Feb 24th, 2015
In conjunction with Sony’s Gran Truism 6, MINI has released a digital only concept of the forthcoming 2016 Clubman. The differences? Just about everything. This Clubman is a fictionalized race car that takes the MINI formula to the extreme. The game and the car will be available digitally in March. Now, on to the numbers and what they do and don’t tell us about the rumored JCW Clubman. continued →
Feb 13th, 2015
If you’ve never heard of Apple, it’s a small technology company that has changed the world, over and over again since 1976. It also recently became the first U.S. company to manage a $700 billion market cap and is now possibly making headways into the automotive space. To be exact, Apple already has a presence in the automotive space with CarPlay, but this new hire along with reports indicating that Apple’s design team has met with a number of key automotive executives and creators in recent months, adds more fuel to the potential fire. continued →
Feb 9th, 2015
Another week, another set of spy photos from Automobile Magazine. This time, the upcoming F60 Countryman was caught winter testing, but interestingly enough this is not the most interesting bit of the story. If you look closely at the photo above, you will see a “Hybrid Testing Vehicle” sticker on the front passenger door. About a year ago, we gave a detailed overview of the plug-in system that the BMW Group plans to bring to the MINI brand. And while our initial assumption was that F54 Clubman would be the first model of FXX generation to receive this drivetrain, the new Countryman appears to be in the lead to become to first plug-in hybrid MINI ever. continued →
Feb 4th, 2015
Earlier this week, we linked to an article from the Washington Post describing how car enthusiasts feel about technology-generated engine sounds. Our takeaway was that Active Sound is a necessary evil given the advances made in fuel efficiency (e.g. displacement on demand) and safety. Since I have not had the chance to exchange with an engineer from MINI about this technology, I’m the first to admit that my knowledge on the topic is very limited. With that in mind, and thanks to a detailed anonymous tip from a SME, we’ve decided to demystify the inner workings of Active Sound. In short, it is not evil and has nothing to do with fake engine noise. continued →
Feb 3rd, 2015
Our colleagues at Automobile Magazine have been on a roll lately. Following their scoop on the potential MINI Minor and Superleggera, they recently published a series of spy pictures of the F54 Clubman. While there is nothing new compared to what we have reported in the past, these shots show the upcoming Clubman S sporting less swirly graphics than usual. This photo is particularly interesting as it clearly indicates that front-end treatment of the F54 will rectify the biggest pet peeve against the F56/F55. In fact, it seems to be exactly in line with the concept that was presented in Geneva last year. continued →
Jan 31st, 2015
The new MINI is only 14 months old but awards keep coming. This time Auto, Motor und Sport asked 112,000 of its readers to choose their preferred imported car, and the F56 grabbed the top spot with 25% of votes in the “Small Car” category. While this is somehow expected, the new Hardtop scored “significantly higher than its predecessors in the areas of driving comfort and spaciousness and in the choice of driver assist systems.”
Interestingly enough, the soon-to-be-discontinued R58 Coupe also won the “Mini Cars” category (not sure what that is) and reach third place in the overall ranking. Not bad, not bad at all. continued →
Jan 30th, 2015
No, really. In what is one of the most bizarre MINI-related stories we’ve seen, police find four men and four dead deer with a MINI Cooper. continued →
