their entry into the WRC very, very seriously. By partnering with Prodrive, MINI isn’t just dabbling with racing for the sake of marketing. They’re out to win. Kris Meeke thinks they can chase down the WRC title next year, and if these early showings are any indication, I believe him. [source:MINI Space] </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

The MINI WRC Team was in a celebratory mood at the end of Rally RACC – Rally of Spain. Not only did Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) and Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) finish fourth and fifth respectively, but the MINI John Cooper Works WRCs were also first and second fastest on the Power Stage. While it was Sordo’s home event, it was Meeke who took the honour and the three points for being fastest on this final stage. This was the first WRC stage win for the Northern Irish driver and, in fact, he has now scored his first ever WRC points. The result was helped by an inspired tyre choice at the start of the day. The team’s weather forecast showed rain was expected later in the day, and so they chose to ignore what the other works teams were doing and opt for the appropriate Michelin tyres. Both cars left Salou after the mid-morning halt with two soft tyres on the right hand side, two hard tyres on the left hand side and two soft spares. This proved difficult for the drivers on the two long tarmac stages which were held in the dry, but as the first cars arrived at the final Coll de la Teixeta stage the promised rain came. This was vital and gave Meeke the fastest time, Sordo the second and the customer MINI of Daniel Oliveira the fourth. Third quickest was Sébastien Loeb (FR) who assured Citroen of the 2011 Manufacturers’ titlle. Dave Wilcock, Technical Director: “Obviously we started the day wanting to maintain our positions and keep Sébastian Ogier behind us. On the morning loop Dani picked up a puncture in one of the stages, and that cost 25 seconds so was really close. On the second loop all the weather forecast were showing various options, and it was a matter of which one you chose to believe. When the cars left no one had any idea what the other teams were running in terms of tyre strategy. Our call at the time was it was going to rain halfway through the second stage of the loop, so we took what we considered at the time a safer option and we went for four soft and two hard. We had the wrong tyres for the first stage, and then realised Ford had taken five hard tyres and Citroen four hard and two soft. They believed it was going to stay dry. After the first stage we took a big hit on time, as we were clearly on the wrong tyres. Going into the second stage Ogier’s engine let go, which was fortunate. Then fortunately our weather forecast came true and the power stage had rain just prior to the stage start. We were on the right tyre at the right time. We were one or two by a country mile. We just picked up and extra five points for the drivers in that stage. Credit has to go to Michelin for the durable tyre, because even with the soft tyre on the drying stages it was not that bad. Impressive as ever.” Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37): “It is okay to be fourth, but we lost a lot on the first day on the gravel stages and with the dust. We had hoped the rain would have come a little bit earlier today. For the first two stages we had the wrong tyres and the others had the right ones, then in the final stage we had the right ones. It was fun and a little bit slippery in some places. I am quite okay, but not totally happy as I really wanted to finish on the podium on my home rally, but it didn’t happen this time.” Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52): “That was the perfect end to this rally for me. I knew we had made a good start to the stage, but then knew I had messed up on the last roundabout. I had a quiet word with my engineer, Teena (Gade), in service before the last loop and she was saying just get it home as we will be happy with a finish now. I was so frustrated and wanted to go fast, as I loved the power stage the first time through. To be quicker than Dani on the same tyres on his home patch is something pretty special. Over the whole rally I don’t have the experience to compete with the other guys yet, but this shows that when I know where we are going we can be with them.” </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/sordo_gunning_for_podium_news_full.jpg" rel="lightbox-20671">

<a href="http://s3.motoringfile.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/P90083040-1.jpg" rel="lightbox-20642">

UK-based AutoCar has some spy shots of a particularly interesting MINI Countryman apparently in the hands of WRC specialists Prodrive. The rumored details are particularly interesting. It’s an All4, it’s got custom wheels and a hulking carbon fiber wing on the back. Under the hood, AutoCar’s sources are saying: Performance upgrades include a Prodrive-branded Milltek exhaust and a Superchips-tuned version of the Cooper S’s turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine. Sources have indicated that the car had run 230bhp on the dyno, but Superchips is still hoping for even more power and a larger turbo was under consideration. So what is it? Is it a one-off? Will this be a special edition available for sale? Details are still vague, but we’re actively reaching out to our sources for more information. No mention yet of suspension setup or whether the All4 system has been reprogrammed for a more performance-oriented focus. But let’s clarify a couple of things we do know. This is not the JCW Countryman. That’s a separate animal all together. In fact, this may simply be an aftermarket kit Prodrive would offer through UK MINI Specialists, similar to what they have done for Suburu, among others. Generally, these special editions are produced in small numbers and restricted to UK markets, so we might not see the final car here in The States, if it ever saw production at all. More photos over at AutoCar.co.uk </img><br/></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше