Section: In the Press
May 15th, 2008
As they have with the R56, AC Schnitzer has decided to turn their skills toward the Clubman.
They have boosted power to 226hp and 210ft/lb of torque. Added a new body kit and a very interesting exhaust ’silencer’ that should help keep sound levels in check with local law enforcement. Add the newly designed 18″ wheel and there you have it. Full press release after the jump.
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Apr 22nd, 2008
Old school auto writer for the Chicago Tribune Jim Mateja lived with the Clubman Cooper around Chicago for a week and came away with the opinion that it still wasn’t big enough.
Mini enthusiasts wanted more room to slip kids in the back seat without folding them in half, plus a little more cargo room to carry a change of underwear so they wouldn’t have to turn the pair they are wearing inside out on a trip. continued →
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Apr 15th, 2008
The New York Times takes a Clubman out for a spin and comes away impressed. Here’s an excerpt:
In my baby-choked Brooklyn neighborhood, Cobble Hill, I see regular Minis with child seats wedged in back, and I wonder: who are these people, and what horrors would an MRI of their spines reveal? In these parked Minis, the front passenger seatback is reliably flipped forward, in mute acknowledgment of the Sisyphean task of baby installation and removal.
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Apr 9th, 2008
Our opinion of most Auto Express’ recent MINI related stories isn’t high. They’ve seemed to get it wrong more times than not over the last year or two with erroneous reports on everything from the new factory JCW car to the new convertible. However with this latest piece on the new MINI Crossover (which they believe will be called “Crossman” as reported previously on MF) they do a decent job of summing up most of what we know along with making a few good assumptions of what we don’t. They also had an “artist” cobble together a photoshopped image of what the new crossover could look like. While it all looks plausible, the image looks like nothing more than a good guess as to the final design details. Here’s a quick excerpt:
As it sits on a stretched version of the standard load-lugger’s platform, the SUV will offer more space inside. That means there will be adequate room in the back for two adults – although thanks to those rear doors, access should be much better.
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Apr 2nd, 2008
Once again noted spy photographer Brenda Priddy (via our friends at Jalopnik and Autoweek) has spotted the MINI crossover undergoing testing. We believe this to be initial drivetrain development focusing around it’s new AWD system. While the photos are some of the best we’ve seen, there’s no new information on either website that hasn’t previously been reported here on MF. So that means all the specifics remain true to what we all know ; the crossover will be released in late 2010 as a ‘11 model and will be built by Magna Steyr in Austria. It will have an optional AWD system and be both based on the X1 (BMW’s forthcoming baby crossover) and the Clubman. And while it will leverage some rugged “rally-like” cues from MINI’s past, it will not be oriented towards performance as much as the current coupe line-up.
Mar 20th, 2008
And you thought you’d seen the last of the Weinermobile MINI.
Wednesday morning in Times Square a small crowd gathered in the cool shadow of ABC Studios to watch Michael Strahan, defensive end for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants, drive a car.
Not just any car: Mr. Strahan had squeezed his 6′5″ frame behind the wheel of the new Mini Wienermobile, a smaller, sportier version of Oscar Mayer’s somewhat famous Wienermobile, also in attendance.
I would imagine we’ll be seeing more and more of this MINI in the future. Of course, if you should spot it and get a picture of it, be sure to add the pic to the Motoringfile Flickr Group for all to see!
[ Seeing a Man about a Dog ] Nytimes.com
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Mar 17th, 2008
A solid review of the automatic Clubman S. Here’s an excerpt:
It wouldn’t be hard to get all cynical about the 2008 Mini Cooper S Clubman. It’s really not that much bigger than a normal-size Mini Cooper. Its cabin looks the same. And it carries a $2,250 premium.
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Mar 14th, 2008
Our friend Gary Anderson recently wrote a review for Leftlanenews.com that’s worth a read for both the diehard Clubman fan or the skeptic. Here’s an excerpt:
If you’ve been intriqued with the cute look of the new MINI, but just couldn’t justify it because it just wasn’t suitable as a family car or practical all-purpose daily driver, the Clubman is definitely worth a closer look. All you need to decide is whether you’re going for performance or economy in your purchase, to help you decide whether to opt for a manual-transmission turbocharged Clubman S Clubman, or at the other extreme, an automatic transmission Clubman. continued →
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Mar 13th, 2008
MF readers will know that MINI’s next convertible (code-named the R57) will remain a soft-top and have the same general design as the current car based on several insider reports. Inside Line got some confirmation on that when they spoke to Kay Segler, senior vice president of brand management for MINI.
