2006 Mini Cooper S on 2040-cars

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2021 Mini lineup includes some more equipment and some lower prices

Mini has played the unusual triple for its 2021 model-year lineup: Design revisions, more equipment, and lower prices on a number of models. Two full-body exterior colors, Emerald Gray Metallic and Melting Silver Metallic, won't make the new year. After a hiatus, the six-speed manual transmission returns on eight trims from the Cooper two-door hardtop to the front-wheel drive Cooper S Clubman. It's a third shifting possibility alongside the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and the eight-speed Steptronic automatic. The hardtops and convertibles were refreshed for last year, so they'll carry on with that momentum. One feature change comes to the mid-grade Signature Trim, which can add 6.5-inch touchscreen nav and Apple CarPlay, and a digital instrument cluster as options. The top Iconic trim makes the digital cluster standard. The Oxford Edition trim holds the line at $19,750 before an $850 destination fee, for a total of $20,600, same as 2020. Mini's made the Oxford available to everyone, not only the recent students and military personnel that began as the exclusive buyer base. Not only are there no price increases among the hardtop and convertible ranges, seven models get $1,000 price reductions. Pricing for 2021 and the difference compared to 2020 is: Hardtop 2 Door Oxford Edition: $20,600 (No change) Cooper: $23,250 ($1,000 lower) Cooper S: $27,250 ($1,000 lower) Cooper SE: $30,750 (No change) John Cooper Works: $33,250 ($1,000 lower) John Cooper Works GP: $45,750 Hardtop 4 Door Oxford Edition: $21,600 (No change) Cooper: $24,250 ($1,000 lower) Cooper S: $28,250 ($1,000 lower) Convertible Cooper: $28,250 ($1,000 lower) Cooper S: $32,250 ($1,000 lower) Sidewalk Edition: $39,250 John Cooper Works: $39,250 (No change) The Clubman got a makeover for this year plus a more powerful John Cooper Works Clubman with 301 horsepower. The sole change here is a 6.5-inch touchscreen navigation unit included on the middle Signature trim. Prices for the 2021 Clubman are: S: $30,750 ($1,000 lower) S ALL4: $33,750 (No change) John Cooper Works ALL4: $40,350 ($100 higher) The big-selling Countryman does almost 40% of U.S. Mini business. Outside come redesigned LED headlights, new Union Jack taillights, LED fog lights on the base Cooper and Cooper S, and piano black trim in places like the light frames and door handles.

Bronco, Yukon, Hummer and a CES recap | Autoblog Podcast #610

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and Assistant Editor Zac Palmer. They kick things off by talking about recent news, including the revival of the Hummer name as an electric pickup, revealing Ford Bronco spy shots and the unveiling of the 2021 GMC Yukon. Then Zac tells about his time in Las Vegas attending CES 2020. They talk about the cars they've been driving: a JCW-tuned Mini Clubman, the long-term Subaru Forester with its new gold wheels, a Volvo S60 PHEV that's been added to the long-term fleet, and a Camry Hybrid. Last, but not least, they help a listener decide how to spend his money on a sports car. Autoblog Podcast #610 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Hummer returning as an electric GMC pickup The latest on the Ford Bronco 2021 GMC Yukon CES 2020 recap Cars we're driving:2020 John Cooper Works Mini Clubman 2020 Subaru Forester long-termer (now with gold wheels!) 2020 Volvo S60 T8 Inscription 2019 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

BMW tops Consumer Reports 2023 Brand Report Card

Feels like we wrote about Consumer Reports' 2022 Brand Report Car and 10 Top Picks a few weeks ago, but it was last April. So the mag is back with a ranked roster of 32 brands and 10 vehicles in four categories for your debating pleasure. Starting with the brands, last year's top three were Subaru, Mazda and BMW. This year, the Munich crew climbed two spots to win the prize thanks to "Superb road test scores and solid results in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys." Subaru narrowly fell to second, maintaining its four-year run in the top three. Mini, eighth last year, jumped five spots to get the last step on the podium. The rest of the top 10 were Lexus (up one spot from last year), Honda (down one spot from last year), Toyota (up three), Genesis (up 12), Mazda (down six), Audi (down three) and Kia (up eight). The magazine and testing outfit says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CRÂ’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." Last year's top 10 had six automakers from Japan, three from Germany (giving Mini credit for England), none from the U.S. or South Korea, and five luxury brands. This year's list counts five makes from Japan, two from Germany because Porsche fell out of the top ten, two from South Korea, still none from the U.S., and four luxury brands. Buick again ranked as the best domestic, dropping to 12th after being 11th last year. The big mover was Lincoln, its 10-place jump up to 16th attributed to better reliability from the Corsair and Nautilus. Tesla's improved overall reliability saw it climb six spots to 17th. Dodge climbed one spot to 15th. Jeep got out of the penalty box in last to come second-to-last. Land Rover fell three places into the penalty spot.  CR's top 10 vehicle models The 10 Top Picks list is practically a new list. Only two holdovers made it to 2023, those being the Subaru Forester and Kia Telluride.