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2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works First Drive | Personality at a price

An abundance of power isn’t typically associated with products named Mini Cooper. Even the John Cooper Works (JCW) editions have most recently been making do with 228 horsepower from their turbocharged four-cylinder engines. ThatÂ’s plenty to feel quick and sprightly, but drag races still havenÂ’t been kind to high-performance Minis. Things are different with the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works. It has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes a rowdy 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s good for a 0-60 mph run of just 4.6 seconds, which is sufficiently spicy for our tastes. This being the Clubman, itÂ’s more of a pocket rocket that doesnÂ’t quite fit in your pocket. Its four doors and quirky barn door hatch opening gives it far more utility than the much smaller two- and four-door Hardtops. Still, the Clubman is a small car, based off a BMW platform that underpins a variety of BMW Group front-drive-based cars and SUVs. From a size and shape perspective, itÂ’s most like the BMW X2. The quick X2 M35i and JCW Clubman even share an engine. As weÂ’ve come to expect from John Cooper Works Minis, this new one is full of performance extras. The new engine has a stronger crankshaft, new pistons, connecting rods and a lower compression ratio (10.2 to 9.5) to better suit the increased boost pressure. A larger turbocharger is also fitted with a blow-off valve that Mini says contributes to its better response. The much more powerful engine is paired with a new JCW-specific exhaust that is livable when driving conservatively, but raucous and in your face once you dip into the throttle a little deeper. As standard, the JCW Clubman is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that brings launch control with it. No manual is available, and thatÂ’s a shame. Mini has kept the stick shift around for longer than many car companies, and its absence from the enthusiast-focused JCW Clubman is a big disappointment. ThereÂ’s a mechanical limited-slip differential up front integrated with the automatic transmission, allowing torque to be shifted from one wheel to the other should one begin to slip. On top of that, the JCW Clubman also comes standard with all-wheel drive. Like all-wheel drive Minis before it, if the front wheels are short on traction, power is instantly transferred rearward, but power is sent to the front as often as possible for efficiencyÂ’s sake.

Mini forgets to bring car to LA, shows Citysurfer concept scooter

See that red thing? It's the Mini Citysurfer Concept. It is not, in case you were wondering, an automobile. Yet despite this apparent shortcoming, Mini has placed it on a plinth at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The electric scooter weighs in at 40 pounds, can hit 15 miles per hour, cover 10 to 15 miles and can be folded up and charged in the trunk of a Mini Cooper (or any other vehicle with a 12-volt outlet and a roomy enough cargo area). According to the British marque, these qualities will give the scooter's owner the "spontaneous and convenient mobility even in those sections of an urban area not accessible to motorized vehicles."
It's not terribly difficult to see the appeal, as Mini explains it. With urban congestion becoming an increasingly serious problem - and some cities beginning to ban cars outright - the idea of an easy to charge and easy to stow runabout is extremely attractive. That's doubly true in the case of the Citysurfer, which is rather well equipped, as far as scooters go.

Mini boss contradicts reports on production Superleggera, says Minor unlikely

Mini has added to our green-beer-induced hangover with some disappointing news. The Mini Superleggera Vision Concept is not quite as confirmed as we had been led to believe. And making matters worse, the same high-ranking source that put the kibosh on confirmation of the stylish two-seater said he "doesn't see" a mini Mini. Mini boss Peter Schwarzenbauer contradicted yesterday's report in an interview with Automotive News, although he certainly doesn't oppose the idea of the Superleggera Vision. "I cannot confirm that it has been approved yet," Schwarzenbauer told AN, adding that it'd be a "great addition to the Mini range" and that he's "still pushing" for it to arrive in dealerships. That's good news for fans of yesterday's report. Schwarzenbauer is less of a fan of a small, entry-level mini Mini, based on the Rocketman Concept. "I don't see a smaller car than the current one," the exec said. It's long been rumored that Mini was readying a smaller, budget model that was more in line with the original Austin and Morris Minis, rather than the premium sub-compact model that BMW has been selling for the past 13 years. The company has even, allegedly, been in cahoots with Toyota to develop the new compact model. We reported as recently as January that the Anglo-Teutonic outfit and its Japanese partners would develop an entirely new platform for the Minor, although that certainly doesn't seem to be the case now. How do you feel about this? Does Mini need to get back to its roots with the affordable, Rocketman-based Minor, or should it keep on doing what it's doing? What about the Superleggera Vision Concept? Should Mini add it as a successor to the short-lived Roadster? Have your say in Comments. Related Video: