Mini John Cooper Works
We got to see the new
John Cooper Works versions of the hardtop
Cooper and Clubman in New York City last
week, and they looked pretty snazzy in their
red, white and black duds. This year marks
the first time the performance-oriented trim
level will be created at the factory instead
of at the dealer level, which should make
enthusiasts happy when they go on sale this
summer.
The changes are much
more than cosmetic. Turbocharged engines
from the S trim levels get more power, up 36
hp from 172 to 208 hp. That shaves about a
half a second off the cars’ 0-60 mph times.
There will also be new high-performance
brakes, sports suspension, exhaust system,
modified six-speed transmission and unique
17-inch light alloy wheels and tires.
One millionth MINI exported
with the help of U.S. and Clubman
With the help of booming U.S.
sales, MINI announced today that it has produced the one millionth MINI for
export from its Plant Oxford that started production in 2001. More than 80
percent of MINIs production is currently exported to 80 countries worldwide -
the U.S. being its largest export market.
“Since MINI was launched we have
seen a significant increase in export from less than 60 per cent in 2001 to over
80 per cent this year,” said Oliver Zipse, Managing Director MINI Plant Oxford.
In the first half of 2008, MINI
has sold 26,400 cars,
an increase of 33.6 percent during the same period an year ago. MINIs worldwide
sales accounted for 17.9 percent in the first half of 2008 compared to 126,810
units sold last year.
Zipse also said that the new MINI
Clubman has contributed greatly to sales increase with every fifth MINI now sold
being a Clubman
Press Release:
Since production began in 2001
Plant Oxford has seen over one million MINIs leave the plant destined for
customers abroad. The one millionth MINI for export has now left Plant Oxford.
More than 80 per cent of MINI production is currently exported to almost 80
countries worldwide with the largest export market being the USA. The most
recent sales figures have been the best in MINI USA’s history. In the first half
of the year, MINI USA has reported sales of 26,400 cars, an increase of 33.6 per
cent. The increase in MINI sales is indicative of the structural shift taking
place in the USA, with MINI dealers reporting many customers moving out of their
large cars like SUV’s and trucks
into MINIs.
In the first six months of 2008,
MINI recorded a worldwide increase in sales of 17.9 per cent compared to last
year delivering 126,810 vehicles. The introduction of the MINI
Clubman has contributed greatly to this success – every fifth MINI sold is a
Clubman Oliver Zipse, Managing Director MINI Plant Oxford said: “Export is a key
factor for the success and stability of our MINI Plant in Oxford. Since MINI was
launched we have seen a significant increase in export from less than 60 per
cent in 2001 to over 80 per cent this year. The high customer demand in almost
80 countries around the world, from Chile to China, has driven MINI’s success
over the last seven years.”
Plant Oxford employs 4,700
associates who work a three shift pattern producing up to 800 MINIs a day, seven
days a week. An additional 2,100 associates work at the MINI pressing plant in
Swindon and engine
plant in Hams Hall near Birmingham; the three plants together form the MINI
production triangle in the UK.
In addition, MINI UK will open the
doors to a brand new model at MINIVERSITY, the Oxford-based car manufacturer’s
home at the 2008 British International Motor Show.
Between 22 July and 03 August, the
UK media and British public will have the opportunity to view first hand some of
the smartest things to come out of Oxford in recent years. MINI owners will have
access to ‘The Union’, an area to meet others in the MINI community, while
future customers can take a walk through the ‘Faculty of Engineering’ and
discover the millions of ways to personalize a new MINI. The stand will also
incorporate a Quadrangle-style area on which the entire MINI range will be
displayed.
The most recent ‘graduate’ from
MINI Plant Oxford, the brand new MINI John Cooper Works will be shown to the
public for the first time on British soil.
Mini Cooper Clubman makes a huge impression
You've got a car popular largely because it's small, so you make it bigger.
Disaster?
Delight.
The Mini Cooper Clubman, a stretched, wagonlike
version of the little Cooper sedan, is a honey.
Looks terrific. Drives great. Can be decked out
inside as scrumptious as luxury cars priced twice the well-equipped test car's
$28,700 sticker.
What's more, Consumer Reports magazine gives
the Mini Cooper hardtop — mechanically the same — the top scores in reliability,
owner satisfaction and total ownership costs.
Why a maxi Mini? More sales.
"We want to invite a broader scope of people" to
consider the line, says spokesman Andrew Cutler. The basic Mini Cooper hardtop's
appeal is limited because it's "an astonishingly small car."
But stretch the wheelbase a few inches for more rear
leg- and knee-room, add a small, reverse-opening door for passenger-side access,
and the result is a quite useful car.
It's still a stretch to call Clubman a family car,
or to say it's spacious. It remains a little car with all that implies.
But it's now big enough to be more practical, and a
ball to drive. The test car's base engine was enthusiastic and peppy.
The turbocharged S, much more powerful and $3,500
more expensive, wasn't tested. Mini's published acceleration times show it's a
couple of seconds quicker from 0 to 60 mph.
The Clubman's longer wheelbase, along with the
chassis design Mini introduced on the second-generation Cooper hardtop in 2007,
provide the smooth ride the Cooper's been missing. In no way sloppy or floppy,
the Clubman simply does a better job soaking up bumps than the shorter hardtop
does now, or ever did, while retaining the agile steering and tight handling
that have been part of the Mini Cooper's appeal.
