Toyota Prius Move over, Mini D is here

[m7ammed]

MINI Cooper D Now Gets 72.4 Miles per Gallon (UK)
Text & Photos edited by Brian Potter
Source: BMW AG
May 28, 2007

• 72.4mpg. 104 g/km C02
• No batteries required

MINI hatch models are to receive technological revisions later this year, resulting in jaw-dropping performance and efficiency figures. Already BMW Group’s cleanest ever car, the MINI Cooper D will be capable of returning an astonishing 72.4mpg (up from 64.2mpg), with CO2 emissions of just 104 g/km (down from 118g/km).
When production of the revised models begins in August 2007, there will be no requirement for alternative fuel sources or hybrid technology to achieve these stunning stats. All model variants will instead be supplied as standard with high-tech engine tweaks, providing exceptional economy and minimal emissions without compromising the MINI driving experience.

Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop Function and Switch Point Display complete a package that will come at no extra cost to future MINI customers. Brake Energy Regeneration works by using an Intelligent Alternator Control (IAC) and an Absorbent Glass Mat battery to recycle previously lost energy, which saves fuel. The IAC reduces drag on the engine by only engaging when required to charge the battery, whereas a traditional alternator is always pulling power from the engine. Additionally, the energy generated by the engine on over-run (under braking or descending a hill) was previously wasted. Now this lost energy is utilised by the IAC to charge the battery.

The Auto Start-Stop Function, available with manual transmission cars, automatically switches the engine off when the vehicle is stationary and the driver puts the car into neutral. To restart the driver only need engage the clutch again before pulling away in the normal manner. The system may be de-activated at the touch of a button when not required.

Switch Point Display aids drivers of manual transmission MINIs in selecting the most economical gear in which to drive. The engine management system analyses speed, road situation and accelerator pedal position and based on this data calculates optimum gearing. The ideal gear is then displayed by number in the cockpit display.

Even without these technology advancements in place, MINI leads the new car market for year-on-year improvements in clean engine manufacturing. C02 output per car has been reduced in the last year by an impressive 14 per cent. Putting that into perspective, the industry average was recorded at a lowly 0.3 per cent.

To put the icing on the cake for customers, MINI Cooper D owners will continue to benefit from the car falling into VED tax band B. So savings are not only made in carbon emissions, but at the fuel pumps and the Post Office when replacing an annual road fund licence too. Little wonder then that MINI UK is again celebrating a month of record car sales!

I think improving the current pertrol and Disel cars is the way forword

 

[a6m5]

Wow. As long as the pricing is reasonable, I think I might prefer this one over Prius.......

 

[V1P3R]

I'd take a Mini any day over a Prius... this will definitely make them more valuble and harder to get unfortunately.

 

[a6m5]

I'd take a Mini any day over a Prius... this will definitely make them more valuble and harder to get unfortunately.

That's if we ever get those here.

Oh, I crack myself up.

 

[Metar]

And that one isn't a lousy soft wobbly ugly-as-hell hybrid. It's a cool-looking, well-handling Mini. Not the original, but still better than a Prius.

Could be a hit here, if the pricing remains reasonable and the safety-features will be few.

 

[Freddie]

That's if we ever get those here.

Oh, I crack myself up.

I thought MINIs were sold in USA? To my knowledge all the petrol-engines get the same revisions, the new Cooper S reportedly has a fuel consumption rivaling that of a normal diesel-powered car!

BMW has also started fitting the same tech to their 1-series, but you wouldn't be interested in that. Not yet, anyway.

 

[JCE]

Mini D = useful and practical and even cool
Prius = overhyped piece of **** that is rubbish at doing everything but 20mph

I'll take the Mini please thanks.

 

[YSSMAN]

I thought MINIs were sold in USA?

We have them, but there are problems:

1) They have the WORST dealer network in the US outside of the companies you would expect to do so (ie Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc).

2) Non-MINI BMW dealers will NOT service a MINI, no matter how much money you throw at them. Specialty import dealers here in Grand Rapids are making a killing off the cars that have been sent here from Chicago and Detroit.

3) We have only the Cooper and the S, only petrol versions... So none of the 'basic' One models, nor the diesel models as well. A pitty really.

