MINI PHEV Coming In 2017, Battery Electric To Follow

The first ever MINI plug-in hybrid model is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2017, reportsInternational Business Times. The details are few and far between, but sources say it will be based on the next generation MINI Countryman. That model is expected to be noticeably longer and wider than the Countryman that is on sale today. BMW says a fully electric MINI will arrive in 2019.

The plug-in car is expected to share much of its drivetrain with the BMW 225xe Active Tourer. That means a three cylinder engine powering the front wheels and an electric motor for the rears. Conceptually, the drivetrain is similar to the one used in the BMW i8 sports car but configured differently and with far less horsepower. In the i8, the gasoline engine sends power to the rear wheels and the electric motor is mounted up front. Charging times from a standard household outlet (220 volts in Europe) is 3 hours and 15 minutes.

The 225xe Active Tourer has a total of 221 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor alone supplies 87 horsepower and 122 lb-ft of toruque. An all electric range of 25 miles is expected. The car will also have a top speed using just the electric motor of either 50 0r 78 miles per hour, depending on which of several driving modes is selected. There will be a Save Battery mode that prevents assistance from the electric motor while driving on the highway. In theory, that will allow the car to have a full battery charge when the highway is left behind and urban motoring begins.

The gasoline engine will be mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. When both the engine and the motor are active, the plug-in MINI will have four wheel drive capability. Also, when driving in electric only mode, it will be the first MINI ever with rear wheel drive. There are some minor changes scheduled for the interior. The standard red Start button will be yellow and the tachometer will be replaced with a power meter. The MINI PHEV is expected to get its first public showing at the Los Angeles auto show in November.

Source: International Business Times   Photo credit: BMW

Mini Countryman PHEV caught at electric watering hole

Our spy photographers have once again found the next generation Mini Countryman out testing in the wild. This time, they caught it replenishing its thirst for electrons.

Although we knew some sort of hybrid Countryman was coming, this confirms its existence and plug-in capabilities beyond any reasonable doubt. Like the rest of the Mini lineup, this new Countryman will be noticeably larger than its predecessor. It also appears to feature a larger, more aggressive grille and lower intake vents. Other than that, the car appears to be quite evolutionary in design.

Our spy photographers expect the plug-in hybrid Countryman to debut in 2019 powered by a combination of the 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder and an electric motor. We have also predicted that the gasoline engine could power the front wheels while the electric motor (or motors) powers the rear wheels, which together could provide all-wheel-drive and 240 horsepower.

The MINI Superleggera Roadster Is Electric Driving Bliss

The MINI Superleggera Vision Concept is what you get when the German owners of a British brand turn to Italian designers to create a lightweight electric roadster. And while too many cooks often spoil the brother, this European collaboration of carbuilders has cooked up an incredible concept that deserves serious consideration for production.

It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility, and judging from the Internet’s reaction, BMW might do well to consider this concept for production. The MINI Superleggera Vision is a hand-built expression of minimalist driving passion that combines classic British and Italian styling together in a single vessel. The emphasis on this project was the driving experience, though great care was taken to provide some measure of comfort and luxury to the driver as well.

At the heart of the MINI Superleggera concept is a hand-shaped aluminum body built by master metalworks of Touring Superleggera, which BMW contracted to construct this gorgeous concept. There are very few panel gaps, as the MINI Superleggera was constructed from huge sheets of aluminum to give it an unbroken, sleek feel. Carbon fiber reinforced plastic was also used to keep the weight off, meaning this MINI is even lighter than its ilk. A true driver from front to back, and it’s hard not to be reminded of classics from the likes of Aston Martin or Jaguar. The original MINI never made anything like this.

Powering this keen concept car is an unspecified electric drivetrain that seems more placeholder than actually planned for production, as no power figures of any kind were mentioned in the press release. Instead the focus is the light weight of the Superleggera (which in Italian means quite simply “super light”), and should the MINI Superlegerra ever aspire to be more than just a concept, a conventional powertrain would make more sense in keeping with the lightweight nature of the beast.

Even a small battery pack with a very modest range would add hundreds, of not thousands of pounds to the curb weight of the MINI Superleggera, whereas a small conventional drivetrain, like the new three-cylinder engine powering the 2015 MINI models, could provide enough oomph without adding too many unnecessary pounds. Then again, the EV version of the BMW i3 managed to keep the weight off despite its electric drivetrain, so I wouldn’t count EV power out just yet, and a plug-in hybrid drivetrain could strike the right balance between performance and weight.

