Apr 25th, 2013
For years we’ve been reporting that MINI’s line-up will expanding. And as you know it has, going from one model to seven models in as many years. But recent comments by MINIUSA head Jim McDowel and several BMW Board members have underlined the fact that more changes are foot. continued →
Feb 7th, 2013
The secret has been out for years now that MINI and BMW will be introducing a new family if 1.5L three cylinder engines destined for small front wheel drive cars. But would MINI be replacing all four cylinders with equivalent 3 bangers? Our sources are now telling us that the three cylinders are just part of the story. According to people internal at MINI familiar with the matter, the next generation of Cooper S and JCW models will be powered by the entirely new 2.0L four cylinder that will be shared across all front wheel drive BMWs and MINIs. Power and MPG are expected to be up as well as potential for tuning. And while both engines represent big leaps for MINI, we believe it’s the the massively more capable 2.0L that will get enthusiasts salivating.
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Feb 5th, 2013
The preceding was discussed almost in its entirety last year when we walked you through what we knew (and what we could tell you) about the next generation MINI’s interior. However given some hints of new info and the constant questions we get for readers about details we’ve previously reported, we wanted to re-examine some of what we know around the technology of the next generation MINIs.
Beyond the basic details, the interior will boast a more straight-forward approach to interfacing with the car and its entertainment options. And the window into that world is about to get much larger. As we’ve reported, the next MINI will adopt a BMW-sized widescreen for displaying content. However, it’s what that screen will display, and what MINI positions around it, that’s interesting to us. continued →
Feb 5th, 2013
Sources familiar with the new interior have called the final form a huge step forward for MINI and likely one of the selling points of the new car. While these photos don’t fully show that new form, they do show a radically altered design brimming with new technology.
First let’s focus on the image itself and break-down the details of what many of you have been pouring over. What we see here is the cheapest spec interior (there will be four total) with the top finished in rough prototype plastic. The higher spec interiors will actually feature different and improved soft dash materials similar to the new 1 Series BMW. continued →
Jan 9th, 2013
Last fall BMW trotted out a modified 1 Series hatch to a few select European journalists not to preview a car but an engine. Under the hood was the B38 3 Cylinder that will do duty in both rear wheel drive and front wheel drive applications for both the MINI and BMW brands.
Yes, this new 3 cylinder (codenamed either the N37 or B38 depending on who you talk to) will power the entire next generation MINI family starting with the F56 late this year (in both 1.2 and 1.5 variants). We’ve previewed it previously here on MF but one of our favorite automotive scribes Matt Davis has finally given us his impression on the engine. For anyone interested in the future of MINI (and BMW) small cars, it’s a must read. And it also allows us an opportunity ti update you on this new range of engines. . continued →
Nov 24th, 2012
This post is also featured over on our sister site, BimmerFile.com.
In various interviews over the past few months, BMW executives have hinted at grand plans for the UKL platform. Reported by both MotoringFile and BimmerFile, the UKL platform will spawn an onslaught of FWD models. This will make MINI more long-term viable and will drive the BMW Group to greater economies of scale. Yet just how far BMW is willing to go with FWD, and how big the MINI brand will get hasn’t really been understood until recently.
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Sep 15th, 2012
This week BMW brought the curtain up on the new family of three cylinder engines and the new front wheel drive BMW. Both are incredibly informative to us in understanding MINI’s future but it’s the new 1.5L three cylinder that we have the best view of.
The fact that the MINI was going to be getting a three cylinder engine in its next iteration has been blown for years of course. But would MINI be replacing all four cylinders with equivalent 3 bangers? Our sources are now telling us that looks unlikely for at least the first iteration of the next generation MINI family. Instead we now believe that MINI will likely continue to use an updated version of the four cylinder “Prince” engine for Cooper S and JCW models through at least 2015. That said we believe this engine will eventually range from under 100 hp to up to 200 in front wheel drive form. continued →
