Jan 26th, 2011
Let’s be honest. The back seat in the MINI is a bit diminutive. However, that didn’t stop members of the Pilobolus Dance Company from cramming a world record-breaking 26 people into a standard MINI Cooper. That’s with doors shut and the roof closed, people. It’s quite a feat of human acrobatics. They don’t even fold the rear seats down. You can watch the video here and remember, the safety word is “pineapple.” (Video after the break) continued →
Jan 14th, 2011
German automotive publication Automobilewoche, a sub-publication of Automotive News, has named the MINI “Car of the Decade.” Our german is a little rough, but what we’re able to glean out is that while Ford’s Fiesta and VW’s Golf family of cars outsold the MINI from 2000-2010, the MINI deserves the honor because it’s been a game changer. More specifically, the MINI has created an entire car segment that previously didn’t exist: The Premium Small Car. Big congrats to MINI and a big thanks to Gert H. for sending us the news.
Dec 9th, 2010
Auto Industry analysts Ward’s has announced their Top Ten engine winners for this year and among the results are two power plants from BMW Group. First, a 3.0L Turbo straight six from BMW, then the newly revamped inline four from the MINI Cooper S. It’s a diverse list of winners, which includes motors from both the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Each winner was chosen not just for its technological advancement, but for the stand-out performance they offered the vehicles they propel.
“We have something for everybody on this year’s Ward’s 10 Best Engines list,†says Drew Winter, editor-in-chief of Ward’s AutoWorld magazine. “It’s the most diverse mix we’ve ever had, as well as the most technologically advanced.â€
You can see the full list, plus commentary from Ward’s on the winners here.
Nov 19th, 2010
More awards news from the LA Auto Show. ALG (The Automotive Lease Guide) has named the all new 2011 MINI Countryman the winner of thier 2011 Residual Value Award as Best Sporty Car. What this means is that ALG predicts the 2011 Countryman will retain the highest value percentage of its MSRP of any car in its class after three years. From the ALG website: continued →
Nov 18th, 2010
File this one under “new news that’s old news.” Automotive consumer price index Kelly Blue Book has named the 2011 MINI Cooper range the best resale value in the compact car segment during the LA Auto Show this week. This makes nine straight years that the MINI has taken top honors at KBB.com’s Best Resale Value Awards. KBB.com’s Executive Market Analyst, James Bell, had this to say: continued →
Jun 24th, 2010
MINI has once again captured the engine of the year award in the top award in the 1.4-1.8 liter capacity category. This is the forth victory in a row for the engine and the last with it’s current design. The updated version (with variable valve control) will compete next year. Here’s the full BMW release with all the winners from the BMW group.
Official release: Success in four out of eight capacity classes put the BMW Group in a dominating position at the “International Engine of the Year Awards” this year. Among the award-winning power units at the world’s most renowned engine competition were both petrol and diesel engines with four, six and eight cylinders. The victorious quartet consisted of the V8 engine of the BMW M3, the in-line 6-cylinder petrol engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo, direct injection and VALVETRONIC used in such vehicles as the BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series, the 4-cylinder diesel engine with BMW TwinPower Turbo from the BMW X1 xDrive 23d and the BMW 123d, and the 4-cylinder Twin Scroll turbo engine of the MINI Cooper S.
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May 4th, 2010
MINI & BMW are celebrating two victories in reliability. Europe’s largest automotive club has named the MINI, the X3 (made in the same factory the Countryman it about to be produced in) and the X5 as the most reliable in class.
Official Release: With two class victories and top marks for a host of other models, BMW and MINI have again performed excellently in the ADAC breakdown statistics. In the ranking list produced by Europe’s largest automobile club MINI emerged as the most reliable small car to take top spot in its class. Meanwhile, the BMW X3 and BMW X5 secured first and second places in the off-roader class. The two Sports Activity Vehicles suffered the fewest breakdowns due to technical problems in their segment, regardless of registration date. The BMW 1 Series, BMW 3 Series and BMW 5 Series range also earned top marks for an extremely low breakdown rate, putting them among the star performers in their respective segments in terms of reliability. The latest ADAC breakdown statistics include all models achieving more than 10,000 registrations in Germany in 2009.
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