2012 Mini Clubman on 2040-cars

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The 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP is overwrought and automatic

As we’ve said many, many times before: Nurburgring times are not the measuring stick automakers hold them out to be. They donÂ’t happen under controlled circumstances with independent observers and bone-stock cars, generally. So that makes the new 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GPÂ’s exact time – which BMW officially fudges as “under 8 minutes” and which spy shots peg at 7:56.69 – fairly meaningless. WhatÂ’s not meaningless are the optics. Regardless of whether others cheat, that time isnÂ’t particularly impressive, behind the likes of the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R, the Honda Civic Type R, and the Volkswagen GTI Clubsport. LetÂ’s say, hypothetically, that all of those faster ‘Ring runners were Â… ringers. Maybe the Mini isnÂ’t. But strip away this stopwatch discussion and what remains is perhaps even more controversial. The John Cooper Works GP is a busy little thing, be-winged and spackled with GP decals and red accents and unusual overfenders. And itÂ’s an automatic – no manual here. Certainly all this will excite some, but itÂ’s bound to create some controversy for its sheer audaciousness. LetÂ’s start with the styling. Deep, bright red accents abound, looking almost like enamel. The trim is otherwise darkened, even the badging. That large split wing above the rear hatch has a distinct sci-fi vibe, like it was ripped off the concept art for a 2042 fusion-powered race car. Whether it meshes with the loosely-defined retro vibe of the underlying Mini Cooper is up to you. The most striking exterior element is the overfender treatment. TheyÂ’re a combination of a plastic understructure and a chopped carbon fiber material cap with a hexagonal seam motif. In pictures, it looks a bit like fiberboard – probably not the look Mini was going for. The panels stand proud of the fenders, too, especially at the top seam. If weÂ’re being generous, they look quite bold. But it seems that this element will live or die on how it appears in the flesh, so weÂ’ll wait until then to analyze it more. The styling is going to create some polarization, and so too will the mechanical spec and performance numbers. The turbo inline-four makes 301 horsepower – respectable, sure, but not outlandish. The 0-60 time is off the pace compared to the superlative Civic Type R, which clocks a 4.7-second run according to Car and Driver (Honda is mum on 0-60 times, by the way). The GP? 5.0 seconds. Good, but not the best – just like its claimed ‘Ring time.

The electric Mini SE crushes its EPA range estimate in our real-world test

The range meter of my fully charged 2020 Mini Cooper SE reads 110 miles as I fasten my seatbelt, which is hardly a surprise because that number matches the official EPA-certified range of this all-new electric car. But then I turn on the climate control system, at which point the range prediction promptly falls to 103 miles. “Uh-oh. This could get interesting,” I say to myself. My range test course, you see, is a vast loop that measures about 105 miles around. I donÂ’t really think IÂ’ll end up walking, though. I remind myself that most electric cars IÂ’ve tested — the Porsche Taycan among them — routinely outperform their rated range. But “most” is the operative word in this train of thought, so I ease out of my driveway to begin the test under a tiny cloud of uncertainty. Will the Mini Cooper SE prove to be one of the outliers? Will I encounter any low battery warnings? All will become clear in the next three and half hours. None of my initial hand-wringing should be taken to mean the MiniÂ’s rated range of 110 miles is somehow insufficient. ItÂ’s not, in my view. The length of my course has no special meaning. It doesnÂ’t represent the “right” number of miles. How the test was run My loop in Orange County, Calif., represents what I call typical suburban city driving. ItÂ’s not as dense as the notorious gridlocked areas found in West Los Angeles or certain big-city downtown environs, so itÂ’s applicable to the vast majority of drivers. It features suburban residential and arterial streets, with speed limits that range from 25 mph to as much as 60 mph. But thereÂ’s no pure freeway mileage, and the entire route is peppered with more than 310 signals. As for elevation, it ranges from sea level to just over 600 feet. I run with the automatic climate control system set within the range of 72 to 75 degrees, aiming to settle on one specific setting throughout that delivers adequate comfort. IÂ’ll try whatever Eco drive mode there is, but if throttle response is anemic IÂ’ll use the normal setting. Here, the default mode is the “green” mode, and IÂ’m sticking with it because the SEÂ’s driveability is totally agreeable. As for speed, IÂ’m running mid-pack between the leadfoots and the slowpokes. I wonÂ’t try to out-drag anyone leaving signals, and I look far enough ahead that I can choose the best lane and anticipate when the next signal is going to change. In short, IÂ’m aiming to land halfway between hypermiling and hyperactive.

Next-generation Mini Clubman could morph into a crossover

Mini knows selling station wagons in a market dominated by crossovers and SUVs is easier said than done. Since it can't beat them, it's considering joining them by making the next-generation Clubman more crossover-like than the current model, which proudly embodies its station wagon heritage. Oliver Heilmer, the BMW-owned firm's chief designer, broke the news to British magazine Autocar. The publication pointed out the current-generation Clubman (pictured) is about as long and as wide as the Countryman, and the two models occupy the same price bracket, but it's outsold by its taller sibling. Making it an SUV would certainly give sales a significant boost, but where would this strategy leave the Countryman? Launching a smaller soft-roader is off the table, so one nameplate would grow in size. The Clubman might take the Countryman's spot in the range, allowing it to move up. Nothing is set in stone yet, though putting the Clubman on stilts would better align it with the tastes of motorists in America, one of the brand's key markets. While Mini's sole wagon looks ready for a growth spurt, Heilmer stressed the retro-styled Hardtop — one of the brand's pillars — will remain true to its tiny roots when it enters its fourth generation in the coming years. Keeping the hatchback relatively small while carving out an acceptable amount of interior space and making it compliant with safety regulations around the globe is a huge challenge for Mini's vehicle development team. And, contrary to some industry rumors, going electric doesn't instantly solve the problem. "It's not necessarily the internal combustion engine that needs the space. Even with an EV, which has a smaller motor, you still need a crash box. Crash performance is the bigger issue," the designer explained. He's hopeful his team will solve this problem in 2020, but he warned keeping costs in check is another priority. Clearly, designing a city-friendly car is more difficult than it used to be. New technology might come to the rescue. Energy-absorbing foam could notably take the brunt of an impact, and allow designers to reduce the Hardtop's overhang. Other models would likely receive it, too, but Heilmer's team is primarily concerned about keeping the Hardtop's footprint in check. The rest of the range can — and, probably, will — continue to grow in the coming years. All told, the Hardtop will remain the foundation the rest of Mini's range is built on.