Feb 5th, 2010
After five months of motoring in his MINI Cooper Convertible with the top down as part of MINI USA’s Open One Challenge, David Loveall has proven that neither rain, snow nor blistering sunshine can deter his ‘open’ spirit. Loveall is the grand prize winner in MINI’s Open One Challenge, a contest to determine who could accumulate the most top-down motoring hours.
Enduring every type of weather Mother Nature could throw at him between August and December 2009, Loveall motored for 555.55 hours with his MINI Cooper Convertible’s top wide open. To reward Loveall’s dedication to sharing MINI’s open philosophy, MINI will present him with a trip for two people to travel to Oxford, England and a visit to the MINI plant where the MINI Cooper Convertible is built.
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Feb 1st, 2010
(This article is specifically about the US-spec MINI JCW and not the version that comes with the aero-kit elsewhere in the world)
Last year we gave you our take on the factory JCW and why it wasn’t selling as well as it could be nationwide. For a quick recap we basically said we’d keep the drivetrain just is and focus on making the car look for unique while offering a sportier suspension standard.
Now it’s your turn.
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Jan 28th, 2010
MINI of Australia this week released the JCW Challenge Edition meant to bring the factory JCW car a little closer in visual apparel to the JCW Challenge race cars. There’s no word on if we’ll ever see something like this in other markets but we do know that MINI USA (among other markets) will be tinkering with the JCW factory spec for 2011. Full release below.
Official Release (Australia): More performance. More customisation. More MINI. Introducing the new and exclusive race-inspired MINI John Cooper Works Challenge Edition – bringing the MINI John Cooper Works even closer to the track.
In recognition of the pure pedigree that underpins MINI, the release of the MINI John Cooper Challenge Edition draws John Cooper Works even closer to the MINI CHALLENGE race car, both in its appearance and performance.
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Jan 27th, 2010
Due to the design of MINI’s 1.6L turbo engine, much of the heat generated by the engine ends up being emitted from the side closest to the hood/bonnet. One unforeseen consequence has been that the plastic hood scoops on the “S” model have actually warped due to excessive heat. In fact over the years MINI has noticed the issue and even made the non-fuctioning scoop slightly functional by opening a few holes in the black faux mesh. However in the end MINI has decided to change the material the scoops are made from. So from March ‘10 buils onward MINI will be producing a new “metalized” plastic scoop (with metal infused into the plastic) that will be standard on the MCS and JCW models.
Update: What does that mean for current owners with saggy scoops? We don’t have 100% confirmation on this yet but MINI will likely be dealing the problem within the normal warranty guidelines (i.e. it’ll be covered). If you’re out of warranty we’d guess that it’ll be handled on a case by case basis.
Jan 17th, 2010
Starting with March production, MINI will be upping the power on all models with revised engines. We reported the details earlier this week but we thought we’d go into the insane detail (Via a few internal PDFs) that you have come to know and expect from MF. So let’s get started. For starters outputs are up across the board.
- MINI One: 96 hp (Up 2 hp)
- MINI Cooper: 120 hp (up 2 hp)
- MINI Cooper S: 179 hp (up 7 hp)
- MINI JCW: 208 hp (unchanged so far)
For some reason MINI either has decided to delay the uprated engine on the JCW. Because of this we’re not going to focus on this model for the time being. Look for an upgrade later this year.
So with that said, let’s get into the details on our two favorite updated models.
The 2010 Cooper
BMW already had VALVETRONIC in the naturally aspirated Cooper so the extra power would have to be made up with other techniques. Specifically BMW has optimized the ECU and in turn the engine’s output has gone up 2 hp in total. You can read the entire specifications list below in the official PDFs.
+ MINI Cooper PDF (03/2010)
+ MINI Cooper Clubman PDF (03/2010)
+ MINI Cooper Convertible PDF (03/2010)
The 2010 Cooper S
The 2010 MCS has added a fully variable valve control known in BMW speak as VALVETRONIC. What this does is optimize the engine’s responses and enables a significant reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. It does so by adjusting the lift and opening period of the intake valves to the driver’s power requirements within fractions of a second.
All this adds up to more power but also noticeably more efficiency. Technically the 1.6L turbo is now the world’s most efficient unit in this displacement class. You can see the entire list of specifications in the official PDFs below.
+ MINI Cooper S PDF (03/2010)
+ MINI Cooper S Clubman PDF (03/2010)
+ MINI Cooper S Convertible PDF (03/2010)
Jan 15th, 2010
These new range of colors follow along the lines of the previous versions which were known “Fip Colours” in 2004 and then “Dreamline Colours” in 2007. This year MINI UK is back again with the same concept and three tweaked colors. The new marketing name is “Rainbow” paint options. For those that remember our report on the Dreamline colours in 2007, these typically cost around 8,000 pounds or over $14,000. Not a cheap option clearly.
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Jan 15th, 2010
Last year MINI finally solved the dreaded cold start issue that afflicted the R56 Cooper S. Or so they thought. As it turned out, while the issue was eliminated in some cars but only alleviated in others. So MINI went back to the drawing board and looked the issue with fresh eyes. After further research they believe they have finally (and definitively) solved the issue for all cars with a modified timing chain. Specifically they’ve made the chain very slightly longer which has eliminated the chatter that was known as the “death rattle”.
The new components should come online at the Oxford Plant in time for March builds. For those with older R56s still afflicted with the issue, MINI will be offering an official fix for your car. Of course keep in mind that this will be a case by case process and you should work through your dealer.