...Diesels are on the rise in North America, and I can't stand the fact that so many companies are being this slow to react. Volkswagen couldn't build enough TDI models to meet demands for 2007, and dealers have suffered. I'm sure they're going to have the same issues when the new models debut for '08 or '09...

 

[exigeracer]

1) They have the WORST dealer network in the US outside of the companies you would expect to do so (ie Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc).

2) Non-MINI BMW dealers will NOT service a MINI, no matter how much money you throw at them. Specialty import dealers here in Grand Rapids are making a killing off the cars that have been sent here from Chicago and Detroit.

I think you are basing this solely on your "city", where BMW has yet to place a Mini dealership. The target buyer tends to live in larger cities than Grand Rapids, a city which one would expect to see sales of larger, less urbanite vehicles. I've been to Grand Rapids, it's hardly the place where a ctuesy compactish car like the Mini thrives.

In the cities where the BMW is most suited, the dealer networks seem to be fine.

 

[Jim Prower]

I think you are basing this solely on your "city", where BMW has yet to place a Mini dealership. The target buyer tends to live in larger cities than Grand Rapids, a city which one would expect to see sales of larger, less urbanite vehicles. I've been to Grand Rapids, it's hardly the place where a ctuesy compactish car like the Mini thrives.

In the cities where the BMW is most suited, the dealer networks seem to be fine.

He's saying that those Minis are coming from Chicago and Detroit, places where Mini dealerships SHOULD be supportive.

 

[YSSMAN]

I think you are basing this solely on your "city", where BMW has yet to place a Mini dealership. The target buyer tends to live in larger cities than Grand Rapids, a city which one would expect to see sales of larger, less urbanite vehicles. I've been to Grand Rapids, it's hardly the place where a ctuesy compactish car like the Mini thrives.

In the cities where the BMW is most suited, the dealer networks seem to be fine.

Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms with the BMW service. I just think it is completely idiotic that if I were to buy a brand-new Cooper that I'd have to drive three hours (or worse, have it towed) to the nearest dealer in Detroit or Chicago.

...That being said, there are plenty of Minis out here. My neighbor has one of the special edition Cooper S Monte Carlo Rallye models, and there are quite a few other Coopers that I see on a fairly regular basis. My boss' father-in-law is one of the only dealers that will service them in Grand Rapids, at least that I know of, and it has always surprised me that he hasn't bought the rights to sell MINI products there.

You'd think, with Grand Rapids being the second wealthiest city in Michigan (creeping up on Detroit every day) that MINI would want a dealer here. The rich teenager is a lucrative market with the cutesy car, and with the Forest Hills, East Grand Rapids, and Rockford school districts dominating that segment, they would sell the cars like bottled water at Woodstock '99.

I've been complaining for a while that we don't have MINIs here, and that we should. You always get the same thing back from MINI; "We're currently looking to expand our market share, and we are carefully considering opening new dealers across the country..." yadda yadda yadda.

I love Sharpe BMW with every bone in my body (they actually let you touch and drive the cars! GASP!), but I've always been stunned by the fact that they will carry Land Rover, Jaguar, Buick and BMW... But not MINI.

Grand Rapids and MINI would work out fine. The boneheads in the company need to realize that Chicagoland doesn't need five dealers, and three or four in Greater Detroit.

 

[Jim Prower]

They have a MINI dealership In Peoria, I think, or in the Peoria area, Sud's, who also carries most of the other German brands in the Peoria/Bloomington-Normal market. (By the by, that's where Eclipses and Galants are built-Normal IL.)

 

[emad]

that's great and all... but we get gypped n North America. I'd be all over the idea of a sporty german car with a diesel, but VW is the only company that does it right now....

Oh... and it seems that the Mini D comes in at well below 100hp... that wouldn't fly here

 

[exigeracer]

Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms with the BMW service. I just think it is completely idiotic that if I were to buy a brand-new Cooper that I'd have to drive three hours (or worse, have it towed) to the nearest dealer in Detroit or Chicago.

...That being said, there are plenty of Minis out here. My neighbor has one of the special edition Cooper S Monte Carlo Rallye models, and there are quite a few other Coopers that I see on a fairly regular basis. My boss' father-in-law is one of the only dealers that will service them in Grand Rapids, at least that I know of, and it has always surprised me that he hasn't bought the rights to sell MINI products there.

