Driving Sports

MINI to Electrify L.A. Auto Show

The BMW Group will be the world's first manufacturer of premium automobiles to deploy a fleet of some 500 all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic. The MINI E will be powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox nearly without a sound and entirely free of emissions.

2008 MINI Cooper - Great Car, but Give Us the Diesel!

It’s almost impossible to buy a used MINI Cooper in America today. They just aren’t available, and those that are for sale are fetching almost-new prices. The reason is obvious - with gas pushing $4.50/gallon in most of the country, a car that gives you 37 MPG (28 city) without even trying is in high demand. Especially when that car is as useful and as much fun to drive as a MINI Cooper.

Journalistic ethics demand that I admit up front that I’m a MINI fan. I drive a 2005 Cooper S, and my wife drives a 2004 Cooper. In 1.5 years, when our daughter turns 16, the plan is to buy Mom a new Clubman S and let the kid drive the Cooper. We’re a MINI family. We drank the kool-aid.

Western Automotive Journalists Gather For "Media Days" At Laguna Seca

The Western Automotive Journalists organization gathered this week in beautiful Monterey, Calif. to test drive the 2008 sports and luxury car field from virtually every automaker doing business in North America. Journalists from up and down the west coast arrived to test the full fleet of 2008 cars on the winding mountain roads of Carmel Valley and at speed on the track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Yes, that's the new Nissan GT-R parked next to the NISMO Edition 350Z in the photo to the right. Yes, they're as good as you think they are.

Events such as this serve a number of purposes, including a rare chance for side-by-side tests of comparable cars from different automakers, and also to allow a relaxed atmosphere to talk shop with the manufacturer representatives. But I wouldn't lie to you and tell you it was anything like working - this event is big-time fun.

Join the Club, Man! - 2008 MINI Cooper Clubman

I have to admit right at the start that I’m a MINI fan. We bought my wife a MINI Cooper back in 2004 and it’s been an automotive love affair ever since. After a year of competing for the driver’s seat, I bought my own MINI Cooper S in 2005. We’re a MINI family and I’ve never had a car I loved as much.

So it’s no surprise that the whole family was jumping for joy when we got to spend a week driving the new MINI Cooper Clubman - the extended wheelbase “micro-wagon” version of BMW’s diminutive hatchback.  With its “funkier than thou” looks and extra legroom in the back, we wanted to see if the Clubman has the same mojo we love about our daily drivers.

JC Works MINI and Works MINI Clubman

A little eye candy for a Monday evening: Video clips of the new John Cooper Works MINI and it's bigger brother, the John Cooper Works MINI Clubman tearing it up on the track (courtesy of Mostly MINI). Both cars look and sound great.

Damn, I need to get back to the track again. These rainy days may be getting to me and watching these cars mix it up is making me salivate.

2008 MINI Clubman to hit the streets next month

The 2008 MINI Clubman, an all-new addition to the MINI model line, is being featured at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The slightly larger than usual MINI was first unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show last November.

The unique rear "barn door" design and the car's extended proportions distinguish it from other members of the MINI family. BMW says the MINI Clubman will pave their the way into a new market segment by offering innovative opportunities for the MINI brand and showcasing MINI’s leadership in the premium small car segment.

The MINI clubman will be available in the U.S. Feb. 16, 2008 as both a Cooper and a Cooper S model.