Tag Archives: Mini

2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350*

Posted on by Zach Bowman

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2012 Mini Cooper Roadster, top down

Mini has officially announced pricing for the company’s new Cooper Roadster. The tiny droptop will carry a base MSRP of $24,350 in the U.S., while the Cooper S Roadster will set you back $27,350. The top-of-the-line John Cooper Works Roadster, meanwhile, will command a sticker of $34,500 (*pricing exclude a $700 destination and handling fee). Should buyers wish to drop an automatic transmission into their Cooper Roadster or Cooper S Roadster, the two-pedal option will cost an additional $1,250, but the John Cooper Works Roadster is only available with a manual gearbox. Mini says 16-inch alloy wheels are standard on the base roadster and its S counterpart, while the topped-out JCW Roadster will roll on flashier 17-inch wheels.

That means the Cooper Roadster requires a $3,450 premium over the base hardtop Coupe, but curiously, it’s cheaper than the Cooper Convertible by $600. While the latter doesn’t exactly offer palatial amounts of space for rear passengers, it is still considerably more functional than its Cooper Roadster equivalent. We have to wonder if there’s enough of a price differential between the two models to keep buyers from skipping the more rakish Roadster for its four-seat counterpart, but either way, we’re just pleased it doesn’t share the Coupe’s awkward backwards-ballcap roofline. Hit the jump for the lengthy press release.

Continue reading 2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350*

2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus and Mini offer the most satisfying buying experience

Posted on by Zach Bowman

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JD Power and Associates has released the results of the organization’s annual study on customer satisfaction with the vehicle buying process, and Mini has once again taken top honors among mass market brands. The study specifically looks at satisfaction among buyers and those who chose not to buy from a particular brand for a comprehensive slice of the automotive consumer masses. Among buyers, JD Power evaluated across four categories; working out the deal, salesperson, delivery process and dealership facility. Rejectors, however, evaluated ranked their experience across salesperson, fairness in price, facility, inventory and experience negotiating.

Overall sales satisfaction actually increased over last year across the board, and JD Power believes this may be due to the fact that manufacturers are focusing improving their dealer experience now more than ever. That increase in satisfaction comes even as the actual buying process takes longer than in 2010. Buyers can now expect to spend an average of 11 more minutes in a dealer when it comes time to sign the loan agreement, thanks in part to more in-depth demonstrations of vehicle features.

Lexus beat out the rest of the luxury brands to take first place in 2011, with Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz trailing close behind. Who took the bottom of both lists? Volvo landed dead last among luxury makes, while Jeep took the bottom spot among mass marked sellers. Hit the jump for the full press release as well as the rest of the automaker standings.

Continue reading Lexus and Mini offer the most satisfying buying experience

Lexus and Mini offer the most satisfying buying experience originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini adding Recaro seat option for 2012

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Starting next March, Mini buyers will be able to grab a set of Recaro seats off the option list for their cars. The upmarket buckets will be available for all Mini models except the Countryman and Convertible.

As you likely guessed, they don’t come cheap. Be prepared to fork over a heady $3,000 for the better seats. There are other constraints. The Recaros only come in black leather and Dinamica and can only be had with built-in heaters. Still, they look the ruckus and should make Cooper S and JCW drivers even happer when they attack the twisty stuff.

Mini adding Recaro seat option for 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW remains world’s best-selling premium automaker through September

Posted on by Zach Bowman

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BMW Emblem

Automotive News reports that BMW has managed to hold onto the title of world’s best-selling premium automaker through September. The company’s core brand saw its sales increase by 9.3 percent last month, putting BMW ahead of Audi and Mercedes-Benz at the same time. Audi sales in September increased by 17 percent while Mercedes-Benz saw its sales jump by a more modest two percent. BMW says the recent results underscore the fact that the automaker is well on its way to deliver more than 1.6 million vehicles globally this year.

Mini alone enjoyed a sales increase of 20.5 percent last month, thanks in part to the arrival of the new Countryman. The model has sold 76,000 units worldwide since going on sale nearly a year ago. Meanwhile, vehicles like the BMW X1, X3 and 5 Series helped push the automaker’s increase as well. Sales of the X3 shot up by 260.6 percent to 11,345 units last month. Even Rolls-Royce enjoyed a 41-percent sales surge through the first nine months of the year.

BMW remains world’s best-selling premium automaker through September originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take a trip around the ‘Ring in a Honda-powered Mini Clubman

Posted on by Jeremy Korzeniewski

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Ringmini around the Nurburgring

Sometimes, the key to a good lap time is to drive in such a way as to not lose the hard-fought momentum you’ve already gained. Such is the case when you don’t have a lot of power underhood and you’ve got more road-holding grip than horsepower.

For an excellent demonstration of this technique, we turn to Achim Korden, owner of the so-called Ringmini. This 1971 Mini Clubman Estate is powered by a 1.6-liter Honda four-cylinder engine from a fourth-generation Civic ED7. Suffice it to say, it’s a revver that likes to spin as fast as you’re willing to push it.

Click past the break to see what one Honda-powered Mini Clubman, piloted by a driver who knows his way around the Nurburgring, can do around what appears to be a somewhat slippery and damp track. Pay special attention to how much time the little Mini-that-could spends at top speed.