You can turn up the dynamic fires by pushing a small
"sport" button that could accurately be renamed "quicken." That's what it does
to throttle and steering response. With the automatic transmission, sport
changes how it shifts.
The sport setting minimized, but didn't eliminate,
the test car's biggest driving disappointment. The engine was unresponsive when
blipping the throttle to eliminate jerkiness in downshifts. Without sport
engaged, you had to literally floor the throttle a moment to get the engine to
rev enough (and back off before the engine overreacted). With sport engaged, the
engine revved more willingly but remained less lively than desired during the
blipping process.
Downshifting and blipping go together like sugar and
sweet, so Mini's engine malaise was a sour note.
The interior continues the funky presentation:
charming or alarming, depending on your taste. The tachometer is in front of the
driver, suggesting engine speed is what's important. The speedometer and lesser
gauges are in a huge circle in the center of the dash. That implies a casualness
toward speed, but the numbers are so big, you can't miss them.
Controls for power windows and locks are
firm-feeling toggle switches ganged on the dashboard and overhead near the front
dome light, each switch separated by a small, curved railing. Trifling detail?
No. The feel is sublime. Climate controls and stereo switches are less
appealing.
Other delights and demerits:
• Engine. Mini Coopers originally used an iron
engine jointly done with DaimlerChrysler. The new, alloy powerplant is a
cooperative effort with PSA, the big French car company that's not Renault. What
a difference. The new engine is quieter, and when it makes noise, it's nicer
noise.
• Appearance. It looks even cooler than the
regular Mini Cooper (called the hardtop). The test car's chocolate brown
interior was more sumptuous than many lux-mobiles.
• Utility. Generous space under the rear cargo
floor is a good spot for the rear head restraints you might remove for better
visibility. The cargo net is strong enough to restrain some hefty items. Bins
and cup holders in the doors are sufficient. Both front seats tip and slide
forward enough that the back seat's easy to reach (on the small-car scale of
"easy").
• Gripes. The front passenger's safety belt hangs
in the way when you open the back-seat door (which, incidentally, won't open
unless the front door is open). Mini says that beefing up the seat to mount it
there, out of the way, would add too much weight, cost and complexity to the
car.
Rear vision is very bad with the rear head
restraints in place. Without them, visibility is still blocked a bit by the
frames of the swing-open rear cargo doors.
Front seat comfort is just OK. Seat adjustments were
awkwardly placed and hard to use. Optional chrome interior trim reflected
distractingly in the outside mirrors.
There are few cars that you can hop into and find
they match perfectly your wants and needs — even ones you didn't know you had.
Despite the gripes, Clubman is one.
When such a car comes along, even if it's off your
list because of size or price, it's worth a cheer. To Clubman, hoorah.
ABOUT THE 2008 MINI COOPER CLUBMAN
What? Bigger version of the popular small car,
with a teensy extra door on the passenger's side for back-seat child insertion
and other use by humans of any size. Two versions: basic Cooper Clubman;
fancier, turbocharged Clubman S.
When? On sale since Feb. 16.
Where? Manufactured at Oxford, U.K.
Why? Needed a car for deserting Mini owners who
couldn't figure out what to do with babies once they arrived, and for others who
like the basic Mini Cooper but find it just too mini.
How? Stretch the chassis of the basic Cooper
hardtop, tailor a wagon-esque body to fit.
How much? Clubman starts at $20,600 including
$650 destination charge.
Clubman S starts at $24,100 and ends a blink south
of $40,000 with all conventional accessories, or mid-$40s if you dive into the
John Cooper Works accessories (carbon fiber this, aluminum that,
checkered-flag-pattern something else).
How many? Autodata shows 1,768 Clubman sales from
launch through March, which is about 1,200 a month, or 25% of Mini Cooper sales
if hardtop and convertible sales continue at recent rates.
What's next? Remake of the convertible about a
year from now, to get it onto the same chassis as the hardtop and Clubman. A
crossover-utility model is possible a year after that.
How snappy? Fairly. Base models have 1.6-liter,
four-cylinder rated 118 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 114 pounds-feet of torque at
4,250 rpm.
S models have 1.6-liter, four-cylinder,
turbocharged, direct-injection engine rated 177 hp at 5,500 rpm, 177 lbs.-ft. of
torque that Mini says is available from 1,600 to 5,000 rpm.
Six-speed manual transmission standard; six-speed
automatic optional. Traction control and stability control.
How big? A bit shorter, narrower than a Mazda
Miata. Weighs 2,723 to 2,900 pounds. Rated to carry 816 pounds. Turns in 36.1
feet.
How thirsty? Clubman manual rated 28 miles per
gallon city, 37 highway, 32 combined. Automatic: 26/34/29. Clubman S: 26/34/29
manual, 23/32/27 automatic.
Trip computer in non-turbo test car with manual
registered 26.5 mpg in suburban driving, 20% of that in performance-enhancing,
mileage-reducing "sport" mode.
Tank holds 13.2 gallons. Premium fuel is required
for full power, but lower octane is OK, Mini says.
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