Tag Archives: Mini

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

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Jeff Glucker

Filed under: Car Buying, Auctions, Mini, Celebrities

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 March 17, 2011 by Zach Bowman

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mini, Suzuki

J.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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Mini rallies back to Monte Carlo with new Countryman WRC

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Noah Joseph

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Europe, Crossover, Mini, Racing

2011 Mini Countryman WRC in Monte Carlo – Click above for high-res image gallery

Back in the 1960s, the Monte Carlo Rally ran from Marrakech to Monaco (the opposite direction from the Paris-Dakar) and the old-guard Mini made headlines when it took the checkered flag in ’64 an ’67. These days, the Dakar rally has moved to South America, and the much shorter Monte Carlo rally is part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge instead of the premier World Rally Championship. But though the scene has changed, Mini’s back, and back in a big way.

That Mini will be challenging the WRC with a competition-spec Countryman prepared by Prodrive isn’t news – we’ve been covering that story for over a year now. But as the final version enters its last stages of development before the 2011 season, the Mini WRC has taken a rapid trip down memory lane by reuniting with its ’60s forebear at the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique.

Not only did the trip prove an excellent photo opportunity – the vintage Mini rally machine driven by the same Ruano Aaltonen that finessed it to victory in ’67 appearing alongside its much larger successor – but also gave us our first look at the rally-ready Countryman WRC before it undergoes its final testing in Spain. After that, it will challenge a few select stages at the hands of Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo before contesting the full calendar next year. Follow the jump for the full press release, and don’t miss out on the photos in the gallery below.

Gallery: Mini Countryman WRC in Monte Carlo

[Source: Mini]

Continue reading Mini rallies back to Monte Carlo with new Countryman WRC

Mini rallies back to Monte Carlo with new Countryman WRC originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Countryman configurator powers up

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Car Buying, Crossover, Mini

Right on schedule, the German brain trust in charge of marketing the heck out of (and hopefully selling a boatload of…) the 2011 Mini Countryman has uploaded the whole kit ‘n kaboodle to the Web, and you are now free to build and price out your very own Mini crossover.

If you’re willing to avoid all options whatsoever, including one of Mini’s six extra-cost colors, you can drive home in a brand-new 2011 Mini Countryman for the low price of just $22,850 (including destination). We went ahead and priced out what we figure would be a standard load of options and could just barely keep the price below $30K – ringing the tab up into the low $30s isn’t particularly difficult, even without choosing the turbo model or all-wheel drive.

In fact, stepping up to the Mini S Countryman All4 will cost you $27,650 to start. And, as is typical with the Mini brand, a full load of options can send that asking price skyward in record time. In fact, we didn’t have much trouble configuring a loaded Countryman S All4 up past $40,000 after checking a slew of option boxes – and that’s before entering the coveted John Cooper Works accessories. See our screencap above for the MSRP carnage.

Go ahead and spec one out for yourself, then come back and report to the rest of the class where your own personal Countryman fell in the pricing scale. Thanks to all who sent this in!

Gallery: 2011 Mini Countryman: First Drive

[Source: Mini]

Mini Countryman configurator powers up originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mini Countryman to start at $22,350

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Jonathon Ramsey

Filed under: Car Buying, Crossover, Mini

2011 Mini Countryman – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Mini Countryman has a price: $22,350. Mini USA head Jim McDowell announced the starting figure at the North American launch of the compact crossover in Austin, Texas with our own Jeremy Korzeniewski in attendance.

According to McDowell, the Countryman’s interior room compares favorably with the Nissan Rogue, so for comparison’s sake, the Rogue starts at $20,810 and the larger Volkswagen Tiguan at $23,200. Nissan’s funky new Juke, on the other hand, runs just $18,960, although we’d wonder how many Mini-philes could also be considered Juke-philiacs.

A “well-equipped” All4 all-wheel-drive Countryman will ring the register well under $30,000, but with an entry price less than $4,000 over a base Cooper and just $550 above a Clubman, and a slew of people looking for a Mini with more room, they might sell more of these than many expected. The Countryman’s fuel economy figures probably won’t hurt, either. Mini quotes EPA estimates of up to 35 miles per gallon for the manual transmission Cooper model, with 32 mpg highway for the Cooper S model and 31 mpg for the All4 Cooper S Countryman with either gearbox.

Gallery: 2011 Mini Countryman: First Drive

Mini Countryman to start at $22,350 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bang for Your Bark: AAA picks best canine-friendly cars

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Zach Bowman

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc.

Honda Element, one of AAA’s best dog-friendly vehicles – Click above for high-res image gallery

Dog owners looking for a new set of wheels can take heart; the American Automobile Association has taken the time to pick a handful of vehicles best suited to moving your furry friend from one place to another. With around 45 million households across the country boasting at least one dog in the family, it should be no surprise that the ability to conveniently and safely move a pet plays a big role in which vehicle consumers choose to buy. A total of 11 SUVs, crossovers and wagons have made the AAA list, each divided into categories like luxury, active lifestyle and efficient and fun.

While we weren’t surprised to see cars like the Subaru Forester and Honda Element make the cut, others, like the BMW 3 Series Touring and the ever fun-to-fling Mazda3 five-door were vehicles we wouldn’t have necessarily thought of as doggie rides. Thrifty buys like the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube found particular favor on the AAA list, thanks in part to their ability to serve up plenty of space with their rear seats folded down. We still say a Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon would do just fine – at least for a low-profile dog like a dachshund or beagle. Hit the jump for the press release after checking out our complete gallery of canine-correct-carriers below.

Gallery: AAA Dog-Friendly Vehicles