The Nissan Juke one of the more obvious cross-shop vehicles for the MINI Countryman. It’s small. It’s sportish. It’s funky. It’s got a turbocharged engine. It’s got all-wheel-drive. So it’s inevitable that the two cars would go head-to-head in the automotive press. John Leblanc of the Toronto Star gives the edge to the Juke, but upon reading his review, I almost can’t tell why. continued →
We’ll be spending and entire week with the little Fiat in early June. However MF correspondent Brendan Nystedt just couldn’t resist the temptation of a quick spin so we present you MF’s very first quick spin in the latest MINI competitor that has made it’s way to North America.
Today, I found myself somewhere I never imagined: an American Fiat dealership. And I didn’t even have to hop in my TARDIS to get there. On sale, the new Fiat 500. As evidenced recently here on MF, the rivalry between the micro Italian Stallion and the Limey Wonder is just now heating up. Does MINI need to check itself before it wrecks itself? continued →
Hot on the tail of our story about the 3rd generation MINI codename, the F56, Autocar is reporting this morning that ailing automaker Saab has made “an audacious bid to buy the rights to the outgoing BMW MINI platform.” The Swedish automaker wants to get into the premium small car game, but without all that pesky engineering. continued →
WorldCarFans is reporting that chinese automaker Geely will unveil their new Emgrand EC6-RV at the upcoming Shanghai auto show. They also point out something probably completely obvious to most MotoringFile readers. Does this car look familiar? Let’s take a closer look. continued →
So the president of FLUCC (Fiat Lancia Unlimited car club) came up with 75 questionable reasons why one would buy a Fiat 500 over a MINI. The reality is we tend to like the idea of the 500 and are looking forward to testing one later this spring. But a list like this can’t go unanswered by the MINI community. So we want you give him double the reasons why anyone should buy a MINI over the Fiat 500. Yes 150 reasons why a MINI is superior. Let’s get started.
Esteemed President of the Fiat Lancia Unlimited car club (FLUCC for short) John Montgomery has come up with a list of 75 reasons why to buy a Fiat 500 over a MINI. We would love to share them with you and get your take. Look for a follow-up post for your place to post your favorite 500 reasons why you should buy a MINI over a Fiat 500. And feel free to give your take on each of these in the comment section. A few (ie almost all) seem pretty incorrect.
Drum roll please….
The Fiat 500 base price MSRP is $4600 less (-23%) than the base BMW Mini MSRP.
The Fiat has a 5 star European NCAP rating for driver & passenger safety. Mini has a 4 star rating on driver & passenger safety. Mini has 5 stars for rollover protection only.
The Fiat has better aerodynamic CD; Fiat: .35, base Mini: .37, Cooper S: .39
The Fiat base weight is 352 pounds less than the Mini’s base weight.
The Fiat’s maximum passenger/cargo capacity is 970 lbs., 154 lbs more than Mini’s 816 lbs.
The Fiat’s 34.8 ft. turning radius is 3 foot tighter than the Mini’s 38 ft.
The Fiat’s ground clearance is 4.1 inches; the Mini’s ground clearance is 5.5â€.
The Fiat has lower insurance rates than the Mini yet the same warranty; 4 years, 50K miles.
The Fiat has 3 year 36K free maintenance, includes car rental and is transferable!
The Fiat suspension sub frame is attached w/o rubber isolators that could fatigue or wear out.
Fiat has a standard theft alarm, but it’s a $500 option on BMW Mini.
Fiat parts prices compare lower in price than BMW Mini parts.
Here Evo puts the European hot hatchbacks through the ringer, comparing the Citroen DS3R to the MINI Cooper S and others. A terrific summary of each vehicle, showing just how close all these cars really are to each other on paper, but how far apart they are in dynamic driving appeal. The MINI fairs well, but we won’t spoil the ending. Definitely worth a watch.
1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Hatch R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Hatch 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: Hatch R57: Convertible R58: Coupe R59: Roadster R60: MINI Crossover R61: MINI Crossover Coupe 3rd Gen MINI F55: Clubman F56: Hatch F57: Convertible F60: MINI Crossover F62: Traveller
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Sections: In the Press, MINI Competitors, R60 (Countryman) May 26th, 2011 26 Comments 
