2009 Mini Cooper S With Panoramic Sunroof 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.

2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP First Drive | Loud, harsh, expensive, hilariously fun

The Mini John Cooper Works GP has always represented the pinnacle of Mini performance. It’s the most-powerful, lightest and most uncompromising in its pursuit of going fast. And it has never hidden that purpose, wearing bold bodywork to convey its seriousness. Even with a reused powertrain and no manual transmission option, the new 2021 Mini John Cooper Works GP delivers the raw, entertaining driving experience you would expect. As such, it should be a treat for Mini fans, but for the brand agnostic, there are better hot hatch options. From the outside, this Mini GP is the most radical of all. It pulls its design straight from a Frankfurt Motor Show concept complete with unique carbon fiber fender flares that stand proud from the actual fenders. The rear wing is bigger than ever and bisected in the middle. Contrasting the dark gray paint are bright red accents and stripes. It looks remarkably menacing, which is impressive for such a cute little car. Matching the appearances is the GPÂ’s output. It shares the same engine and transmission with the John Cooper Works Countryman and Clubman, and thus the same mantle of being most powerful Mini in history with 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. The GP feels substantially more potent, though, since the engine has just 2,855 pounds to haul around ­-- that's nearly 800 pounds less than the next-lightest Clubman JCW with the same engine. For further comparison, the regular Cooper S Hardtop weighs about the same yet has only 189 horsepower. Combined with a smooth, fast-spooling turbo, the GP rockets all over the place. And if youÂ’re not keeping a firm grasp of the wheel, your steering could be all over the place, too. Plant your foot and the wheel starts wriggling as torque steer rears its head. ItÂ’s uncouth, uncivilized, but also kind of fun if youÂ’re up for a ragged experience. Perhaps not so much if you were looking for a precision instrument to combat the Civic Type R and Veloster N. Further differentiating the Mini from those hot hatches is the GPÂ’s sole eight-speed automatic transmission option. No, itÂ’s not as engaging as a six-speed manual would be, and yes, it's a step behind the best DCTs and other automatics. However, it shifts smoothly and quickly with smart shift logic in normal or sport shift modes. Leaving it in automatic would be just fine, but then you'd miss out on tapping the 3D-printed aluminum shift paddles.

Future Mini JCW models likely to be electrified

High-performance Mini Coopers need to be small, nimble, and relatively quick. One thing they don't necessarily need to be, according to the company's U.S. leadership, is gasoline-powered.  In an interview with Motor Authority, Mini USA Vice President Mike Peyton said that electrification is on the table for the range-topping John Cooper Works variants, which have traditionally been powered by a high-output turbocharged engine. The latest and greatest in the lineup, the 2020 Mini John Cooper Works GP, takes the formula to a new extreme, pairing a 301-horsepower mill with out-of-this-world aero. Peyton says that powertrains don't necessarily have to sound or feel the way traditionalists expect in order to be fun. It certainly doesn't have to feel that way in order to be fast; Tesla drivers can attest to that, as can those who have been fortunate enough to pilot some of the latest electrified hypercars.  He also acknowledged that while the future may be electric, that future is still a ways off. Mini is still waiting for advances in battery technology that will allow its performance models to deliver on other key expectations — namely handling. Minis are expected to be, well, miniature, and the additional weight of a current-generation, high-capacity battery is antithetical to that formula.  The take-away? The future of Mini performance is electric, but that future is still distant. So while the Mini Cooper SE and Mini E Countryman plug-in hybrid may give us a taste of Mini's approach to electrification, it could be some time before we see the company's highest-performance variants dabble in same space.