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We’re getting more and more reports from various sources that the rear bench seat option for the R60 is go for the 2012 model year here in the US of A. We’ve also heard that the bench could be available as soon as July of this year from the factory and, we’re guessing, for retrofit purchase if there are units available. While the rear buckets will likely remain the standard, those looking to seat that fifth passenger will soon be able to do so from the factory. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

While the i8 is undoubtedly the sexier of the two, the i3 that is the big news here. And that’s why what you see above is so big. Our friends at Kilometer have the very first photos of the i3 in the wild testing and showing off the basic shape of the car. 100% electric, the three door hatch is tall and wide with a very high front end and beltline. You can see the entire series of photos over at Kilometer. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Autocar.co.uk is reporting that MINI’s Ian Robertson “has given clear indications that the MINI Rocketman could make production and gives hints towards other future MINIs.” Now it almost goes without saying that a production version of this smaller MINI wouldn’t have the Rocketman name or most of the Rocketman concept details. What would be very likely to remain are it’s shape, its dimensions, its likely 3-cylinder powerplant and and its 3+1 seating. Robertson went on to infer something that we’ve suspected here at MotoringFile — that aspects of the Rocketman concept are clues toward the design future of MINI, including the next generation hatch. “The themes in the car are not just about a smaller MINI. Lightweight construction, and new types of components will go on to MINIs. The BMW i-concept will be available to all members of the group.” We’ll keep you posted with more concrete information when we have it. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

A little news, a little Ask Chad and a little gas talk. Put that altogether and you have a fresh batch of Woofcast! Todd and I kick things off with a bit of news from Motorngfile.com like we like to do. Then, Todd and Chad bring us home with a few Ask Chad. As a special bonus for you, we talk a little about the price of gas and the weather. We weren’t able to get Gabe on this week, but if you want to hear about his Munich trip, check out the latest Bimmercast to hear all about it. Download | WRR @ iTunes | 24.8MB | 54:07 </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Are you excited about the MINI WRC yet? We are. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

MINI has been out in the front with MINI Connected yet it’s not easy thing to encapsulate in an article or even a commercial. So MINI has released a two minute long video (a la Apple) explaining the technology and how easy it is to use. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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Last week we found a mostly positive review of the Countryman All4 from the NYT. Here we have a very different perspective from Dan Neil across town at The Wall Street Journal. The purity squads have their tiny knives out for the BMW Mini Countryman, and who can blame them? A 3,200-pound, four-door, all-wheel-drive Mini as big as a Nissan Juke and as potentially as spendy as a BMW 3-series, pushing $40,000? Why, it’s ridiculous, it’s absurd. You might as well suggest a Ferrari four-wheel-drive station wagon. Oh dear Lord. When did that happen? Mr. Neil goes on to both praise MINI for making this bigger vehicle capable, stylish and remarkable in its segment — and then aim some very valid philosophical criticism at the very existence of the R60 in the MINI brand. Regardless of where you come down on the Countryman fanboy/hater spectrum, it’s a thoughtful review that’s worth reading. Read the full article (and view its video content) here. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Today, “all the news that’s fit to print” includes a thoughtful review of the MINI Countryman. Ezra Dyer kicks off with an observation we at MotoringFile know all to well. It’s an immutable law of the car business: the more focused a company’s lineup, the greater the outrage when that company decides to expand its product range. When Porsche introduced the Cayenne S.U.V. as a 2004 model, purist fans reacted as if the company had announced it was branching into unicycles and Justin Bieber merchandise. “That’s not a Porsche!” cried many people who have never bought, nor will ever buy, a Porsche. …Just as the aforementioned companies have long histories of building sports cars, the name Mini evokes sprightly front-wheel-drive two-door hatchbacks. So the new Mini Cooper S Countryman All4 — an all-wheel-drive four-door — is a pretty significant departure. And yet I’m not sensing much righteous frothy indignation among the faithful. While mostly an overview, and not anything readers of this site haven’t heard before, I have to give Dyer credit for being neither an unwavering fanboy, nor a curmudgeonly contrarian when it comes to MINI’s biggest sibling. He neither winks nor scoffs at those quirky things that make a MINI a MINI. That’s refreshing. In this car, as with other Minis, you’re paying for design. The Countryman interior, in particular, looks like something that other companies may cook up for a concept car but then abandon on the way to the showroom. So while it’s certainly no new information or startling insights, the article is worth a read nonetheless. