Official Release: Having dominated the 2012 Dakar, it now comes face to face with its biggest challenge once again: to master the toughest rally in the world.
When the 2013 Dakar Rally gets underway on 5th January, Nani Roma will be making his 15th appearance at the toughest rally in the world, making him one of the most experienced drivers in the field. The Spaniard’s biggest success at the Dakar to date came in 2004, when he won the motorcycle class. One year later he switched to cars and immediately finished sixth at the first attempt. continued →
Our time on the test track with the GP was brief in the grand scheme of things. Ten laps. But you can learn a lot about a car (especially a car designed for the track) in ten hard laps on a tight well designed course. If you haven’t read our full review of the car, certainly check it out. However if you want a quick, seat of the pants look at the GP as I enjoyed my second stint behind the wheel at Circuito Mallorca RennArena, check out the video after the break.
How many of us really drive our MINIs in anger? I know that every time I really push my car, I’m always impressed with just how capable it is. But what’s it like for the unsuspecting passenger when they take a seat in a JCW GP on a racecourse and see what the car is really capable of? The video after the jump has the answer.
Here we have some clever work from MINI Netherlands. Supported by a web experience, it looks like they’re using information from the car and how its driven to effect the cup of coffee the machine in the boot will make for you. Why isn’t this already part of MINI Connected?
One of the biggest concerns about MINI’s upcoming three cylinder (after power) is sound. What do three cylinders sound like compared to the current four? Based on first-hand experiences and the video after the break, pretty promising. The three cylinder has a healthy warble and sounds decidedly more aggressive than the current Cooper 1.6L four.
Keep in mind that we believe (thanks to several inside sources) that the N37 three cylinder will debut on the MINI One, One D, Cooper and Cooper D as the F56 MINI launches late next year. The Cooper S will retain the Prince engine for the time being before eventually switching over.
As for transmissions, what we see below is a rear drive application of the 3 cylinder mated to BMW’s amazing 8 speed auto. What will MINI have remains to be seen. But we believe it’s likely either an 8 or 9 speed lightening quick automatic with a six speed manual standard.
But how does it sound? Click through to find out. continued →
MINI is out with the latest in their “Not Normal” campaign. I guess bears have places to go too. This campaign so far has been seeking a particular energetic emotional tone, and we see that continued here. MINI seems to be refocusing on the young, hip demographic they’ve always portrayed in their ads, but resetting for the current crop of 20-to-30-somethings. While innocuous, this spot definitely lacks the more organic, high-energy whimsy of the campaign intro video. This is more of a low-energy whimsy. Video after the jump.
MINI’s Paris Motor Show saw the debut of two production vehicles; the JCW GP and the new MINI Paceman. And as much as photos try, they often fail to bring you all the pomp and circumstance that is on display at the show itself. To rectify we bring you a video of introduction of the Paceman as well as comments from MINI Brand Manager Kay Segler. continued →
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Sections: Countryman Dakar, Motorsports, Video Dec 6th, 2012 No Comments 