You'd think, with Grand Rapids being the second wealthiest city in Michigan (creeping up on Detroit every day) that MINI would want a dealer here. The rich teenager is a lucrative market with the cutesy car, and with the Forest Hills, East Grand Rapids, and Rockford school districts dominating that segment, they would sell the cars like bottled water at Woodstock '99.

I've been complaining for a while that we don't have MINIs here, and that we should. You always get the same thing back from MINI; "We're currently looking to expand our market share, and we are carefully considering opening new dealers across the country..." yadda yadda yadda.

I love Sharpe BMW with every bone in my body (they actually let you touch and drive the cars! GASP!), but I've always been stunned by the fact that they will carry Land Rover, Jaguar, Buick and BMW... But not MINI.

Grand Rapids and MINI would work out fine. The boneheads in the company need to realize that Chicagoland doesn't need five dealers, and three or four in Greater Detroit.

But that's all still proving my point. BMW doesn't want the MINI to be considered as a BMW model, but one on it's own. That's why they have their own showrooms and their own service departments. Does you BMW delaership service Rolls Royce? If they weren't so expensive, I would highly doubt it.

I understand how you think BMW, as the owner of MINI, should service them, but there is a clear reason for that. Other than in a city of barely a million people, in places where the target consumer is exponentially more abundant, the delaers aren't close "the WORST in the US".

 

[Philly]

The MINI network is a little sub-par. We have two in the entire Pacific Northwest, yet there are 8 in LA and like 4 in San Fransisco. Those two are in Portland and half an hour south of Seattle in Fife, though.

It will be nice to see a new car rival the Prius at it's own game (we need to get those off the road). At least this car would be entertaining to drive, and you probably won't see it on the freeway going 56 mph to stay of battery power.

This car sounds pretty cool. It won't be too fast, but in the USA, people tend to drive sluggish SUVs, which this can beast. Problem is, it could appeal to the sporty guys or the ones trying to save the earth. It might go to both, but there is the risk that it will appeal to neither.

 

[a6m5]

I thought MINIs were sold in USA? To my knowledge all the petrol-engines get the same revisions, the new Cooper S reportedly has a fuel consumption rivaling that of a normal diesel-powered car!

BMW has also started fitting the same tech to their 1-series, but you wouldn't be interested in that. Not yet, anyway.

As YSS Brad answered for me, yes, we do get them, but no diesel models.

Diesels are definitely getting momentum here in the States, but they aren't exactly popular here..... yet.

 

[YSSMAN]

Its a shame that they aren't. You'd figure that torque-happy Americans would be all over it, particularly when diesel power is proving to me more efficient that the Hybrids with the new EPA tests, and furthermore, come at a lower cost to the consumer with the first purchase.

I helped my brother write a bill for his Model Congress project about reducing some of the restrictions on diesels to get more of them in the US, and furthermore aid those who want to buy them by cutting off Hybrid purchase bonuses. I think I ended up figuring out that for only a 10% increase in price there was a 30% increase in fuel economy... But I can't remember the specifics right now...

 

[a6m5]

Agreed.

I actually think the hybrid concept is promising(crafty wording, I know), but I also think that diesels are on top of their game, right now. Their stats on fuel economy and emissions are very impressive.

It's so slow for the diesels to catch on here, I almost wonder if there is a political pressure against them in the States.

 

[exigeracer]

I helped my brother write a bill for his Model Congress project about reducing some of the restrictions on diesels to get more of them in the US, and furthermore aid those who want to buy them by cutting off Hybrid purchase bonuses. I think I ended up figuring out that for only a 10% increase in price there was a 30% increase in fuel economy... But I can't remember the specifics right now...

How about taxing SUV and other polutants vehicles more? How about cutting off purchase bonuses to businesses who purchase large SUVs? Cutting off hybrid purchase bonuses doesn't make the world any greener.

I haven't heard recently, but a year ago, you could get a larger tax reduction on the purchase of a Hummer H2 than on a Prius.

 

[YSSMAN]

It's so slow for the diesels to catch on here, I almost wonder if there is a political pressure against them in the States.

One has to assume so to some extent. As soon as they began to match or surpass Hybrids, they kicked up the emissions requirements basically outlawing everything outside of full-size trucks. Now that they've matched that, different companies are being pushed away from the idea for God knows what reason...