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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This video has been on MotoringFile before, but it’s worth reposting in the context of MINI’s epic return to the World Rally Championship. We’ve seen the official S2000 version of the rally car this week and MINI has confirmed the race venues for this season. Now let’s take a look back at the two chaps who helped build that rich racing heritage as they take a modern MINI ’round the snowy curves of the classic rally route. Fun fact: During the filming of this segment, Rauno pitched the car around one of the corners so hard, he dislodged the nose camera rig right off the front of the car — something the film crew assured him he couldn’t do. The moral of the story: Never underestimate a MINI. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

The MINI Countryman just knocked it out of the park with a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Here’s a direct quote from the IIHS’ site: The Mini Cooper Countryman, a 4-door small car, earns the Institute’s top safety accolade after achieving good ratings for front, side, rollover, and rear impact protection. It is the first Mini to win, and the second model from BMW to achieve top results since the Institute tightened the criteria to include good performance for roof strength in rollover crashes [the other is the 2011 BMW 5 series]. The roof of the Countryman withstood a force equal to nearly 5 times the car’s weight. By comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times weight. <a href="http://www.motoringfile.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/image.jpg">

From MINI Connected to MINI Financial Services, MINI seems to be one of those companies that “gets it” when it comes to mobile. The latest offering is actually for the dealers: mobile-optimized versions of their websites. Customers on their Blackberry, iPhone or Android phone can now search dealer inventories, find hours and even call in for sales or service help. It’s a simple thing in the grand scheme, but keep this in mind. One UX report I read recently said that only as few as 15% of the fortune 500 have mobile-optimized websites. Of those, only about 5 are any good. Mobile web use is on the exponential rise. So well done MINI. Welcome to the future. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

(Updated video) As promised here’s some video of MINI publicly debuting the MINI Rocketman in Geneva. We also have some footage of the new MINI Hampton as well as the MINI Display and Geneva as a whole. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Our friends down under at AUSmotive.com sent us this review of the MINI Countryman, which has just launched in Australia. It’s great to get diverse reactions to the car and this one is definitely worth a look. Now that the Countryman has arrived in Australia we can really begin to form a solid opinion. So, after seeing the car for the first time today, and enjoying a brief test drive, we’re leaning towards loving the love-or-hate four-door MINI. It’s not a full on love affair yet, but we’ve seen enough to warrant a second date. So go give it a read. Big thanks to Liam for sending it in. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

The following review comes to us from WhiteRoofRadio co-host and Detroit Tuned super wrench, Chad Miller. We have all seen the new aggressive styling of the new MINI Countryman, but how is it day to day? Well I had the opportunity to test just that. The plans where set in to motion for a three day weekend to Northern Michigan (or as we call the U.P.) to the littlest big town up there, Marquette. So the first call I made to my local dealer Motor City MINI to ask for the use of a Countryman ALL4. Marquette is bound to get snow in February. It’s not even considered snow up there until it’s more than a foot. I really wanted to test out how the car did in snow of all kinds. So plans where set in motion and I picked up a white Countryman ALL 4, Harmond Kardon, automatic, leather, auto air, sun roof, & full center rail. We loaded up and hit the road. As we drove north from Detroit, I thought about all the things I wanted to test and feel out on the way. So I divided it into 5 sections: Ride, Exterior, Interior, Power, & Traction. Ride I could