It might take five years, but this concept has enough potential to make a great case for production. Then again, I thought the same thing about the won’t-ever-happen MINI Paceman Adventure pickup. The MINI Superleggera is MINI getting back to its roots, in a roundabout, luxury roadster EV sorta way.

Source: MINI

Mini One 1.2 first drive review

What is it?

This is the Mini One, the entry-level petrol version of the new, third-generation Mini. It features a brand new three-cylinder engine, a 1.2-litre turbocharged unit, that’s essentially a reduced cubic capacity version of the 1.5-litre engine used in the new Mini Cooper.

It still gets direct injection and double-VANOS, as well as a stop-start system, but power drops from 134bhp to 101bhp and price goes down from the Mini Cooper's £15,300 to the One’s £13,750.

As with all the other new Minis, the One is made on the same new BMW front-wheel-drive platform that will be used in other future models both from Mini and BMW.

The new model replaces the old Mini One, which had a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four cylinder, with 97bhp but only 113lb ft of torque, compared with the new model’s 133lb ft, this is a real boost to in-gear acceleration.

What is it like?

The first thing that catches the eye are the standard 15in rims, with skinny 175/65 R15 low rolling resistance tyres. They make the car look as if it is using four emergency replacement wheels: a bit of a car stylist’s nightmare, really.

Open the door and the One doesn’t look cheap at all, however. All materials used in the cockpit are as good as the ones found in the more expensive Cooper and Cooper S variants and there is no shortage of switches in the centre console or trademark toggle switches.

The car we drove had some optional extras fitted, including a sports leather steering wheel with cruise control and Mini Driving Modes. This allows the driver to choose from Green, Mid or Sport modes. Each modifies accelerator response, steering effort and engine acoustics and, unlike similar systems in other cars, here you can actually feel the difference.

Choose Green and the circular centre console flashes a green arc and the engine gets notoriously less responsive, but never to the point of feeling sluggish. In the instrument cluster, fitted to the steering wheel column, appears a scale indicating how many range 'bonus' miles the driver won by driving in a economy-friendly way.

Change to Sport and the three-cylinder engine comes alive, without ever sounding like a typical three-pot. The engine note is surprisingly pleasant, with a roaring sporty sound. 

Press the accelerator and the One feels more rapid than the 0-62mph figure of 9.9sec might suggest. The torque curve starts to rise from very low revs and delivers a convincingly swift response across a wide range of engine speed. 

The gear change is a true joy for the keen driver. This new six-speed manual performs great automatic rev matching on downshifts, which the driver can override if they apply some well-judged heel and toeing. Fifth- and sixth-gear ratios are a little long, to save fuel when driving on the motorway, where wind noise is not as low as it could be.

And we come back to those skinny tyres. True, city driving is not affected by them and motorway fuel consumption actually benefits. But turn onto a B-road to exploit that famous go-kart-like Mini handling and soon the tyres start to come up short in terms of road holding and precision. Tyre degradation even becomes an issue, when the tyres start to bend, under heavy cornering. 

One thing is true, if you get your driving back to eight-tenths the balance between available power and grip highlights the new Mini’s excellent dynamics, which are better savoured with the stability control off. 

Sliding the front or the rear (or both) is just a question of how much lock you apply to the steering wheel and how deeply you nail the accelerator or how quickly you release it. 

This is not exactly akin to Cristiano Ronaldo playing in high heels but it seems a good idea to order your Mini One with upgraded tyres: you would lose something in fuel economy but not much in comfort, because the ride on the standard tyres is not that supple anyway.

Should I buy one?

If you really need to save the £1550 that separate Mini Cooper from Mini One, the answer is yes and you won’t be disappointed by the torquey 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine. Just spend whatever money you can get on a bigger set of wheels. 

If you have some financial slack, go for the Cooper version. It gives access to another level of performance and the claimed fuel economy is actually slightly better.

Francisco Mota

Mini One 1.2

Price £13,750; 0-62 mph 9.9sec; Top speed 121mph; Economy61.4mpg (combined); CO2 108g/km; Kerb weight 1090kg;Engine 1198cc, in-line three-cylinder, turbo; Installation front, transversePower 101bhp at 4250rpm Torque 133lb ft at 1400rpm Gearbox 6-spd manual

Source: Autocar

MINI Paceman Adventure Pickup Is Just A Tease

MINI could bring all-new meaning to the term “small truck” should it carry the MINI Paceman Adventure concept through to production. That’s probably not going to happen to be honest, but this excellent concept would prove infinitely useful with its tiny truck bed and implied efficiency.

By lopping off the back-top half of a MINI Paceman, engineers have created a unique utilitarian design with off-the-beaten-path driving in mind. Strap a spare tire to the roof, add on a light bar, install an off-road friendly suspension, and you’re just an air snorkel away from the Paceman Adventure.

