>> Review by Peter N. >> Photographs by Derek Mau

Pros:

• Small, zippy driving experience
• Cool cockpit design
• Good iPod integration
• Low road noise

Cons:

• Ultra-stiff suspension setup
• Small trunk
• No rear leg room

Introduction
I recall on one of my first trips to Europe coming across a Mini Cooper parked in the street. I was awestruck that anyone would sell, let alone buy, such a small car. We took photos of it to prove to our friends how small European cars were. It really lived up to name. This was back in the 80’s, so it was one of the “original” Mini Cooper designs. Ever since BMW re-launched the MINI Cooper line in 2000, I’ve always wanted to see how the brand that builds the ultimate driving machine would recreate an ultra-small British car. As it turns out, just about what you would expect: a small but very sporty car that is simple, but well done.

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BMW is calling the new MINI Coupé Concept as “an expression of MINI design and the great ability of the brand’s designers to fill the elementary values of the brand with new life, using the options of modern drivetrain and suspension technology, and developing fascinating perspectives for the future of the brand on this basis.”

We see a horde of MINIs here in San Francisco. For major pickup on the hills; squeezing into tight parking spots and a fast, little darter with class and style, the MINI is a huge deal with drivers in the 20-35 age range. I’ve even seen quite a few post-60ish folks in MINIs. These cars represent a very solid merging brand in the Bay Area overall, evident by seeing a ton of them on the highways and roads of Norther California.

The new Concept Coupé is taking the MINI to the maximum, attempting to attract even more career-conscious drivers in their 20’s and 30’s. Corporate types and mid-income rangers alike enjoy the body style, the great mileage and performance. Fast AND green–they love it!

More photographs after the jump:

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Even though BMW’s well loved Mini is selling well, and the all electric version is selling better than their expectations, Mini can’t get off the dime and bring the diesel version to these shores, even though it’s been available, and selling quite well in the Euro markets. Why? First off, it’s the diesel engine. The current diesel in the Cooper D isn’t deemed clean enough for U.S. emissions regulations. Initially Mini suggested a modified version of the Cooper D could make the trip to America, company spokesmen now say it might have to wait until the next-gen clean-burning diesel can be developed for the MINI.

Drat! But I can see the engineering conundrum that Mini, and by extension, BMW face. Sure, BMW has a whole bunch of really nice diesels, and all of the modern ones burn very clean, but all you have to do is look in the engine bay of a 5 series Beemer, and into the shoe box they use for the engine compartment in a Mini and you know there’s going to be fitment issues up the kazoo. And remember, diesels are bulky little mills to begin with.

Another problem facing the Mini D (And all other diesels in the U.S.) is the price of diesel fuel which, for reasons beyond me, is kept artificially high via taxation.

Mini has a rationalization about this, of course. They point out that the price difference between premium gasoline their vehicles require and ordinary diesel is actually quite a bit more manageable. Also folding into the personal auto balance sheet is the operating cost of the Mini D. Those little brutes get SIXTY miles per gallon according to tests run in the U.S. by Bosch, so even though the fuel is spendy, owning one overall is not.

Source: AutoBlogGreen

The first time I fell in love with a Citroën was when I saw the François Truffaut movie, Breathless. The Citroën DS, circa 1958, was like a minor character in the background, looking very tres chic as it zipped along the Champs-Élysées. Besides looking like a work of art worthy enough to hang (yes, I said hang) in the Louvre, what gets me about these old Citroëns is that the rearview mirror sits impractically on top of the dashboard. That is soooooooo French! By far, the old model Citroën is one of my dream cars (though the hills of San Francisco would be a bitch on its suspension). The car looked like it could be in a 1950’s sci-fi movie in order to show what vehicles of the future would look like.

Citroën built almost 1.46 million DS cars between 1955 and 1975, thrilling its loyal drivers with its pneumatic suspension and distinctive sleek design. Owners of the original Citroën DS included Brigitte Bardot, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, and French President Charles de Gaulle who escaped an assassination attempt as DS escaped at top speed despite the fact that two of its tires were shot out. Yes, the Citroën DS was as magical as those who drove it.

Photographs that were leaked out prior to the Geneva International Motor Show after the jump

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By Holly R.

Pros:

• Super-stiff suspension
• Light-weight, small and extremely agile
• Drives like a sports car
• Superp acceleration
• Excellent gas mileage
• You can park this anywhere! EVERYONE has good parking karma in a MINI.

Cons:

• Appeared to not have a Bluetooth (even though there was a phone button on the stereo, I never could get it to work)
• Not all the dials and knobs were intuitive (I’m embarrassed to admit how long it took me to find the window controls…)
• One-touch window control was a bit TOO touchy

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By Adrienne Gruben

BMW unveiled the MINI E yesterday at the Los Angeles Auto Show’s press day, realizing BMW’s long hope of an electric car on the road. You remember BMW’s electric concept car pacing the 1972 Olympic Marathon runners. Ok I don’t either, but a German born American won that year. Was this his “KITT” from Knight Rider? The Germans love Knight Rider.

BMW CEO Dr. Norbert Reithofer spoke with actual glee about the 500 Mini E’s becoming available for an $850/mo, 1 year lease to Southern Californians and New Yorkers by year’s end. And like on American Idol, the audience will control the outcome. Reithofer asked the crowd, “What kind of infrastructure do we need? The important feedback will help us in preparing for production.” And he means it. “This is not just a car to roll out from one event to another. The MINI E belongs on the road.”

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By Francis Cebedo

Introduction:
I am passionate owner of a 2005 Mini Cooper S. I feel that Mini Cooper offers one the finest driving experiences available and it does so with style and efficiency.