feel that the car had run flats on, but over the entire trip the ride was very good. The suspension was soft and could take up the bumps in the road with ease. It still had MINI-like handling but the ride was a lot softer than the standard hatch. It’s so much softer, in fact, that you can feel a bit of body lean in the corners. Exterior After years with some many MINI hatches, the four doors were a lot different. You really notice the size of the door — very easy to close because they are lighter, and having a full window frame would take a bit getting used too. But overall I liked the looks of the front end and the sides. The rear end is going to take a bit of getting used to. Interior Since we had a seven hour trip one way, this is where we got to spend most of the time thinking about what we liked and didn’t like. Looks are one thing, but the Interior is where people actually spend their time in any car. I think car companies should spend more time getting the design right. I found several good and bad things with the interior of the Countryman. The seats, while they look good, just weren’t the most comfortable seat after a few hours. They where very flat and didn’t hug me at all. The second flaw I noticed was the lack of real storage. We had three people in the car, each with a small amount of luggage, two sleeping bags, a few misc. bags, as well as some with gear like boots and gloves. We simply ran out of room in the boot. In the end, we had to use the floor and seat area behind the driver. This was only a three-day trip, yet we ran out of room. Next, the center rail looks cool but overall was kind of useless and didn’t really allow the rear passenger to stretch out. Then there’s the hand brake, or parking brake. It works really well and had a great feel. It just wasn’t in the right spot. It made access to the center rail hard, and this car had the I-Pod hook with the USB port — which was right under the hand brake. It made the ports very difficult to access, especially with the very short cord that comes with it. Last but not least, was accessory power outlets. There didn’t seam to be enough. We were traveling with three people, all with cell phones, and everyone needed a charger at one point. When you think about having a GPS or other devices (think kids) that might be plugged in the whole time, you run out of plugs in a hurry. Duel ports front and back would be really nice, but the layout and function of the available plugs was great. It was easy as the driver to reach anything that I needed. MINI also did a very nice job with the interior lighting. The soft glow made everything look so much better and just put a smile on your face. However, the light in the door handle pull was at just the right angle to reflect in the chrome of the handle and catch my eye from time to time. Power This was the Cooper S Countryman so power was no problem and I always felt like I had extra power on demand. We had to pass several cars on a two-lane highway and after a quick signal, the car powered by the slower car with ease. My only complaint on the power side of things was the MPG. We filed up, entered the freeway and set the cruse control till almost empty. While we did have three regular size people in the car with luggage, the best we could get was 24 MPG under real-world conditions. I was thinking that we could get at least 30 MPG. There are several things that could affect this like alignment, tires, and gas quality, but overall I think the weight of the car loaded down, the ALL4, and the very flat front end of the car didn’t help MPG at all. Traction We could really feel the “all wheel drive” part kick in. Normally the Countryman is front wheel drive, but when you get it with the ALL4 option, you can get up to 50% of the power to the rear wheels when the car needs it. In the corners, you can feel a bit more pull thru the exit. We did get to feel almost every bad road condition possible on this trip. The funny thing was Michigan had a warm spell and most of the snow melted before we got up north, so that part of the trip was very uneventful. As we where on the way home, the lower peninsula (the mitten) was getting pounded with a small blizzard. While one of my passengers was a bit nervous, I was driving as fast as I safely could. Just after we crossed the bridge we started to see a few flakes. Within the mile it was complete white out. The weather reports on the radio were calling for 8-12 inches! Traffic slowed to 25 mph, but we where able to keep it at a steady 55 mph in complete control. I attribute this to several things. The xenon lights, the ALL4, and the way the car was balanced. As good as it was, I think with a better tire selection (snow) would help even more, but the traction as-was kept us straight. But where the Countryman really shined was in the snow — any snow. Light snow, blowing snow, deep snow, really deep snow — it didn’t matter. We got home, after driving the whole way in many