MINI Considering Diesel for US Market

Great news. I’m hoping a base model Cooper can be had in diesel without too much of a cost increase. But given the cost increases seen recently in newer models like the convertible , I’m not optimistic.

sooner the better

Alright. Someone please explain why this is a better choice than the base Cooper? It costs more and diesel fuel is significantly more expensive. I know diesel gets better mileage but enough to make a cost savings in the long run?

Or is this just more emporer’s new clothes/symbolism over substance that unfortunately so many Mini people seem to subscribe to these days.

well lets see 65mpg on highway and probably 30+ in town at $1 a more a gallon, to me seems a great. or for instance leave waskom,. texas and drive to el paso with just one fuel stop.

seems the latest news from mini has been things we all wish they’ve been doing all along. Instrument pods, diesels, next thing you know they’re going to re-design the center stack lol

Mini is giving some confused messages… I the softroader news they said no diesel for the US, and now they say they’re “seriously considering” a diesel for the US?!?!?

For those not up to date on the diesel advantages, it has a 20% higher energy density than gas (hence the higher gas mileage). But it’s a hit in Europe because of the relative tax structures of gas (tons of taxes) over diesel (not much tax). Here, that’s not the case so the payback times are longer here than there.

Matt

What they need to consider instead of this diesel, is lowering prices and offering better priced packages to attract buyers in this crap economy.

Oh also, improve the interior to at least compete against lower priced VWs.

Prospective owners should do the math on diesel versus petrol. Compare costs of a tank of diesel and work out expected mileage range to get costs per mile. Do the same with petrol. Then factor in any extra costs of retail price of car, and other taxes – does USA have a road user tax on diesel?, are the license costs the same?. I compared costs of diesel vs petrol in my own home market and there is only a very small saving per distance travelled because of extra taxes/costs. The only advantage I could see was if I did a very high mileage over a short period.

Will they make it “Bluetec” clean?

any chance of a hybrid? or is that what the E is supposed to substitute for?

Greg – the diesel performs very well compared to standard Cooper. As with other diesels when you get to rev limit you run out of steam. You have to get your change pattern correct to get full performance. An auto diesel would overcome this. R56 PSA engine certainly is an improvement on the R50 diesel. There is no “S” diesel.

for most americans, diesel will be a hassle. only if we had the same diesel regulations as europe… things would be better… but we dont.

and this hype about MPG is all the media’s fault. its never worth it to get a german car that is eco-friendly because by the time you hit the point where it makes sense financially to own an eco-fuel/hybrid car, the car will be out of warranty… and instead of saving money on fuel, you’ll be spending money on repairs that cost an arm and a leg ever 3 months.

then you will try to sell it, and realize that the used car market for a diesel is squat.

the only time it ever makes sense to buy a hybrid car is if you care about the planet (by means of better emissions). thats it. it will never make sense financially – not in another decade or more.

There are ways to clean diesel without urea. It involves a pretty complex catalyst train though. And it’s not the Obama administration that is pushing this. For those that care to learn both the EPA and Europe already have emissions regulation timelines in place that get ever stricter over time. And this is independant of who won the last US presidential election.

Matt

The R50 MINI ONE D had a Toyota sourced diesel engine (1.4L) that was also used in the European market Toyota Yaris. It had a 6 spd Getrag gearbox, same exact as the R53 S, but with different gear ratios.

IMO, the problem with past Mini diesel models outside of U.S. was, that it was packaged more as a econo-mini rather than performance-efficient-mini. Sans diesel enthusiasts, in order for the Mini to be successful with a diesel engine states side, it would have to deliver high performance diesel engine comparable to the current line of gasoline engine that Mini-owners and potential Mini buyers states side have come to expect.

Diesel cars still brings to mind for most Americans the image of smelly, noisy, slow-moving trucks, buses and old Mercedes of the years past — that I think, plus higher price of diesel fuel, leads to low interest in diesel cars.

As far as driving dynamics, whether one would be satisfied with a diesel engine depends on the style of driving. Diesels have high torque at low revs but runs out of steam quickly (by 4k rpm). This would be annoying for current Mini owners who revs high to go fast.

Looking on the mini.co.uk website, a clubman D is advertised as getting 68.9 MPG combined. In US gallons that is 57.4 MPG & 4.1L/100km for the rest of the world. That is better then the Prius. Diesel has had more stable pricing. Yes now it is more expensive, but it have less expensive more often in the past. It was cheaper until Bush started his war mongering, & the military needed a lot more diesel fuel. I my area, diesel is only 30 cents more per gallon. It has stayed the same while gas has risen. Trurk & rail traffic have reduced, so demand for diesel has dropped. That may result in lower prices down the road.