Comments on: More Power for MINI in 2010

By: MINI reveals the Countryman crossover - Nathaniel Salzman

MINI reveals the Countryman crossover - Nathaniel Salzman — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:35:56 +0000

[...] Countryman would make a wonderful light tow vehicle. The silver lining is that MINI has recently announced significant efficiency and power gains to their current range of engines, which will also power the [...]

By: goat

goat — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 01:03:59 +0000

rosvick – Lotus… amen! Caterham too!

By: rosvick

rosvick — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:16:34 +0000

Lotus Elise for the win in lightweight fun!

By: goat

goat — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:29:00 +0000

Good to have a MINI driver’s perspective r.burns. Light weight is the holy grail of efficient and sporting vehicle design, so when the 500 abarth essesse arrives in Canada i will be taking a test drive to form my own comparative impression to both my R53 JCW and my NB miata.

By: r.burns

r.burns — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 19:07:37 +0000

I want to add, to be understood, that every element of this Esse Esse is less precise ! Especially the suspension, and the steering, and also the gear shift. I have been very disappointed myself about these points, and convinced a little more of the quality of my Mini.

By: r.burns

r.burns — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:57:18 +0000

Don't speak about the Esse Esse, EVERY components (chassis, steering, motor, interior) are way below the R56 Cooper S.

I tested it, then the vendor took my Mini. No possible comparison, he agreed.....

But the price is lower, so it is logical.

If you don't believe me, then you might be quite disappointed about this Esse esse... I would have warned you !

By: ronmar

ronmar — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:58:56 +0000

I drive an 05 JCW my wife has a 05 Miata Mazaspeed. We love the driving experience in both cars of relatively light weight, better than adequate power, responsive handling and solid build quality. MINI has done nothing since 05 to make me want to trade my car for the newer models, although a little better gas mileage would be nice. The twins are potentially interesting with their promised lower weight while retaining most of the modern conveniences. I do admit to the tendency of keeping my cars a long time however.

By: goat

goat — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:55:53 +0000

hi that.guy - Very true, the Fiat 500 Abarth essesse chassis in reviews I have read and in vids of it being flung around a track does look like "old school hot hatch tuning"... in other words, great grip and nimbleness achieved only through minimal suspension travel and punishingly hard ride.

As R53 JCW owners, you and I both know that MINI can do better (and has) in the suspension department.

I drive a 2300lb modded miata as well, however, and am reminded each time I move from my JCW to the miata that there is simply no substitute for a lighter weight vehicle when it comes to dynamic performance (I'll leave RWD out of this discussion because FWD can have a satisfying scrappiness all its own). The reason I give props to the 500 - and the aspect that I hope BMW will consider - is because of its light weight (2200-2300lb), which is undeniably a sporting and efficiency advantage over either R53 and R56. This is borne out by the same reviews showing the drivers to be having a blast because it is so small and light and chuckable, and that counts for a LOT with this type of car.

That the 500 has Stephenson's attention to detail and specced high quality materials inside and out is icing on the cake... the R53 certainly holds its own here, of course (and came first!), but the R56 in its current pre-refresh material spec compares poorly.

By now the discussion is only tangentially related to the engine refresh news so I'll pipe down... :)

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:03:06 +0000

Avoid comment about R53 avoidance.

By: that.guy

that.guy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:03:31 +0000

@goat The Essesse does not review well. Chassis sounds very mediocre.

By: that.guy

that.guy — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:54:46 +0000

Hey. All I said was, "I might have to take a look." I am extremely doubtful that I will be interested in the 2010 cars. I too will continue to lovingly maintain my 2004 R53 JCW+. 110k and about to do a front suspension bushing refresh. In fact, about to drive it home and can't wait. I <3 R53 4EVER!!

By: lavardera

lavardera — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:00:07 +0000

Really glad to see that Mini is developing the engine along with cosmetics as they move forward.

As far as the start up noise - I had it reliably in cold weather, and the service order has completely remedied that on my car. I know some have complained that it did not, but that was not my experience.

By: jpd

jpd — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:07:56 +0000

This is certainly good news and very valuable news for those of us that will have cars built for us this spring. Rarely, do you find such important news for MINI fans. As an avid follower of Motoringfile, I think the coverage of Detroit 2010 is without peer for enthusiasts.

By: goat

goat — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:36:38 +0000

Agreed 100% with C4. No current model I. The MINI range has any appeal relative to what cam before it in 2002-2006. I would not replace my 2006 JCW CompEd with any of the post-2007 cars. Driving involvement and styling charm have suffered too greatly with the gen2 cars and a LOT of MINI enthusiasts share this view, no matter how quickly it is shushed with cries of "Fie! fie!" by other posters. The redesign MIGHT change how I and others feel. The twins are more likely to do so and a REALLY driving-focused AWD mini is most likely to get me shopping at the MINI store.

Otherwise, the current car that many feel comes closer to the spirit of MINI is actually made by Fiat and is called the Abarth essesse and it is the SMALL SIZE and VERY LIGHT WEIGHT alongside fantastic Stephenson design details that has us looking at Italy rather than Germany for a contemporary British small car.

By: C4

C4 — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:51:04 +0000

Thatguy, for MINI to bring me back into their showroom will need not only to improve the powertrain, clean up the interior but also do several revisions to the exterior of the car, including but not limited to, the ride height of the car.

Until then, my 2005 R53 S will be kept, maintained, serviced and repaired because that car drives/feels/sounds like a MINI should and the design is simply clean and timeless both inside and out.

By: C4

C4 — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:47:18 +0000

Actually, the Pre-2007 are and will be the most desirable MINIs to own. Still holding to my 5 year old R53 S with 65K miles.

By: Huckleberry

Huckleberry — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:32:10 +0000

That.guy I would edit your future quote of â€œAvoid the 2007-2009 model years like the plagueâ€¦â€ to â€œAvoid the 2007-2009 model years like the plague, and pre 2007 like the black plagueâ€¦â€

By: C4

C4 — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:04:12 +0000

The Cooper needs to be at least 140HP to be worth of my consideration. 20 years ago, the Honda Accord EX-LX had a 130HP fuel injected engine. Why MINI insists on keeping the Cooper @ 120HP?

Kudos for the engine upgrades and the clutch is great news for those of us that have experienced the poor quality of the LuK sourced clutch kit components from factory.

By: rhawth99

rhawth99 — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:50:18 +0000

OK Gabe, it is now later in the week so spill the beans. :-) Seriously, I look forward to reading more on this March version of the MCS engine. My wife wants a Clubman and I have been waiting for the cold start chatter to get permanently fixed along with possibly waiting on the 2011 interior upgrades.

By: eto

eto — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:18:38 +0000

I’m looking forward to seeing how the refresh turns out. The Cooper S already is a great looking car, so I hope the bumper changes aren’t ugly. :P