Yet another R56 prototype preview/review. This one is more of a preview as it seems Automobile Magazine is saving the actual driving impressions for next month’s magazine. Here’s an excerpt:
>The biggest changes, however, are hidden under that stubby little hood. While the two available four-cylinder engines haven’t grown in size–displacement remains 1.6 liters–they’ve been rotated 180 degrees so that the exhaust now faces forward. And that’s not the only about-face: both engines are now as sophisticated as the old ones were simple.
>The base engine puts out 120 hp and 118 lb-ft of torque, up 5 hp and 8 lb-ft from the current model. The big news is that it uses BMW’s Valvetronic system, which gives the computer infinite control over both valve timing and lift, eliminates the need for a throttle butterfly, and improves fuel economy. Valvetronic also provides for better low-end torque without sacrificing power at the fun end of the tach.
[ 2007 MINI Cooper S ] Automobile Magazine
I can’t seem to find the word ‘exclusive’ mentioned anywhere in the Automobile Magazine article.
Wrong article, wrong intro.
I wondered about this information from the piece…
“Fuel consumption is decreased by up to 20 percent compared to the current Cooper. Part of the credit is due to electronic steering along with trick water and oil pumps that deliver only as much pressure as needed.”
great add on the additional pictures page. Had not seen that one before.
Is it just me, or should we be referring to the next gen MCS as the MCT?
ZM
Or, does the ‘S’ stand for ‘special’?
Yeah, did a little reading & got the ‘S’ thing.
So, what’s the good word on when we can get our hands on an ’07, and how long it would take to special order one w/ the exact specs we want?
ZM
The debate rages on, the accepted “standard” is that it’s just an S, it doesn’t stand for anything… but I don’t like that.
In my opinion, it should represent “Sport”. It just makes sense, and it applies equally to a supercharged or turbocharged engine.
OK, back to your regularly scheduled on-topic discussion. 😛
<blockquote>So, what’s the good word on when we can get our hands on an ‘07, and how long it would take to special order one w/ the exact specs we want?</blockquote>
I put my deposit in two months ago just in time to get on the list for next April (supposedly a February build). R56 is formally intro’d next month, so I’d guess it would be “buildable” online within 30-60 days after its introduction. I expect to be called back to Northwest Mini sometime around them to officially spec my car.
LOL, love the header under the title “Get Discount Pricing”, heck you can’t even get that for the ’06 🙂
Looking forward to seeing one one the road…..
from the article …
<blockquote>Both engines are mated to six speed transmissions–manuals are standard with paddle-shift automatics as an option</blockquote>
does this mean that BOTH the MC and MCS will have paddle shifters on the Automatics?
<a href="http://motoringfile.com/2006/02/28/next-generation-mini-revealed-part-2/" rel="nofollow">As reported earlier</a>, yes.