Mini Cooper S Clubman 2009 on 2040-cars

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Mini Clubman Bond Street inspired by London shopping

Mini again plucks a London landmark as the appellation for a special edition, the Mini Clubman Bond Street joining the Mayfair and Camden, and Bayswater and Baker Street editions of the recent past. You'll recognize the formula of primary color and polished contrasting color, in this case its Midnight Black Metallic for the main event and Cool Champagne for the highlights like the roof, mirror caps and trim rings on the 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside it's Carbon Black leather set off by surfaces in Deep Champagne and the Chrome Line package.
It will premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March before going into production for a limited run that same month. Four engines will be offered, with on-the-road prices ranging from 20,275 pounds ($31,961 US) in the UK for the 122-horsepower gas engine to 24,045 pounds ($37,918 US) for the 143-horsepower SD diesel version. A press release below will tell you all you wish to know.

Mini recalls 86,000 hatchbacks, convertibles from 2002 to 2005

Mini is recalling 86,018 cars built for model years 2002 through 2005 over concerns about the power steering system. The affected vehicles include both R50 Cooper and R53 Cooper S hatchbacks as well as convertibles (where applicable). Mini's public communications with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over the issue are decidedly oblique and simply pointing out owners could "experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance." Worryingly, Mini claims it's aware of 20 accidents and five injuries due to the power-steering issue. This isn't the first time Mini has had problems with the power steering systems on these first-gen Coopers. The automaker had so many claims of bad power steering pumps and cooling fans that it upped the warranty on those units to 13 years or 150,000 miles for the same 2002 to 2005 models being recalled here. This author's personal 2006 model is on its third fan and second pump, though that year has never officially been investigated or recalled. A slight drop in steering assist and a low-battery warning at engine startup are the main signs your car needs recall work. Owners of the affected hatchbacks and cabrios will be notified by Mini and asked to report to their local dealer to have the electrohydraulic steering system's wiring and components inspected. Any repairs will be done free of charge. Read on for the official NHTSA bulletin. Related Video: Report Receipt Date: OCT 15, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V660000 Component(s): STEERING Potential Number of Units Affected: 86,018 Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2002-2005 MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and 2005 Cooper and Cooper S Convertible vehicles. The affected vehicles may experience temporary or permanent loss of the electro-hydraulic steering assistance. CONSEQUENCE: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, potentially iincreasing the risk of a vehicle crash. REMEDY: MINI will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the electro-hydraulic power steering system, replacing the components and wiring, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 1, 2015. Owners may contact MINI customer service at 1-866-825-1525.

Get lost in Evo's sublime 2013 Car of the Year testing

Every year Evo stages its Car of the Year test, bringing the best performance cars in the world to one location for an epic shootout. This year the magazine pitted eight CotY finalists against each other on Route Napoleon in Southern France - Evo claims it's the "best road in the world" - and then proceeded to nitpick the smallest of faults on each car until the winner could be named. You see, this year's lineup of machines was just so good that only one car obviously wasn't CotY material from the get-go. Can you guess which one judging from the list below?
- Aston Martin V12 Vantage S
- Audi R8 V10 Plus