One of the things I am beginning to enjoy is picking apart a truly bad automotive review, especially when it’s done by a non-automotive publication. Case in point, Business Week.
>The regular Mini also has the advantage of using regular gasoline, while the Mini S requires premium.
According to the R56 Owners Manual, minimum octane rating is still 91.
>The Mini Cooper S is a blast to drive, even with an automatic transmission. The laws of physics dictate that a boxy little front-wheel-drive car like the Mini can’t really drive like a BMW. The Mini spins out of control a lot easier than a BMW 3 Series when you head into a curve at high speed. But given the constraints of its econobox design, the Mini handles extremely well.
Spin? Out of Control? Perhaps this review was done on ice covered roads.
You can read more yourself at the link below. Or not, it’s entirely up to you.
[ Super Duper MINI Cooper ] Businessweek.com
The mini is not a 3 series, just like the 3 series is no 7 series. These cars are made for different drivers. Dumb ass!!
Or then again, may be it does spin out of control.
-Nigel
Well, the MINI doesn’t have 50/50 weight distribution, so what do we expect?
I expect the new MINI to handle like if it were on rails. That was the benchmark of the R53, wasn’t it?
-Nigel
Ah – Ha!
Regular Gas = Spins Out of Control! 😉
>Regular Gas = Spins Out of Control! 😉
BRILLIANT! That actually made me spit coffee all of my display!
That’s pretty good…he was able to get his 0-60 times down to 6.7 seconds with the heavier automatic transmission in manual mode. I also doubt he drove a 3 series around the bends and then jumped into a MINI and did the same. I would think his comparison of handling characteristics is subjective.
I also wonder what he means by “versatile”.
So he likes the MINI but his facts are messed up. He’s obviously not a car person.
While I agree that the opinions that have been stated as fact(spins out of control) is lacking in many ways. I will say that I don’t quite understand the slam on the premium gas comment. The only thing I can think of is that you are used to 93 being premium. There are many regions, including mine, that only get 91 octane for the premium grade including the premium prices.
Spinning out in a Mini? Was he trying to hang the rear out like a rear drive car? With Front drive you power through the corner and if you let your foot off the gas maybe then you’ll spin? I must try to do that sometime – on a race track out of harms way.
In fact, the notion that a front-wheel drive car would “spin out of control” easier than an rear-wheel drive car is just ridiculous. A front wheel-drive car is inherently understeered, it’s rear wheel drive cars that are inherently oversteered (i.e., “spin out of control”, if you are the guy who has written this review). If you drive way to fast into a corner and then lift off the gas abrubtly, sure, you can get a front wheel drive car to oversteer… Put the same kind of power in a rear wheel drive car, and there are many more ways to oversteer 🙂
Just read the article – quote by his neighbor “it looks like a little hearse” – I wonder what the neighbor will say when he sees the Clubman!