MINI News
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The 2014 MINI Cooper hardtop is the first entire, top-to-bottom redesign of the iconic British minicar. In its base form, with a new 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual gearbox, it runs a bit more than $20,000 and is rated at 34 mpg combined. But it's longer, wider, and taller. It has more passenger and cargo room, and a host of new features. DON'T MISS: 2014 MINI Cooper First Drive We had two questions: First, are the essential MINI values of fun, nippy driving still preserved in the most maximal MINI three-door yet? And what kind of fuel economy did the base...
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Want To Lease A 2009 MINI E? If You Live In Delaware, You Can
One of the earliest electric-car prototype test fleets of the modern day was made up of several hundred MINI E two-seaters, which hit U.S. roads on two-year leases from 2008 through 2010. MINI E drivers who loved driving electric--which is to say, many of them--were offered replacement BMW ActiveE...
John Voelcker -
New 2015 MINI Cooper With Five Doors Confuses...Well, Everyone (Video)
The 2015 MINI Cooper five-door breaks new ground for the brand, as demonstrated by this ad.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 MINI Cooper 5 Door Revealed In Official Images
MINIs aren't really Mini any more, but modern safety, comfort and equipment standards mean we'll never have a car quite as small as the original Mini ever again. That, and relentless niche-filling from parent company BMW means the car must be hugely profitable--something the classic car never...
Antony Ingram -
2014 MINI Cooper Automatic: Quick Drive
The all-new, third-generation 2014 MINI Cooper three-door hatchback--now called "Hardtop" by MINI--sports a longer nose, a new 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, and an interior that at last cleans up some of the disastrous ergonomics of the previous cars. Specifically, the round display in the...
John Voelcker -
A MINI Two-Seater Sports Car? Superleggera Vision Teases Us
MINI has been a huge success story for its parent company BMW. Customers all over the world have fallen for the car's retro looks and wide range of models. But recently, it's fair to say MINIs products have been a bit... well, ugly. While retro works on a small hatchback, it's not necessarily best...
Antony Ingram -
The Mini is one of the most iconic vehicles on the roads, but the car has changed--and grown--rather a lot since its introduction in 1959. Most of that change has happened since BMW took the reins and launched its MINI brand in 2001, and we're now on the third generation of the BMW-developed subcompact. It too has grown over the previous generation. But importantly it's also quicker, higher-quality, more advanced and of course, more fuel-efficient. Motor Authority has driven the new 2014 MINI and thankfully, the qualities listed above outweigh any increase in size the new model has gained...
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MINI Clubman Concept: Live Photos From Geneva Motor Show
MINI's existing Clubman model is an acquired taste, but the Clubman concept launched at Geneva may find a few more fans. It loses the abrupt wagon layout and unusual suicide-style side door, and in its place you get a proper four-door vehicle with better rear passenger space and a larger load area...
Antony Ingram -
MINI Clubman Concept: Four-Door MINI To Make Geneva Debut
If you like the MINI but want something a little more practical, then this could be the car for you. It's the MINI Clubman Concept and it's set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week. Though even a brief glance tells you there's little concept-like about the new car. In contrast to the...
Antony Ingram -
BMW Plans Slimmed-Down Range For Next-Gen MINI Models
The third-generation MINI has only just been launched, but that hasn't stopped parent company BMW commenting on what the next generation might hold. Details of the models themselves are unlikely to arrive for many years--the current car has a whole lifecycle, including a mid-life refresh ahead of...
Antony Ingram -
All-New 2014 MINI Cooper Prices To Start At $20,745
MINI USA has announced pricing for the third generation of its BMW-produced hatchback, which will be priced from $20,745 when it arrives in the spring. That figure includes MINI's mandatory $795 destination charge, which also applies to the $24,395 MINI Cooper S. The new car will be called the MINI...
Antony Ingram -
2014 MINI Cooper: 3-Cylinder Subcompact Breaks Cover
It's the world's best-known small car, and it's all new for 2014. It is of course the MINI Cooper, though you might have stumbled over the phrase "all new", since a quick glance won't really reveal what parent company BMW has changed--the quirky retro styling is as familiar as ever. BMW has changed...