levels of snow, to a good 8 inches of snow on the ground. From light to light, the car would take off from a dead stop quickly and in a calm manner, even in 8+ inches of snow. This was the most impressive thing about the Countryman. After dropping everyone off, I found a parking lot full of fresh snow to see just what it could do. We tested the Countryman All4 with the traction control on, partly off and fully off, and the car did everything we asked it too. It took off from a dead stop in deep snow with ease. It could take a corner in the snow no problem. You just point it in the direction you wanted it to go and give it some gas. I was very impressed. The car is balanced very well for snowy, low-grip conditions. I think this is why so many are excited to see the Countryman in the WRC. I’m excited for the day when I can get a Countryman ALL4 for on a great set of snow tires and tear through 12 inches of powder! Conclusions Overall I give the Countryman All4 a 7.5 out for 10. I feel it needs to improve the seats and the useable space for luggage. I also wish it had was an ALL4 light to tell you when the rear wheels where being activated. You get a light to tell you when the DSC kicks in, why not a light to tell you when the rear wheels are being activated? Also, the biggest thing I haven’t yet mentioned is the rear seating. For a family vehicle the four bucket seats work well, but with friends we needed that fifth seat. Once we arrived in Marquette and met up with some extra people, we couldn’t really use the Countryman because we always had five people. MINI needs to get the rear bench seat to market in the US as fast as possible. Special thanks to Motor City MINI for the use of their Countryman All4! </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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It’s Rocketman night here under the White Roof gang. To start, Nathaniel, Chad and I talk about it. Then I bring in Gabe and Todd to talk about it. Then, we talk about it just a little bit more before moving into Chad’s review of the Countryman. Make sure you are comfortable kids, there is a whole lotta show comin’ at ya tonight! Download | WRR @ iTunes | 50.5MB | 1:22:14 </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

Part of MINI’s Geneva announcements this morning included official confirmation that the team car will compete at the World Rally Championship Rally d’Italia in May. It’s been spoken of for months, but now it’s official. MINI has also detailed its racing plans for the rest of the season where drivers Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke will compete in five additional rallies in Finland, Germany, France, Catalunya and Great Britain. Also on the presentation stand this morning was the John Cooper Works S2000 spec rally car, which will see its racing debut in private hands in Portugal later this month. Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht, Senior Vice President of Brand Management for MINI, had this to say: “We are delighted to present the MINI John Cooper Works S2000 here in Geneva. MINI has joined forces with a highly experienced partner in Prodrive, and our colleagues in England continue to oversee the development of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. When you add the turbocharged MINI engine and the BMW Group’s expertise in the world of motorsport to the mix, you can see we have an exceptional blend of attributes which will take us quickly to the next stage. The car’s technical make-up and driving characteristics make it the perfect fit for rallying. Entering the WRC takes MINI back to its rally roots and brings this heritage right up to date.” [source: AutoSport] </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

The following is Ian Robertson’s speech introducing the MINI Rocketman and the entire MINI display at the Geneva Motor Show. We’ll have video and photos later in the day. Bienvenue, herzlich willkommen, welcome to MINI! It’s so great to see you all this morning. I have new MINIs to show you and exciting news to share with you, so let’s get to it! Last year, the MINI Countryman had its world premiere here in Geneva. It has already enjoyed phenomenal success right around the world, with over 23,000 happy customers since October last year. This helped to make 2010 our most successful year, with over 234,000 MINIs sold. Already this year, MINI has had a great start. In the first two months we sold more than 30,000 vehicles. And I am absolutely confident 2011 will be another record year for the MINI brand. But enough facts and figures, I know why you’re really here: to see the new MINIs! Let me start by telling you what gives this MINI so much muscle. The MINI Cooper SD comes with the most powerful diesel engine yet. It tops out at 215 kilometres per hour. And it clocks 0- 100 in just over 8 seconds.But don’t let all this performance fool you – the Cooper SD won’t be waiting in line at the petrol pump very often. It consumes only 4.