2008 Mini Cooper Hardtop Cpe S Leatherette,sport,xenon,foglights,hifisoundsys on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

David Brown's newest Mini Remastered is a tribute to James Bond's Lotus Esprit

England-based David Brown Automotive introduced a one-off version of its restomodded Mini Remastered built as a tribute to the Lotus Esprit Turbo driven by James Bond. It's a unique, unabashedly British creation that shares very few parts with the city car it started life as, and nothing but looks with the sports car that inspired it. Think of David Brown Automotive as the Singer of the classic Mini world. Its cars aren't cheap, especially when customers commission a one-of-a-kind build, but collectors get what they pay for. Its latest project resembles the Esprit Turbo that starred in the 1981 movie For Your Eyes Only thanks to a orange paint job with copper stripes above the rocker panels and gold-painted 13-inch alloy wheels shaped like the BBS units worn by the Lotus. The front end receives Cibie driving lights, while black paint on the wheel arches and the roof completes the look. The retro-flavored Hollywood inspiration is only skin-deep. Inside, the Mini gained white leather upholstery, walnut inserts on the dashboard, plus a 7.0-inch touchscreen compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Thicker carpet, more sound-proofing material and a push-button ignition integrated into a redesigned center console also appear on the build sheet. The extra equipment inevitably adds a little bit of weight. The average Mini Remastered tips the scale at approximately 1,630 pounds, which represents a 200-pound increase over a stock 1275 GT model, but it's nonetheless about 700 pounds lighter than a fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. Don't pay much attention to the turbo stickers on both sides; they were added to create an additional visual link between the Mini and the Esprit that inspired it. Lifting the tiny hood reveals a 1,330cc evolution of the Mini's naturally-aspirated four-cylinder tuned to 83 horsepower. It spins the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission. It's bigger than the engine that powered the standard Mini, whose displacement never exceeded 1,275cc, and it receives a generous 20-horsepower bump that accentuates the go kart-like feeling. David Brown Automotive published a photo of television personality Simon Cowell behind the wheel of the Lotus-inspired Mini, which seemingly confirms he's the lucky enthusiast who commissioned it.

2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP appears to have its Nurburgring time on the dashboard

Details on the 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP hot hatch have been trickling out, and it sounds and looks impressive. It will have over 300 horsepower (probably at least 301 like the Clubman and Countryman), and it has wild bodywork like its concept. Mini has also been promising a fast Nurburgring lap time, with the only information given that it will be under 8 minutes. Before the company could announce it, someone found it on the dashboard of the car. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Twitter user Will Pierce shared a photo of the dash, and the time wasn't just on a piece of paper, it was molded into the plastic trim of the dashboard. Mini is really proud of it, but maybe they shouldn't be that proud because it's not a record, giving it the benefit of the doubt that it's front drive like past GPs. The time is 7:56.69. The current front-drive record holder is the Renault Megane R.S. Trophy-R at 7:40.1. That's over 16 seconds faster. It also edged out the Honda Civic Type R's old record of 7:43.8. Even the third-fastest front-driver, the VW GTI Clubsport, did a lap in 7:47.19. In the grand scheme of things, Nurburgring lap times aren't that important. They're a fun bragging right, but there's much more that's important about cars than raw times. We're just giving the Mini a hard time because, well, if you're going to throw a time in someone's face every time they hop in the car, maybe you should make sure it's truly impressive. But we're sure the GP will be a riot, and we can't wait for more details and the opportunity to drive one.