New Mini Spied!

[BMWDave]

Spied: New Mini, New Engine
The car will be all-new, but instantly recognizable as a Mini.

By Editors of Motor Trend
Motor Trend, March 2005



BMW AG and Peugeot-Citroen PSA have revealed their new joint-venture engine family, which includes a motor that'll make its debut in the 2007 Mini, launching in late summer of 2006. The car will be all-new, but instantly recognizable as a Mini.

Great handling and roadholding remain a priority, but the current multilink rear axle will be simplified for cost-saving and extra rear-seat room. Increased wheel travel is designed to allow better ride quality.


The two-door hatchback is the first of an expanded range of body styles, with a four-door arriving in a later model year. It may or may not be separate from a slightly longer station wagon; Mini heritage includes woody "Traveler" versions, and BMW has been threatening to revive the style. A new convertible will arrive a couple years into the program, but a Mini minivan is unlikely. Although the compact-van segment is on fire in Europe, and Mercedes will bring its new B-Class to the U.S., the Mini has to look like a small car, so it won't join in.



If you wanted a four-cylinder engine a decade ago, would you have gone to Chrysler? Somehow, BMW did, but by late 2006, it'll be out of the Brazil-sourced joint venture with Chrysler. The new engine's sophistication comes from BMW, and its frugality comes from cooperating on purchasing and design with Peugeot-Citroen, French master of cost savings. The other priority was fuel economy. Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulations commence in Europe in 2008, and the current Mini is thirsty for what it does.



The entry-level Mini One, not for U.S. import, will have a 114-horsepower 1.6 with a version of BMW Valvetronic in place of direct-injection and the turbo. Peugeot-Citroen will offer a variable-timed 1.4-liter version of the engine in 74 and 94 horsepower in its small cars.


Under the hood: Aluminum 170-horsepower, 1.6-liter direct-injection turbo four, with 10.5:1 compression ratio, more low-down torque, and freer revving up top, replaces current 168-horse iron lump. The twin-scroll turbo uses alternating exhaust pulses, the manifold pairing up cylinders one and four, two and three. BMW expects 15-percent-better fuel economy, which would be nearly 29 mpg and 37 mpg on the U.S. EPA cycles. The standard Cooper motor is a detuned direct-injection turbo making about 141 horses. Trannys are five- and six-speed manual and conventional automatic (no more CVT).

Nose: Design chief Gert Hildebrand regards these design cues as sacred: bug-eye headlamps, grille shape, clamshell hood with a central bulge. Headlamps fixed to fenders rather than integrated in hood to cut costs.



Tuning potential: John Cooper Works is aiming for 230 horsepower from its Works kit car.



Wheels: All-wheel drive is added a few years after the 2007 model release, either as handling aid or for more rugged driving (think "rally").



Profile: "Floating" roof with gloss-black pillars, rounded shoulder line, faux-chrome bumpers remain. Tiny overhangs and big wheels reinforce the car's small proportions.

[NomisR]

It's not "cute" anymore.  Why's this in luxury talk anyways?

[ifcar]

It's not "cute" anymore.  Why's this in luxury talk anyways?

Good point. Now it's not.  :)  

[giant_mtb]

It isn't as "cute" as it used to be...but it still looks most deffinitely like a Mini...so it still looks nice, IMO.  :)  

[Why?]

OMG, If they give it full time AWD, like in the BMW3X thingy, I am so buying a 2 dr hatch.

The smallest car in the US, with AWD & a turbo 4. I so hope they really do true AWD.

[TBR]

The engine always has been one of the Mini's biggest downfalls (the interior is the other), but it looks like that will no longer be a problem.

[ifcar]

The engine always has been one of the Mini's biggest downfalls (the interior is the other), but it looks like that will no longer be a problem.

Judging by spy pics of the interior, that area won't improve too much.

[BMWDave]

The engine always has been one of the Mini's biggest downfalls (the interior is the other), but it looks like that will no longer be a problem.

Judging by spy pics of the interior, that area won't improve too much.

What do you find wrong with the interior?  I was in minis and I thought them to be just fine.

[DC3Skyliner]

I own a 2003 Cooper S and love the interior. I just completed a 6000 mile trip in the car and found it to be a nice place to spend long periods of time. A few stats from the trip:

Longest period behind the wheel: 1,835 miles

Average highway speed (includes gas/coffee stops) 69.0 MPH

Average fuel milage for the trip: 34.2 MPG

Top Speed recorded on the GPS: 125.4 MPH still pulling when I backed off.

Worst weather: Continous lightning, rain and marble sized hail in Louisiana.

Despite the fact that the car has been out for several years I still had people check it out in some small towns off of the Interstate.  

[ifcar]

The engine always has been one of the Mini's biggest downfalls (the interior is the other), but it looks like that will no longer be a problem.

Judging by spy pics of the interior, that area won't improve too much.

What do you find wrong with the interior?  I was in minis and I thought them to be just fine.

It's the dash design, mainly. It was set up to look retro instead of to be convenient, and the new one appears to be no different in that regard.

[BMWDave]

The engine always has been one of the Mini's biggest downfalls (the interior is the other), but it looks like that will no longer be a problem.

Judging by spy pics of the interior, that area won't improve too much.

What do you find wrong with the interior?  I was in minis and I thought them to be just fine.

It's the dash design, mainly. It was set up to look retro instead of to be convenient, and the new one appears to be no different in that regard.

Oh-I thought you were talking about build quality.

[ifcar]

The engine always has been one of the Mini's biggest downfalls (the interior is the other), but it looks like that will no longer be a problem.

Judging by spy pics of the interior, that area won't improve too much.

What do you find wrong with the interior?  I was in minis and I thought them to be just fine.

It's the dash design, mainly. It was set up to look retro instead of to be convenient, and the new one appears to be no different in that regard.

Oh-I thought you were talking about build quality.

Dash design is the only aspect of the interior that I could have judged from a picture.    

[BMWDave]

The engine always has been one of the Mini's biggest downfalls (the interior is the other), but it looks like that will no longer be a problem.

Judging by spy pics of the interior, that area won't improve too much.

What do you find wrong with the interior?  I was in minis and I thought them to be just fine.

It's the dash design, mainly. It was set up to look retro instead of to be convenient, and the new one appears to be no different in that regard.

Oh-I thought you were talking about build quality.

Dash design is the only aspect of the interior that I could have judged from a picture.  

kk-just checking  

[TBR]

The dash really isn't the problem with the current car's interior imho, the real problems are the center stack and the door panels.  

[ifcar]

The dash really isn't the problem with the current car's interior imho, the real problems are the center stack and the door panels.

I always count the center stack as part of the dash myself, so I'd continue to call the dash a problem.  

[TBR]

The dash really isn't the problem with the current car's interior imho, the real problems are the center stack and the door panels.

I always count the center stack as part of the dash myself, so I'd continue to call the dash a problem.

Since in this case it is a completely different piece I think it is reasonable to not include it as part of the dash.