Archive for April 2004
Apr 30th, 2004
North American Motoring Founder Mark Ferguson gave me some inside scoop a while back about an unplanned activity at the Dragon Rally that had been under wraps. Apparently MINIUSA decided to bring a new Cooper Cabrio out to the event for MINI owners to get better acquainted with.
Here's a quick recap from Mark:
“Jeff Stracco, the new MINI product manager was with the car and tamed the Dragon with it. I even had the chance to shoot some pictures from the back seat of the car while driving the Dragon with Jeff. “
You can check out some of the photos here: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
Apr 29th, 2004
This information was released to MINI dealers in the form of an “Aftersales business development & marketing MINI dealer bulletin”. It comes via Ian Cull:
Based on requests from MINI dealers, please find enclosed information about the John Cooper Works Tuning Kit for the MINI Cooper. We have a limited number of this kit available in the US.
The JCW kit is a complete performance package that is designed to take full advantage of the engine's design. The JCW Kit for the MINI Cooper includes a machined cylinder head for better airflow, “cat-back” exhaust system, air filter element and updated ECU programming. These carefully engineered performance modifications will bring the MINI Cooper to the 126hp horsepower level. The torque has been improved to 114 lbft.
As the kit delivers only a minor increase in horsepower and torque, the main benefit is the increased performance feel and mid range torque of the MINI Cooper.
NOTE: This kit is only available for the manual transmission MINI Cooper! It must not be installed on cars with optional automatic gearbox.
Wow. Ian reports seeing a price of $2650 plus labor and I can now officially confirm that price. The kit is currently available is already on back order throughout the US!
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Apr 29th, 2004
Autoweek chimes in as the first US mag to cover the MINI's 2005 changes:
Mini is upping the supercharged Cooper S to 170 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque and lowering gearing to boost performance.
The S now scurries from 0 to 62 mph in 7.2 seconds and hits a top speed of 138 mph (previously 7.4 seconds and 133 mph). Squeezing an extra 7 hp and 7 lb-ft out of the supercharged 1.6-liter four also helps offset the extra 220 pounds in the Cooper S Convertible, which makes its world debut at the British motor show this month. The convertible and coupe arrive in the United States this fall.
Revised gearing makes a difference, too, with the reduced ratios for third, fourth and fifth gears on the S. A five-speed Getrag gearbox replaces a Rover-derived unit on the regular Cooper.
To my knowledge this is the first time we've seen specifics regarding which gears are getting the reduced ratios.
Apr 29th, 2004
One of the many upgrades that we'll see on the 2005 MINI Cooper S is the use of Eaton's 5th Generation Supercharger. Here are some details on what's new:
The 5th Generation Superchargers incorporate an innovative rotor coating that allows for tighter internal clearances compared to previous applications. These tighter clearances allow for increased supercharger efficiency and performance, resulting in improved horsepower and torque at lower engine RPMs.
This coupled with shorter gearing should help decrease 0-60 times for the MCS. Hopefully we'll get some details soon on the improved exhaust and ECU - the other two upgraded components that help give the 2005 MCS an extra 7hp.
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Apr 29th, 2004
Just wanted to let everyone know that we've added the Euro version of the MINI Cabrio price/options list and the UK 2005 MINI price/options list in the “Files” section in the lower right of the page. Both of these were posted last week but we wanted to make sure know one missed them.
And to answer all the emails we've been getting lately - we haven't seen the US price/options list as of yet. However you can be assured that we'll post it as soon as we recieve one.