Around here diesel fuel is almost a dollar cheaper per gallon. I'd take that with similar power figures and better fuel economy for the few extra grand I'd have to pay for an oil-burner beneath the hood...

 

[Jim Prower]

OH, not to mention, you can easily convert one to run on french fry oil...

 

[YSSMAN]

How about taxing SUV and other polutants vehicles more? How about cutting off purchase bonuses to businesses who purchase large SUVs? Cutting off hybrid purchase bonuses doesn't make the world any greener.

I haven't heard recently, but a year ago, you could get a larger tax reduction on the purchase of a Hummer H2 than on a Prius.

I don't remember all the specifics of what the bill was I'm afraid, but getting rid of the Hybrid and SUV bonuses were part of it. We wanted to shift that money to buying diesels, not only to encourage the public to buy them, but also for corporations to build them and facilitate those vehicles.

More or less, the bill was about getting the diesel vehicles from Europe (particularly from American-owned companies) to the US to help foster our oil independence, decrease consumption, and use an altogether better alternative than hybrid power. The bill ended up making it through committee, and nearly to the floor, but a "rival congressman" to my brother shot it down at the last minute because he didn't like the idea that it was in opposition to his Hybrid-centered bill.

 

[Jim Prower]

Wait, your brother's a congressman?

 

[exigeracer]

Sounds like Mr. Congressman needs to brush up on his debating skills.

 

[STLbarcelona5]

I still think it's absurd that this country has gone madly in love with Hybrids. Or at least, the companies that produce them making them seem like THE default choice if you care about the environment or simply getting better gas mileage. The irony is that hybrids are no better than diesels in either either gas mileage or simply being "Green."

I mean yes it's hard to impliment, but if you really want to be "Green" the easiest way is to just by a diesel and convert it to vegedable oil of some sort. But even if that weren't an option, I just find it irritating that people who by Pruises & other forms of hybrids are so short-sighted. I mean it's one thing to say that you get great gas mileage, sure I'll give you that. But then to go on about how you're helping the environment is absurd.

The study that CNW did over the past two year proves this, instead of going simply by gas mileage, they studied how the car impacted the environment from dust to dust. In the States the top few cars were simply small cars with small engines, they are easy to build and don't have many complex parts. The highest hybrid (Prius) was around 60 on the list. The main reason being that hybrid engines take a lot more energy to build all of the components to make the car a hybrid, and then all of the extra batteries & such, which last time I checked, batteries weren't the most eco-friendly object out there.

So to end my rant, I guess all I can do is to just grind my teeth at commercials and people who go on about how "Green" their hybrid is, when in reality it's doing more harm then good, regardless of the gas mileage that it's getting.

 

[1X83Z]

We have them, but there are problems:

1) They have the WORST dealer network in the US outside of the companies you would expect to do so (ie Ferrari, Lamborghini, etc).

Move to the city; live amongst the humans. There's a Mini dealer in all major US cities, and even dealers in cities like Albuquerque.

 

[YSSMAN]

Wait, your brother's a congressman?

No, this was a High School project...

Move to the city; live amongst the humans. There's a Mini dealer in all major US cities, and even dealers in cities like Albuquerque.

I do know this is a joke (at least I hope it is), but given that Grand Rapids is pretty much the bigger economy than Detroit is these days for high-end vehicles, it has always been a surprise that everything goes to Detroit or Chicago. Joey has been here, so he knows what its like. Its a nice city, and its getting better all the time.

Dunno. When we're home to several of the most-wealthy school districts in the state, not to mention the HUGE college-town business with GVSU and the new MSU medical wing, and the growth of other technological and medical fields, you'd think that they'd want to take advantage of these people with money to sell these high-end cars.

 

[ND4SPD]

OH, not to mention, you can easily convert one to run on french fry oil...

Actually, mythbusters proved that no modifications were needed to run a diesel car with used cooking oil.....Actually, the only modification needed was for the oil to be filtered with a regular coffee filter.

 

[Jim Prower]

Actually, mythbusters proved that no modifications were needed to run a diesel car with used cooking oil.....Actually, the only modification needed was for the oil to be filtered with a regular coffee filter.

See? Easily convert