Just don’t expect MINI to take this concept into consideration for production. Built by BMW students and instructors at factories in Munich and Dingolfing, there are no plans to put the Paceman Adventure into production.

That’s a real shame, be because a genuine MINI pickup could be endlessly useful. What a tease this concept turned out to be.

Source: BMW

2015 Mini Cooper Revealed With All New Engines, Features

After a long wait and plenty of teasing, the 2015 MINI Cooper has finally been revealed to the world. While it may not look all that different, a number of subtle and not-so-subtle changes, including two all-new engines, mean the new MINI is ready to to take on all comers in the increasingly-competitive luxury car market.

The 2015 MINI Cooper is an entirely new car boasting numerous new (for the brand) features like enhanced aerodynamics, direct injection, and BMW’s TwinPower turbo technology. Under the hood is either a 1.5 liter 3-cylinder engine making 134 horsepower and 162 ft-lbs of torque, or a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo making 189 horsepower and 207 ft-lbs of torque. In addition to more power, the engines promise to be more efficient, though MINI is keeping fuel economy figures close to the chest for now.

This isn’t a radical redesign, but rather a makeover for a twice-iconic car. The interior is still full of circular gauges and vents, though the layout is less polarizing than previous Coopers. As for the rumors of either a diesel or plug-in hybrid version, there is no mention, though it seems like an inevitability if you ask me. But we’ll have to see where fuel economy and pricing falls for the new 2015 MINI Cooper first.

Source: MINI

LA 2013: New 3-Cyl. 2014 Mini Cooper to Break Cover

The new for 2014 Mini Cooper is set to debut later this month at the LA Auto Show with a number of serious mechanical changes geared at reducing weight, improving performance, and maximizing the small car’s miles per gallon. The 2014 mini is also expected to replace its traditional center-stack instruments with a head-ups display that projects information on to a small retractable screen directly in front of the driver. This includes driving speed, navigation instructions and the current speed limit.

The new Mini is expected to take a page from Ford’s Ecoboost handbook and put a 1.5 liter, 3-cylinder turbo under the hoods of the base models, with a more powerful, 189 hp 2.0 liter turbo in the Cooper S models.

Finally, the 2014 Mini will reportedly get a new, much stronger passenger cell that makes use of slightly larger crumple zones front and rear, as well as a new hood that senses a collision and “pops up” to help absorb more of the impact. The larger size and increased safety of the Mini takes advantage of the weight-savings measures mentioned, above, and doesn’t carry the expected “bigger + safer” weight penalty.

We’ll have more information, pricing, and the EPA’s expected MPG rating after the car’s official debut in two weeks. Until then, you can spoil the reveal with these pics, below, part of a much larger, 22-strong image gallery over at Auto Express. Enjoy!

Source | More Photos: Auto Express UK.

MINI Cooper Getting New Range Of 3 and 4-cylinder Engines

The resurrection of MINI under BMW’s stewardship is one of the great success stories of the new millenium, and there’s an all-new Cooper ready to make it’s world debut in just a few months. The first details of the new Cooper are starting to leak out, including a new range of engines that for the first time includes a tiny turbo three-cylinder.

These new engines are the first BMW-made motors for the MINI Cooper, featuring the TwinPower direct injection and turbocharging technologies. The motors are set to break cover in November. The base engine will be a 1.5 liter three-cylinder turbo making 134 horsepower and 162 ft-lbs of torque. It’s actually a rather large three-cylinder engine, though not quite as big as the 2.0 liter four-banger that will offer 189 horsepower and 207 ft-lbs of torque. An “overboost” feature allows the three-cylinder to make up to 189 ft-lbs of torque, and the four-cylinder up to 227 ft-lbs for short periods of time.

No mention of fuel economy numbers or of the rumored diesel model, but you can be sure that fuel economy is going to be important to the MINI brand going forward. It’s amazing how much power automakers are able to wring out of smaller and smaller engines, with the MINI motors rivaling the power of much bigger engines, though Ford is still the leader in three-cylinder performance.

The new MINI is more than just some fresh engine choices; a new chassis employs various weight-lightening features shared with the BMW 1-series, and new transmission options (both automatic and standard) will help make the most of every gallon of gas.

But as far as fuel economy goes, MINI needs to at least hit 40 mpg to get anyone’s attention. These gas engines can only get so much smaller though, and new solutions will have to be employed if MINI hopes to keep an MPG edge on the competition.

What I’m saying is, where’s the MINI hybrid at?

Source: MINI