“That’s because such cars’ roofs do not open as wide as those of traditional soft tops,” he said. “A convertible, for me, must create the feeling of open-air driving. If you look up, you see the sky. If you see the A-pillar, you have something else. Therefore, you will never get a hardtop convertible in a Mini.”
Segler went on to mention how he expects JCW sales to positively add to the bottom line. Specifically he expects as much as 8% of all coupe and 6% of all Clubman sales to be JCWs. continued →
Mar 12th, 2008
One of our favorite automotive journalists Dan Neil (a Pulitzer prize winner from the LA Times) recently had a chance to review the Clubman. As you would expect it’s one of the best (if not the best) to date. You can read an excerpt below:
The Mini is diamond-laced Champagne, a piano-playing Shetland pony, sex on the wing of an airplane. Simply put, if the Mini Cooper doesn’t put a smile on your face, you’re dead.
Now they’ve gone and made it bigger.
…So, is the Mini Clubman still adorable, or does it look like Hello Kitty with a glandular problem? Is it every bit the dancing leprechaun as the regular Mini, or does it stumble like a drunken Irishman? The original was such a singular thing, a 300 game, a no-hitter. How can you change it without lousing things up?
And yet behold a bigger, better Mini. continued →
Mar 11th, 2008
The MINI has won yet another comparison, this time at Cars.com against the Volvo C30 and the new Saturn Astra (which of course is the old Opel Astra elsewhere). Here’s an excerpt:
There’s still nothing on the road quite like a Mini Cooper. Beneath the trendy looks is an authentic driver’s car - with good gas mileage to boot.
+ Cars.comparison: Premium Hatchbacks / Cars.com
Mar 11th, 2008
Plenty Magazine (an environmentally focused publication) had a brief chance to sit down with MINI USA VP Jim McDowell recently to ask a couple questions. While the interview is short, it’s an interesting read for the MINI enthusiast. Here’s an excerpt:
Plenty Magazine: Does Mini have plans to offer a hybrid or maybe a more efficient car in the US?
Jim McDowell: We are very open to alternative drive trains. We have made no announcements about anything that we will be doing in addition to our current lineup. On the point of hybrids, when you already get 37 miles per gallon, where is the further advantage of adding those heavy batteries to a car and having to deal with the environmental aspects of those batteries at the end of the lifespan?
+ Mini Cooper: The car of tomorrow is here today / Plenty Magazine
Mar 6th, 2008
Nothing earth shattering but a nice round-up of the JCW introduction.
What an unusual press conference for Mini today in Geneva. Instead of boring us all into submission with sales results and projections, Mini invited Rauno Aaltonen, aka the Flying Finn, to talk with Dr. Kay Segler, senior vice president of Mini brand management.
In addition to his WRC efforts in the 1970s, Aaltonen drove a Mini Cooper S to victory at Monte Carlo in 1967. He, of course, compared the new 2009 Mini John Cooper Works and John Cooper Works Clubman to the old car (also present), noting that today’s JCW is the “direct heir” to the car he drove in ‘67.
[ 2009 Mini John Cooper Works: 2008 Geneva Auto Show ] Edmunds
Feb 29th, 2008
We are big fans of Winding Road. But even one of the better auto publications out there sometimes can get it wrong. In reporting on the new JCW factory MINI, not only do they get some key facts incorrect about the previous JCW kit, but they can’t seem to get their figures right on the new car either.
For starters they claim the new JCW kit will be retrofittable at dealers for around $5000. We can report that this is 100% incorrect. We can only assume they got confused somewhere in between the prevous JCW kit (which originally was just over $5K retrofitted) and the current JCW dealer installed kit which is $2100. continued →
Feb 23rd, 2008
MINIsOnTop Fund Raiser to Support Two New Hampshire Charities-Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Hampshire and the Mt Washington Observatory
MINIsOnTop event coordinator, Ian Cull, is thrilled to name this year’s beneficiaries of the charitable efforts on behalf of the MINI Cooper owners and families that take part in the annual event held in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Mt Washington Observatory will receive 6.288% (honoring the mountain’s elevation) of the total raised with the rest going to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Hampshire. MINIsOnTop total charitable efforts in the past have raised over $38,000 and this year’s goal is to break the $50,000 mark.
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