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres, with CO2 emissions of just 114 grams. And, of course, a whole set of MINIMALISM technology comes as standard. All this without giving up any of the pure fun and go-cart feeling you get in every single MINI. The SD engine will be available in all Coopers across Europe in the coming months. While we’re talking about powerful engines, I have to mention MINI’s return to the World Rally Championship in 2011. We’ll kick off things with an official team and car launch on the 11th of April at Plant Oxford, in England.Another way we take things up a notch is MINI Yours! It offers a range of new colours, materials, and design options to make your MINI even more irresistible. You can see the first design model, the MINI Clubman Hampton, directly behind you. Taking its name from the area of southwest London, the Clubman Hampton captures the spirit of MINI Yours with its distinctive style, inside and out. This is the first MINI Yours special edition model and is only available until Speaking of 2012 and London, I hope you will be joining us at the London Olympic Games next summer. As the official automotive partner, the BMW Group will be providing vehicles to support the Games. And of course, the Countryman and the MINI E will be among the cars supplied. You can take a look at the MINI E right here at the “Pavillon Vert”. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I’m thrilled to show you rocket science by MINI. Here it is, our newest concept, the MINI Rocketman! Inspiration for the Rocketman came from its groundbreaking roots. When Sir Alec Issigonis put pencil to paper over fifty years ago and drafted the first MINI, he made history. He created a car with a minimal footprint and maximum interior space. Simply put: this car was revolutionary. The Rocketman captures this spirit of the original, whilst offering the visionary design and clever functionality. As we all know, cities are growing and this means: room to manoeuvre is shrinking and the environment needs protecting. At 3.4 metres, the Rocketman is just slightly bigger than the original MINI. But on the inside, it’s spacious and full of innovations. As we say at MINI, “It’s bigger inside than outside.” Its carbon spaceframe construction ensures minimum weight and maximum strength. A lighter car, of course, means less fuel consumption. But the Rocketman takes MINI’s hallmark “clever use of space” even further. You can see this in the agile double-hinged Clam Doors. As well as with the handy Boot Box, an expandable luggage compartment. What’s also unique: you can arrange the seats for a “full-blooded driving experience”. Or, when your friends are in the back, you just move the seats forward to make more room for them. And ambient lighting lets you customize the mood for each of the driving modes. What’s more, this car advances mobile connectivity with the removable central control unit, the Carry on Key. The Rocketman is firmly linked to MINI’s strong heritage whilst focusing on future innovations. This is exactly what MINI fans expect. We’re always looking ahead here at MINI. With this in mind, please welcome the new Head of MINI Design, Anders Warming. Anders started with DesignworksUSA in 1997 before joining us in Munich in 2005. You can see how committed he is to this job— giving up the weather in California for Munich. I know we’ll see some amazing things from Anders and his team. Now, ladies and gentlemen, come on and take a closer look at these fantastic new MINIs! Thank you. </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше

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Last Friday we gave you an exclusive look at MINI’s new high-end exclusive options program that includes options, limited edition models and accessories. Today MINI we bring you the official release hot off the presses. But before we get into the release let’s look at a few highlights within the options list: Highclass Grey metallic Laguna Green metallic 17-inch light-alloy wheels in Twin Blade Spoke design Soda Mirrors with hologram effect Lounge Leather seats in Satellite Grey with Highclass Grey and crown pattern Full Walknappa leather trim for instrument panel (upper section of the panel is black and – depending on the seat upholstery – the centre section is Polar Beige or Satellite Grey) Leather gearshift lever gaiter with contrasting stitching in Polar Beige or Satellite Grey and a two-tone leather steering wheel with matching colour scheme for the hub. Look for even more options this summer and a new special edition that’s even more ‘bespoke’. Official Release: As a pioneer and one-off in the premium small car segment, MINI offers an options range unmatched in its variety to allow customers to configure their car exactly how they desire. Buyers can choose from a large selection of exterior paint finishes, light-alloy wheels, upholstery variants, interior