Apr 28th, 2004
Spending ten days in England for an auto enthusiast from the US is like spending ten days in Disney World as a kid. Not only are the roads more enjoyable, the speed limits higher, and the drivers more courteous, but the cars are also much more interesting. Here are some random thoughts and some photos from my recent trip:
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Apr 27th, 2004
MotoringFile reader Brad Herman sent us this little surprise this past Sunday. It seems he had a similar experience to to what I had from a few weeks back. Here's an excerpt of the story behind the photo:
Sunday I was lucky enough to spot a Hot Orange MCS Convertible going the other direction on the PCH in Malibu, CA. I made the quickest U-turn I could and followed it into a shopping center. After loosing track of it several times I finally spotted it at the grocery store. I parked several rows away and waited for the man to go in. He left the top down giving me some access to it. The first thing I noted was how nice the Hot Orange is in person. You can see how it contrasts with my Chili Red. The whole car just looks good. It has the interior chrome package, even chromed Nav. The quality of the chrome was very high and looked like a great fit for the car.
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Apr 26th, 2004
Here's a review from 1st time contributor Dave Carroll about the highly anticipated official MINI Bluetooth Handsfree Kit:
I had the Bluetooth Handsfree Kit installed yesterday. It costs $450 plus installation labor. It took my dealer less than 2 hours to install it.
It works really well with my Sony Ericsson T610 and I'm very impressed with the voice quality and recognition capabilities. It takes a few seconds to set up once, and from then on it's totally automatic. The voice recognition is much more reliable than what's built-in to my phone.
It does seem to use the oval grille near the sunroof as its microphone. This is not a button, however. The activation button for the system is located on a separate control unit installed with the system.
Not only does it automatically connect and disconnect to my phone wirelessly, but also it automatically mutes and un-mutes the stereo when a call comes through or when you need to make a call. The woman's voice who guides you through the menu options is pretty typical of voice automated systems, but the voice control is extensive, including dialing numbers, using the built-in phonebook, even calling MINI roadside assistance.
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Apr 23rd, 2004
…and Cool Blue. The cabrio version of the 2005 MCS has all of the mechanical improvements listed below as well as in this article. The MCS Cabrio will debut at the first at the Madrid Autoshow and then shortly after at the Birmingham Autoshow.
You can check out more pics of the new the Cool Blue 2005 MINI Cooper S Cabrio here: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
Apr 23rd, 2004
…and Hyper Blue. As stated in the article below the 2005 MCS will come with 170hp on tap and torque has been increased by 10 Nm, peaking at 220. Top speed is increased to 138mph and 0-60 times should improve slightly as well. According the MINI's latest statements the 2005 Cooper S will begin production in July and by that rational shipments to the US should start in late August.
For a better view of the new Hyper Blue 2005 MCS you can check out larger pics here: 1 / 2 / 3
Apr 23rd, 2004
It's been talked about on this site and others many times but now the news is official. This is from MINI PR:
From July 2004, the MINI hatchback range will receive an enhanced interior and exterior look. In addition, modifications to the transmission will increase engine flexibility in the mid range. Trevor Houghton-Berry, general manager MINI UK said: “Clearly we did not want to change a winning formula – customers love the friendly face and retro interior of the MINI. This model update is merely a few subtle tweaks to make the MINI even more desirable than it already is.”
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Apr 22nd, 2004
With the MINI having already won Automobile Magazine's “Allstar” Award for “best small car” now comes word that it's won the “Reader's Choice” award as well. You'll find the news in May's edition of the magazine.
The Allstar award is voted on by the magazine's writers. The Reader's Choice awards are voted on by, you guess it, readers. A big thanks to all those that voted!
Apr 22nd, 2004
While I personally have no issue with the MC40, its cost, and its spec, Ian Cull has some interesting thoughts on the uniqueness of having one of the 1000 made.
BTW the first batch of MC40s should be showing up at dealer now if they aren't already there. The price has gone up to $7000 for the package and there appears to be some small spec changes.
Apr 21st, 2004
This is specifically for the UK spec and all prices are in Pounds but there are some interesting items here for those ordering in the US and elsewhere. First off it appears you can only get the body colored dash on with Hot Orange, Cool Blue, or Chilli Red (BTW I've seen all three and the Chilli Red is amazing). I think that will dissapoint a few. Secondly the factory chrome mirror option also includes the, as yet unseen, chromed rear boot hinges.
You can download it here.
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