I have two kids and have a heavy cycling background so although the Cooper serves me well, I sometimes wish for more space. So when the Clubman S came became available for testing, I was giddy with anticipation. If this Clubman delivered, I would seriously consider selling my Cooper S and VW Passat and buy the Clubman S as my “do it all” sports car.

What followed is an interesting experience. The Clubman S is a very unique car and a lot of design problems were solved to make this ‘stretch’ Mini possible. Does it deliver? Read on and find out.

READ MORE>>

Two Mini John Cooper Works models will make their debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The Mini John Cooper Works and the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman will feature the 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with Twin Scroll turbocharger and direct injection that delivers 207 horsepower and a maximum torque of 192 pound-feet.

The Mini John Cooper Works will accelerate to 0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds, while the Mini John Cooper Works Clubman achieves the same in 6.8 seconds. Both models are also fitted with standard motor racing technology: light alloy rims, light and extremely high-performance brakes, a new exhaust system and a modified six-speed manual transmission. The long and detailed press release is below for those who have some free reading time. Read the rest of this entry »

by Francis Cebedo

Well what do you know… one of my good cycling buddies turns out to be the GM of Dinan Mountain View. Dinan is one of the premier BMW tuners in the US. And since the Mini Cooper is owned and produced by BMW, Dinan has a host of upgrades for the Mini Cooper S.

I call up the GM and we talk about some options. I research the Dinan upgrades and there is nothing but great things about them. R&D, performance, quality, service are all top-notch. They’re not cheap but their upgrades are not hacks or experiments. Everything is designed to work together as an optimized and reliable system.

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By Francis Cebedo

The Mini Cooper S is one of the best handling cars around. The steering is very quick and accurate. The car is low to the ground, lightweight and there is little overhang weight in front of the car and the rear of the car.

To steer the Mini Cooper S into a corner is to experience automotive nirvana.

But it can be improved. Easily! So I hear, so let’s put it to the test. The two upgrades involved today are the H-Sport lowering springs and the R-Speed rear sway bar.

The H-Sport lowering springs lower the front and rear of the car by 1 inch. This is important since the front of the car is already low and lowering it much more will compromise suspension travel too much.

Again, my friend Sean from Sunnyoaks Muffler was up to the task. He installed the springs and it came out perfect. The stance of the car is now perfect with the dreaded wheel-well gap reduced. The handling of the car is improved as the car just rails through corners with authority.

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By Francis Cebedo

So I can hardly hear the exhaust on this car. That needs to change. I find out my exhaust of choice, the Borla Sport is $900 plus installation. That’s not good!Then I find out there’s mod floating around enthusiasts and it’s called the one-ball exhaust mod. The Mini Cooper S has two muffler balls that work in series. The modification is to cut off the first ball, the resonator and just go direct to the muffler. It makes it louder, saves weight and increases power.

Here’s my compilation of the info from NAM.

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By Francis Cebedo

May 19, 2007. Day 6:

So the euphoria continues. Now that I have a good feel for the car, I start scheming for some upgrades. Most people buy a car to get them around. Some people buy a great car that not only gets them around but gets them there in style and very fast. Then there are the tuners and modders. They buy a car and upgrade the heck out of it until it fits their personality and driving style. At the end of the day, I’m a modder.

Mind you, there are more severe forms of car addiction out there. There’s the club racers who take their car to the track at every opportunity. There’s the car builders and there’s the car collectors. Someday, I’ll get there but I need a lot more time and money for these advanced levels.

I’m finding out some of the things that can be improved with the car.

- needs to be louder so I can enjoy the spirited driving experience more. I can hardly hear the exhuast of this car.

- could handle even better, lower stance

- more power. why not.

- ipod compatible

- carry my bikes

- improve the ride quality and handling by ditching the run-flat tires. Mini Coopers, like most BMW’s use run-flat tires. This allows the manufacturer to go without a spare tire in the car. Unfortunately, these tires have a harsh ride, are not the best handling and are expensive.

Here’s photos of the interior and some creative lighting photos.

I’m finding out there’s a whole lot of upgrades available for this car. A great resource is North American Motoring at http://www.northamericanmotoring.com.

May 13, 2007, Day 1:

On Mother’s day, I surprised my wife by telling her I was buying myself a new car. I know, bad taste but what’s a man to do? I’ve been looking for a used Mini Cooper S for ages and a couple of days ago, my RSS feed told me that my car had arrived at Craigslist.

The car was a 2005 Mini Cooper S in Hyper Blue color. It had 9000 miles and was in absolutely perfect condition. The car has my favorite wheels, the R98’s aka webspokes. It had the Sport and Premium packages which include Xenon headlamps, sunroof, sport susupension and stability control. The body and paint were flawless and the interior smelled like brand new.

The owner was an engineer from Microsoft who babied the car but hardly drove it. He was relocating to Hongkong on Tuesday and needed to sell the car over the weekend. He was selling it about $4000 under market for SF bay area pricing. He was my ideal seller and I was his ideal buyer since I was ready to buy. Ready to buy if my wife said yes, of course.

Well she said yes we did the deed during her special Mother’s day weekend. She’s a good woman. So we took him home and I promptly spent the next six hours cleaning it. When my kids saw it, they promptly named the car ‘Bleny’. That stands for blue mini and is reminiscent of a character in the movie ‘Finding Nemo’.

First impressions: WOW, this car is fast! The supercharger whines like mad max and the car pulls hard. It handles awesome and is very comfortable!

Here’s Bleny:

So there, the start of great things to come. It’s going to be a great season.