2003 Mini Cooper S- 6 Speed 76k Miles- on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback pricing, availability announced

The 2020 Mini Cooper SE electric hatchback now has a price and an on-sale date for America. The retail price including destination charge is $30,750 before any tax credits are applied. Seeing as other BMW electric cars still qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit, the Cooper SE should be available across the country for $23,250, and Mini says buyers in some states with additional incentives should be able to get one for under $20,000. It will be available in March 2020, and Mini said it will be offered across the country, implying that it may not be restricted to specific states like some other EV offerings. For comparison, a similarly potent gas-powered Mini Cooper S starts at $29,100, and a regular Mini Hardtop starts at $25,100. The Mini Cooper SE doesn't have a range estimate for the United States yet, but European estimates put it at 146 to 168 miles. We expect Mini's latest EV to have a shorter EPA-estimated range than the 150-mile, 40-kWh Nissan Leaf, which starts at $30,885 before incentives, and $23,385 after the $7,500 federal tax credit. The Leaf has more rear seat and cargo space plus more torque at 236 pound-feet, but the Mini has more power than the 147-horse Leaf. Whatever price you pay for your Mini Cooper SE, you'll get an electric motor that sends 181 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels. Mini says that will propel the car to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds on its way to a 93-mph top speed. The car's 32.6-kWh battery can fully charge in 4 hours on a Level 2 AC charger, and it can reach 80% charge in 35 minutes with a DC fast charger. Outside, the electric Mini has a unique blocked-off grille and standard 16-inch wheels. Inside, the SE gets a standard 6.5-inch infotainment screen with navigation and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity, a leather steering wheel, leatherette upholstery, cruise control, heated front seats, automatic climate control, automatic windshield wipers and automatic emergency braking.

Mini interns turn Paceman into Adventure pickup

With coupes and convertibles, hatchbacks and crossovers, Mini has done just about every bodystyle we could think of, and then a few more as concepts. But it hasn't done a pickup. At least it hadn't until now.
What we have here is a Mini Paceman (that, of course, being the coupe version of the Countryman) which has been transformed into a pickup by a group of BMW interns. It's called the Mini Paceman Adventure, and it's currently on display at the Mini dealership in Munich. According to BimmerToday.de, the project involved not only chopping the roof and installing a makeshift pickup bed, but also reinforcing the body, reforming the underbody and B-pillar, fitting off-road tires (including a spare fitted to a roof rack) and a handful of other minor modifications.
The photos are a little sketchy (although the dealership tells us a better set will be available soon), but from what we can see, it looks like a pretty solid project - one that makes us wonder if the apprentices' bosses might be paying attention. Because next to the Mini Coupe with its oddball backwards-hat roof treatment, this one-off looks as sensible as you'd expect from a group of German interns.

Road & Track names its 2013 Performance Car of the Year

Road & Track recently staged its first annual Performance Car of the Year test, pitting 13 new and updated performance cars against each other on track, then graduating the top six to a road test before picking a winner. Additionally, the magazine staff picked the best automobiles of the year in eight categories.
But first, let's cover the PCotY segment. Here's the list of cars brought to the comparison test: Audi R8 V10 Plus; BMW 435i; BMW M6 Competition Package; Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51; Ferrari F12 Berlinetta; Ford Fiesta ST; Jaguar F-Type V8 S; Jaguar XFR-S; Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S-Model Wagon; Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series; Mini John Cooper Works GP; Nissan GT-R Track Edition; and Porsche Cayman S.
To find out the results of the comparison, head over to Road & Track's website or check the press release below, where you'll also find the magazine's top-rated vehicles in eight categories. Want more? Head over to the 2013 PCotY hub. But before you do that, take a stab at guessing the winner of PCotY (we'll give you one hint: it isn't a Porsche).