Category: Mini

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MOUNTAIN HIGH FOR BMW RANGE PREVIEW

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BMW and Mini models

BMW took members of the motoring media to the top of the mountain to give them a clear view of what is in store for the German automobile giant’s Australian customers this year. With a line-up of more than a score of models it was more of a glimpse than a good look but was enough to get even the most cynical of scribblers’ juices flowing during a ‘range day’ up Mount Macedon in Victoria. Among the vehicles lined up to try were 22 BMWs, four Minis and four motorcycles,… Read more

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MINI JCW – PASSION WITHOUT THE PRICE

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Want to own a John Cooper Works (JCW) Mini, but can’t really afford the $50,000-plus asking prices? Or perhaps you aren’t interested in being a track-day charger but want a Mini that looks hot? If you answered yes to either of the above questions, the Australian Mini importer is bringing in John Cooper Works Option Packages that can be installed in all models in the Mini Cooper S range. The Packages include JCW Chili Red paintwork, previously a shade only offered on the Works car; then there is the JCW… Read more

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MINI MOKE

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In February 1966, the Mini-based Moke went on sale. This lightweight two-wheel drive vehicle combined Mini mechanicals with a buckboard-style body without doors and windows. The concept originated in Britain in 1956, as a light army personnel carrier for use on and off normal roads. Some four-wheel drive prototypes were built but they never went into production. Production of the 2WD versions started in Britain but sales were too slow for the parent company so the decision was made to transfer production to Sydney. A similar vehicle was also produced… Read more

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MINI CONVERTIBLE UNCOVERS CLASSIC WORLD OF MOTORING

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Like a family of overachievers, the Mini continues to throw pups of outstanding pedigree. The latest offspring to plough a precocious furrow through the automotive paddock is the convertible. The third generation Mini convertible takes the place of the cabriolet and comes in Cooper and Cooper S specification, priced from $37,900 and $45,400, plus on-road costs, respectively. That’s $4800 less for Cooper and $5750 for Cooper S compared with the superseded cabrio. Our test vehicle came with Convenience and Multimedia Pro packages, hoicking the price to $56,030, plus on-roads. STYLING… Read more

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JCW MINI CONVERTIBLE FLIES DOWNUNDER

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Hot on the heels of the announcement of the standard convertible versions of the third generation Mini comes information on the hottest of them all – the John Cooper Works (JCW). Powered by a highly tuned version of the Mini 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, the JCW unit produces 170 kW of power between 5200 and 6000 revs, and 320 Nm of torque that’s on tap all the way from 1250 to 4800rpm. Sitting beside the engine is a six-speed sports automatic transmission that can be overridden by paddle shifters. A… Read more

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MINI’S FIRST CONVERTIBLE

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Mini has added to its lineup with the introduction of a third generation open-top car. This time around it is a pure convertible, not a cabriolet. That’s because the fixed rollover hoops have been replaced by a rollover protection system that automatically raises the bars when the car’s sensors detect rolling over is a possiblity. The gen-three open-top Mini is coming to Australia in Cooper and Cooper S variants, there is no lower cost Mini One. May we speculate a hot JCW version is in the design stages? To our… Read more

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MINI CLUBMAN IS SPORTY, VERSATILE MINI WAGON

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While the latest Mini Cooper Clubman station wagon, released here in November 2015, is larger and more conventional in styling than before it remains unmistakably a Mini with its squat shape and distinctive grille. The most significant change is in its length, up by 292 mm to 4253 mm while it is now 117 mm wider (1800 mm) with the wheelbase extended by 123 mm. Height remains at 1441 mm. Gone, thankfully, is the small rear-mounted passenger door which was a talking point with the old Clubman and, because it… Read more

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2016 MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS REVIEW

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Mini’s rebirth has brought some great things to our roads. The garagiste name, John Cooper Works, is certainly one of those things. With the new range from the British-based maker well and truly out, BMW-owned Mini has brought out the last-but-one of its big guns – the JCW. VALUE Based on the current Mini hatch – more commonly seen with a three-cylinder – the 2.0-litre turbo kicks off at $47,400 for the six-speed manual. With this sobering figure, you’ll be buying plenty of good stuff; body kit, 18-inch JCW wheels,… Read more

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MINI ADDS NEW CLUBMAN TO ITS RANGE

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Mini has continued the progressive release of its third-generation models with a new Clubman station wagon joining the previously launched three and five-door hatches. Like the second-generation Countryman crossover SUV and the gen-three five-door hatch the new Clubman breaks with Mini tradition by adding conventional rear passenger doors for the first time. Indeed Clubman goes one step further because, by retaining the previous side-hinged ‘barn doors’ at the rear of the car, it has become the first ever six-door Mini. As is the norm with model upgrades the new Clubman… Read more

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2015 MINI JCW REVIEW

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A few weeks back we enjoyed a great day at Phillip Island thrashing around in a series of brightly coloured gen-three Mini JCWs. Now we have come back to reality having road tested one for a week on our home turf on the Gold Coast – traffic, speed cameras, rough and ready roads, the full catastrophe. Given the high-tech nature of the all-new third-generation John Cooper Works (JCW) and engineering ability of BMW, which runs Mini these days, it didn’t come as a surprise that the real-world didn’t faze the… Read more