trim and Colour Lines, MINI-specific options such as mirror caps and graphics, and numerous other optional extras and accessories, to make every MINI a one-off creation designed in detail to reflect their own individual style. From spring 2011 MINI will open up another new avenue for the ultra-stylish customisation of the brand’s cars. The MINI Yours range of products will feature exclusive design options delivered from the factory for the exterior and interior of the current range of MINI models. Among the features of the MINI Yours range are unusual paint finishes, upholstery variants and interior colours, stylishly configured equipment packages and limited editions based on the now four model series in the MINI family. Individuality with style: colours, materials and trim elements enable detailed personalisation. The MINI Yours range will initially include the two exterior paint finishes Highclass Grey metallic and Laguna Green metallic. Customers can then add some neat flourishes with MINI Yours Tattoo Funky and MINI Yours Tattoo Glorious graphics and colour schemes made up of white, grey and black. The 17-inch light-alloy wheels in Twin Blade Spoke design can also be given an individual stylistic touch with a white trim ring on the wheel rim. Elsewhere, an innovative film application lends the mirror caps in Soda Mirror design a fascinating hologram effect.For the interior, the MINI Yours range contains items such as Lounge Leather seats in the colour variant Satellite Grey with Highclass Grey and a stylish crown pattern matching the trim strip on the instrument panel. Full Walknappa leather trim is also available for the instrument panel. The upper section of the panel is black and – depending on the seat upholstery – the centre section is Polar Beige or Satellite Grey. This colour variant is also available for the Colour Line. To match these options, there is a leather gearshift lever gaiter with contrasting stitching in Polar Beige or Satellite Grey and a two-tone leather steering wheel with matching colour scheme for the hub. Exclusive paint finishes, unique interior design: MINI Clubman Hampton. An exclusive variant of the MINI Clubman takes centre stage for the premiere of MINI Yours. The MINI Clubman Hampton special-edition model embodies the character of MINI Yours – underpinned by uncompromising premium quality and brand-specific design cues – in a highly concentrated form. Its design features reference both the brand’s British heritage and the special edition’s unique designation, inspired by the southwest London suburb. At the same time, the first limited-edition variant of the MINI Clubman continues a tradition established by successful editions of earlier models. For example, the Park Lane, Seven, Checkmate and Sidewalk editions of the MINI offered customers particularly neat ways to satisfy their desire for exclusive configurations. The MINI Clubman Hampton is painted in the Reef Blue metallic shade developed specially for this model. The roof and surrounds for the special edition’s rear doors are silver, as are the wheels and Colour Line. The exterior colours Pepper White, Midnight Black and Eclipse Grey can be specified as an option, while Black and Reef Blue are available as contrast colours for the roof and C-pillars. The light-alloy wheels in Twin Blade Spoke design can be ordered in silver or black with a dark red trim ring. The headlights come with black reflectors if the optional xenon units are specified. A logo on the B-pillar and “Hampton” lettering on the side indicator surrounds and radiator grille provide subtle references to the car’s exclusive status. The “MINI 50 Hampton” lettering on the door entry strips recalls the introduction five decades ago of an additional body variant of the classic Mini, which today ranks as the historic predecessor of the MINI Clubman.Unmistakable and in a limited run. The interior of the MINI Clubman Hampton also boasts a very distinctive style. An “H” on the seat tags, red edging and orange contrast stitching are the identifying features of the black Lounge Leather seats. The anthracite- coloured roof liner, the likewise anthracite dials of the rev counter and the speedometer on the Centre Speedo also contribute to the model’s special ambience. The Centre Speedo is bordered by a trim ring in matt dark red, like that on the wheels. The Chili Pack is also included in the MINI Clubman Hampton, adding items such as a sports leather steering wheel, foglamps, automatic climate control, an on-board computer, a light package, a storage package and special velour floor mats in the style of the special-edition model. This exclusive special edition will be available in MINI Cooper Clubman, MINI Cooper S Clubman, MINI Cooper D Clubman and MINI Cooper SD Clubman guise. Production of the MINI Clubman Hampton will be limited to one year. Full Gallery [show as slideshow] [View with PicLens] </img></img> </img> </img> </img> </img> Читать дальше