Continue reading Take a trip around the ‘Ring in a Honda-powered Mini Clubman

Take a trip around the ‘Ring in a Honda-powered Mini Clubman originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Coupe configurator goes live

Posted on by Steven J. Ewing

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Mini Coupe configurator

The Mini Cooper Coupe – or “Couper,” as associate editor Jeff Glucker has dubbed it – goes on sale in the fall, priced from a respectable $22,000. Stepping up to the Cooper S Coupe will set you back $25,300, and the top-rung John Cooper Works Coupe commands $31,900. But those are just the base MSRPs.

Enter the online configurator. More importantly, enter Mini’s expansive list of options and accessories.

We could spend hours playing around on Mini’s website building the Coupe of our dreams. After all, this is the automaker that proudly boasts its “more than 10 million” possible build combinations. Head over to Mini’s configurator to play around with all the colors and options on the new Coupe.

Mini Coupe configurator goes live originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini offering $500 discount on manual transmission models

Posted on by Steven J. Ewing

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2011 Mini Cooper

Driving a manual transmission is a dying art these days. More and more automakers are moving to faster-shifting dual-clutch transmissions for performance cars, and the high-volume best-sellers only offer stick-shifts on the very base models (if at all). Of course there’s Porsche, an automaker that is currently putting the finishing touches on its seven-speed manual transmission. But that’s Porsche.

Mini is doing its part to promote the manual transmission by offering a $500 discount on certain stick-shift-equipped cars through the end of August. This offer applies to the stock Cooper, as well as the Clubman and Convertible (sorry, Countryman). It’s a pretty sweet offer, and when you consider that manual-equipped Minis already get better fuel economy and carry lower price points than their autobox kin, this purchase decision should be an absolute no-brainer for anyone who gives a flip about driving pleasure.

Head over to Mini’s website for the full details about this promotion. Thinking of buying a new Mini? Use this opportunity to spread the joy of the manual transmission before this essential piece of driver involvement goes extinct.

Mini offering $500 discount on manual transmission models originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Mini Coupe priced from $22,000, other models get $100 bump

Posted on by Jeff Glucker

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2012 mini cooper coupe

2012 Mini Cooper Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery

Just yesterday, Mini took the wraps off its all-new two-passenger Cooper Coupe, or “Couper,” as we’ve been calling it (clever, eh?). We think the Mini Coupe adds a nice touch of diversity to the growing lineup, and if you strongly agree, perhaps you’re ready to plunk down your cash for one, and the cost of entry is $22,000.

The 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe comes in three varieties; base Coupe, S Coupe and John Cooper Works Coupe. That $22,000 price tag is reserved for the base Coupe, while the mid-range S Coupe commands $25,300 and the JCW Coupe will set you back $31,900.

Mini has also announced pricing for the rest of the 2012 lineup, with nearly all models getting a $100 bump. The two exceptions are the $800 jumps for both the JCW Cooper hardtop and convertible. These models now come standard with an aero kit, hence the added cost. There are a few other equipment updates and color changes for the 2012 model year, which you can read about in the press release posted after the jump.

Continue reading 2012 Mini Coupe priced from $22,000, other models get $100 bump

2012 Mini Coupe priced from $22,000, other models get $100 bump originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KISS-themed Mini Countryman one-offs rock on to eBay Motors for charity

Posted on by Jeff Glucker

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kiss custom mini countryman

KISS and Mini create custom Countryman models for charity – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ready for your garage to rock and roll all night and party every day? Break out your checkbook. Mini has teamed up with legendary rock group KISS to create a quartet of customized Countryman crossovers for charity. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer have applied their trademark style to the exterior of four examples of the 2011 Mini Countryman.

The vehicles, which debuted at the New York Auto Show, each have their own auction listing on eBay Motors, and the proceeds from these auctions will be donated to UNICEF. The organization is working hard to raise money for children affected by the recent disasters in Japan.

These customized Countrymen Countrymans cars aren’t wearing decals. Each vehicle was hand painted by a group of BMW employees who provided the artwork while off the clock. The four vehicles have been named after the members of KISS they mimic; Starchild, The Demon, Spaceman and Catman.

The full press release is located after the jump, and you can check out all four Mini Countryman custom cars in the gallery below.

Continue reading KISS-themed Mini Countryman one-offs rock on to eBay Motors for charity

KISS-themed Mini Countryman one-offs rock on to eBay Motors for charity originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus, Mini top J.D. Power customer service survey

Posted on by Zach Bowman

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J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction awardJ.D. Power and Associates has just released the results of its latest customer service survey. Lexus managed to take home the luxury crown for greatest customer satisfaction in the service department while Mini snagged top honors among mass-market brands. According to J.D. Power, one of the biggest factors that can influence how buyers feel about their service experience is whether or not their dealership aggressively tries to upsell maintenance agreements. The Consumer Service Index study rates dealership experience on a 1,000-point scale, and J.D. Power reports that the difference between an owner who feels that he’s been upsold and one that doesn’t could equate to a 140 point separation in final score.

Interestingly enough, Jaguar managed to take second place amongst luxury brands with 837 points while stablemate Land Rover lagged all the way to 13th place with 785 points – 34 points below the luxury make average. Likewise, Suzuki fell to the bottom of the mass market makes with 724 points. Hit the jump for the full release.

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading Lexus, Mini top J.D. Power customer service survey

Lexus, Mini top J.D. Power customer service survey originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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