Antony Ingram -
What's the 2014 MINI Cooper going to look like? The old one, probably--a perception that isn't tarnished by MINI's latest teaser video, which gives us a hint as to the new car's form. The new car is set to be unveiled in full on November 18, the 107th anniversary of the birth of Sir Alec Issigonis, the engineer who penned the original Mini. It shows that BMW still cares about the MINI's heritage--or at least, sees value in trading off it--even though the car is now far removed from its 1959 ancestor. There's another nod to the original Mini's history in the video, in the form of the...
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New MINI Cooper Teased, Win A Trip To The Unveiling: Video
The classic Mini was one of the first true economy cars, both in terms of frugality and in offering purchase price that regular people could afford. Since BMW's resurrection of the badge its priorities have shifted a little to capitalize on the car's fashion status, but that doesn't mean the new...
Antony Ingram -
Next MINI Could Get 10 Variants, Plug-In Hybrid Option
The next-generation of BMW's MINI subcompact could spawn as many as ten different variants following its arrival next year. In an interview with Automotive News, BMW's board member in charge of MINI, Peter Schwartzenbauer, suggested that "eight to ten models" could be built from the car's new ULK...
Antony Ingram -
Future MINI Models: Engine And Technology Details Released
Future MINI models will be powered by three- and four-cylinder engines the brand says will combine fuel economy and sportiness.
Stephen Edelstein -
'Spy Shots': MINI Boatman Makes Waves In New York Harbor
We get a lot of spy shots of new or prototype cars sent in to High Gear Media, but not that many come from waterproof cameras. These photos show a potentially new and so far unknown MINI model parked at the marina that adjoins the World Financial Center in downtown Manhattan. Or perhaps moored...
John Voelcker -
2014 MINI Cooper To Be Unveiled November 18
You might not be familiar with Sir Alec Issigonis, but his name has made as much impact on the motoring landscape, particularly in Britain, as anyone else in the history of the automobile. Issigonis was the man behind the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor--the famous Mini. He died in 1988, but...
Antony Ingram -
The classic Mini wasn't the original gas-saving minicar, but it was certainly one of the most iconic, and modern owners BMW have turned the brand into a successful venture these days with a wide and not always endearing portfolio. It's still the basic hatchback which mirrors the original car closest, but the current model is up for replacement in the next year or so. The car you see here, called the MINI Vision, could be that replacement. We've already seen spy shots of the next MINI, which at the time didn't seem promising. The long-distance photos showed a car with odd proportions, albeit...
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Know How To Shift A Stick? Mini Explains Manual Transmissions For You
While automatic transmissions are more efficient than ever before -- and many now beat manual transmissions on gas mileage -- fans of stick-shift gearboxes are quick to point out that guiding your car into the right gear with your right hand is a sure-fire way to give you an enjoyable, efficient...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The Missing MINI Model: Clubvan Withdrawn After Just 50 Sales
We've always liked small vans, especially those derived from wagons--as rare as wagons are these days. But it turns out that the latest small van--the 2013 MINI Clubvan--both arrived in the U.S. and departed again, pretty much before anyone noticed. We had dropped a line asking about the little...
John Voelcker -
2013 MINI Paceman John Cooper Works: We Ask 'Why?'
Every once in a while, we end up driving a car that leaves us utterly confused. The 2013 MINI Cooper Paceman John Cooper Works ALL4 we drove for a day last week is one such vehicle. It's striking, but far less functional than the MINI Countryman from which it's derived. The handling is decent, but...
John Voelcker -
2013 MINI Cooper S Paceman: LA Auto Show Live Photos
We're into the second day of the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the launches are still rolling in. MINI has launched the Paceman in L.A, and we can now bring you live images of the current range-topper, the Cooper S Paceman. Adding a turbocharger to the regular Cooper Paceman's 1.6-liter gasoline...
Antony Ingram -
2013 MINI Paceman: Los Angeles Auto Show Preview
MINI is set to launch the 2013 Paceman crossover on its North American debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. Based on the same platform as the Cooper Countryman hatchback, the Paceman has been liberated of a couple of doors and granted a lower, sloping roofline. MINI has also announced a...
Antony Ingram