2008 Mini Cooper S Turbo, Panoramic Sunroof, Mellow Yellow, Sport Pkg on 2040-cars

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BMW 2 Series gets 3-cylinder Mini engine

BMW just keeps lopping off cylinders from its engines and sliding the ever-more-diminutive mills into its models. This spring, Europeans will get some of the automaker's smallest yet thanks to a new entry-level 2 Series that will share a powerplant with the Mini Cooper. The Bavarian company will also introduce a few other tweaks to the compact coupe across the pond. The 218i is the new 2 Series base model, and it shares its 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with the latest family of Minis. The engine makes the same 134 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, but BMW does have some tiny changes for it. First, the orientation is swapped to fit lengthwise under the hood and drive the rear wheels. Just as importantly, buyers can order it with an eight-speed automatic, rather than the six-speed in the Minis. BMW claims that the little engine gives the 218i a 50:50 weight distribution, and it takes around 8.8 seconds to reach 62 miles per hour with the standard six-speed manual – tack on another tenth for the automatic. Either way, top speed is still a perfectly respectable 132 mph. Those acceleration numbers, incidentally, are over a second slower than what the latest Cooper is quoted at. Beyond this new base model, BMW will bring a few other additions to the 2 Series for Europe. The 220d oil burner will be available with xDrive all-wheel drive, and the company will introduce several new equipment bundles called Advantage, Luxury Line, Sport Line and M Sport. Each will bundle various options and trims together to appeal to buyers. No word yet on whether the 218i will eventually make it to North America, but we aren't holding our breath. Scroll down to read BMW's lengthy release about all of the changes set for the 2 Series. The BMW 2 Series Coupe: New entry-level engines, new model variants, even greater individuality. Premiere of the BMW 218i Coupe with 3-cylinder petrol engine from the new BMW Group engine portfolio and the BMW 220d xDrive Coupe – new and varied range of equipment features for model variants Advantage, Sport Line, Luxury Line and M Sport. Munich. From March 2015, new entry-level engines, a further four-wheel drive model and additional equipment options will increase the diversity of features available for the BMW 2 Series Coupe. With the market launch of the new BMW 218i Coupe, a three-cylinder petrol engine from the BMW Group's latest engine family will be featured for the first time in the brand's sporty and elegant compact model.

Mini stretches its legs with new Clubman Vision Gran Turismo concept [w/video]

The Clubman may not be the first model you think of when it comes to sporty Minis, but with the next-generation wagon variant just around the corner, the Anglo-Saxon automaker is evidently keen to reshape the Clubman's image, using it as the basis for its Vision Gran Turismo concept. Designed entirely for the virtual reality of Gran Turismo 6, the Mini Clubman Vision Gran Turismo may not be as extreme as some of the creations dreamed up by other automakers. But as far as Minis go, it's pretty out there. Into its beefed-up, long-roof form it packs a powertrain of undisclosed dimensions but producing 395 horsepower (and evidently requiring six tailpipes – two on each side and two out the back). Exhaust tips aside, all that muscle – nearly twice what any road-going Mini has produced to date – drives through all four wheels to theoretically deliver it to 62 miles per hour in a scant 3.5 seconds. Throw in the track-tuned bodywork – including a proliferation of spoilers, added ventilation, a wider track and 22-inch rims – and you're looking at one very serious Mini indeed. But before you balk at the concept, consider that Mini has had some serious motorsport bragging rights over the years: it dominated the Monte Carlo Rally (among others) in the mid-1960s, and though it canceled its more recent World Rally Championship effort, it went on instead to win the Dakar Rally four years running now. What you're looking at here is the form it would likely take were Mini to shift its attention (as Citroen recently did) to touring cars instead. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. MINI goes Gran Turismo®6. From today gamers can enjoy driving the virtual MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo. 26.02.2015 Munich. Inspired by the brand's legendary motor racing success, the MINI Design Team has created the essence of a MINI to enable maximum racing performance in the game Gran Turismo®6 for PlayStation®3. "MINI has many highly emotional achievements to its name in motor racing. The MINI Clubman Vision Grand Turismo literally puts these onto the virtual race track in Gran Turismo 6. The image of a go-kart on the road has recurring appeal," says Anders Warming, Head of MINI Design. The 395 hp engine accelerates the MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.5 seconds.

Mini officially reveals Frozen Black Countryman and Paceman

BMW has been offering Frozen editions of its cars for several years now highlighted by matte paint and very limited production, and now Mini is getting in on the game with Frozen Black versions of the Paceman and Countryman. Unlike our report from earlier in the week, these models will not wear the Batman-sounding Black Knight name, but instead, like the BMW models, will be dubbed Frozen Edition. That previous intel also had it that production of the Frozen Edition Minis would be limited to just 60 units. Now official, Mini has not confirmed how many - or few - of these limited edition models it would build.
The Frozen Black paint adds silicates to the lacquer finish creating a "matted impression," which sounds like it should be easier for owners to maintain and wash, although Mini still advises against waxing or polishing. This special paint will be offered on all S, Diesel and John Cooper Works versions of the Paceman and Countryman, though it's not clear as of this writing if any will be offered in the US. Mini's press release for the Frozen Black Paceman and Countryman is posted below.