I spent about three-hundred miles in a new 2008 Mini Clubman yesterday. The good news is that it's bigger and better than the regular Mini Cooper. The bad news? It's only a little bigger and better. That's okay from the "better" standpoint, as the Mini was already quite good in most areas, so it really doesn't need to be much better. But in terms of "bigger" I would have liked to see it grow in a more meaningful way.

Oh, those three inches in the wheelbase provide additional rear legroom. But that's sort of like saying the Toyota Prius reduces our dependence on foreign oil. Technically it does...but if you think it's making a difference that actually matters in the larger picture you're kidding yourself. I'm sure in some circumstances three inches make for quite a change, but rear-seat functionality in the Mini Clubman isn't one of them.

Continue reading...

I'm in Monterey, California for the next three days driving the all-new BMW 1 Series, M3 and Mini Clubman. The trip will include track time at Laguna Seca as well as plenty of public road driving around this picturesque local. Not a bad way to burn through a week.

However, while all three of these cars have piqued my interest, I'm not sure which one offers the greatest potential benefit to BMW. So I'm asking you: Which of these models is the most exciting new BMW product?

Continue reading...

The Mini Cooper remains one of the most compelling vehicles offered in the U.S. market. It's combination of retro-cool looks, slot-car handling, efficient space utilization and value pricing keep it in high demand -- despite rising gas prices and a stumbling economy. Don't believe me? Check the model's history of sales incentives and residual values. 'Nuff said.

I just put 100 miles on a base Mini Cooper with a five-speed manual transmission and a gaggle of options that pushed its price to $25,650. Yee-up, that ain't chump change for a 118-horsepower economy car -- even if it does get 32/40 mpg. But Coopers start at $18,600 and I could do without most of the options. I'd probably add the $1,400 Sport Package (16-inch alloys, sport seats, stability control, rear spoiler and fog lamps) and call it a day at $20K even. I also wouldn't balk at $21,400 to throw in the Convenience Package (keyless entry, universal garage door opener, auto-dimming rearview mirror, center arm rest, rain sensor, automatic headlights and Bluetooth phone).

Continue reading...

Well, just had my day in court to fight my July speeding ticket in the long-term Mini Cooper S. To dispense with the suspense: I lost.

But I must admit it was one of my more rewarding trips to traffic court for two reasons.

First, before the trial started Officer Williams appeared and asked me if I "really wanted to go through with this." Then he handed me a -- BUMM-BUMM-BUMM -- copy of my blog post related to this ticket. He exuded this "I have you now!" attitude, but I told him I was of course going through with it. He had highlighted various comments in the blog that, at least in his opinion, bolstered his case against me. Comments like, "I didn't intend to do 72, but I was playing with the radio..." Of course he didn't highlight other statements, like, "This is assuming that it was really me doing 72 mph. There were three cars in front of me..."

So reason number one I enjoyed my court date? I know Officer Williams read the original blog post regarding this traffic stop, and I made some great points in it regarding public safety and revenue generation that all police officers should hear.

Continue reading...

Here's the follow-up to our look at Europe's future product as predicted by Automotive News. Yesterday we hit Alfa Romeo through Maybach, so today we'll start with Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz: Lots of activity for 2008, most of which we've already seen (SLR Roadster, S65, all-new C-Class, etc.). Next year we get the C63 (457hp), a CLK convertible, an E-Class update, an SLK restyle and an SL freshen. In 2009 we get a CLS freshen, an AMG E-Class, an S-Class convertible and -- believe it or not -- a small crossover called the GLK.

Mini: The Clubman just debuted in Frankfurt, and we'll see how the small-car brands fares with a larger model. The new John Cooper Works model looks cool (and makes 207 horsepower while weighing 66 pounds less) and the convertible gets a full redesign, to catch up with the coupe, for 2009.

Porsche: Both the Boxster and the Cayman get freshened next year, while the titanic 911 GT2 debuts with 530 turbo-charged horsepower. A full redesign of the Cayenne happens in 2009, while Porsche's first sedan, the Panamera, hits town in 2010 (and yes, the company will still have a "soul" -- along with a stronger bottom line).

Continue reading...

...arrived right on time last week. Though maybe I should have titled this post "My Latest 'USE YOUR RADAR DETECTOR!' reminder."

I'd gotten lazy about mounting and plugging in the Valentine One ever since the CHP blanketed PCH with all those "Your Speed" digital signs that use radar to display your rate of travel. Of course they set off the Valentine One with a constant "BRAAAAAAAP!" tone as I drive by each unit, even the ones pointing the other direction (and there are literally, like, eight of them between Santa Monica and the Ventura Country line). Yeah, I can hit the "mute" botton on my radar detector 16 times a day, but it's not the most enjoyable way to spend my 100-mile, round-trip commute.

Continue reading...

Plenty of long-term car action this week, with yet another new toy in the garage. And unlike the painfully practical Honda Civic GX, this one really is a toy. Our Chili Red Mini Cooper S is as fun as you'd expect it to be, especially with the manual tranny, sport package, sport suspension and limited-slip differential. We also got heated front seats, fog lamps, checkered cloth and a center armrest (I remember specifically missing that final item on our last long-term Mini Cooper S). One MIA item I quickly noticed was cruise control, and while I don't really rely on cruise for my commute I'm sure we'll be hearing about its absence from other staffers.

Continue reading...

Finally got some seat time in the new Mini. Actually, the 2002 Mini was the new Mini, so I guess this is the Super-new Mini. Our test car was a yellow Cooper S with the manual transmission and sport package. As the former owner of a 2002 model I'm happy to report that most of that car's greatness remained intact. Despite the changes made to make the car more pedestrian-impact friendly you'll be hard-pressed to notice the exterior differences. The car is still a ball to drive on twisty roads, and the 172 horsepower, turbocharged engine makes it lively (if a bit abrupt) when punching the throttle. But the steering effort has changed for the worse in my opinion. It's both lighter and less progressive than before (meaing the weight doesn't change as much as it should when you increase the steering angle of the front wheels). I wouldn't call it bad steering feel, but it's not as confident or inspiring.

Continue reading...

I'm a huge fan of turbocharging, and between my 1989 Dodge Shadow Shelby CSX and my 1991 Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo I've experienced my fair share of turbo rush. But during the 1990s a good chunk of turbocharged models went away, most never to return. We lost the Supra, RX-7, Eclipse/Talon (the turbo versions), 300ZX, Stealth/3000 GT and Daytona. Some manufacturers never gave up their turbo ways (like Saab, Subaru and Volvo), and others like Volkswagen/Audi have fully embraced this technology over the past decade. As with the diesel engine's transformation in the past 10 years (in case you haven't noticed, diesels aren't noisy, smelly or sooty anymore), computer technology has kept turbos eco-friendly while gradually improving their driveability. Now for 2007 you have two automakers (BMW and Honda/Acura) offering their first turbo models -- ever -- in the U.S. (3 Series Coupe and Acura RDX).

The next version of the Mini Cooper will also offer turbo power, and of course the latest Porsche 911 Turbo utilizes its most advanced turbo yet (though the basic philosophy of a variable nozzle turbo was offered way back in my 1989 Shelby CSX). I'm all for the return of hair dryers (that's street speak for a turbo) as long as we can avoid those garish "Turbo" graphics of the 1980s. And if the manufacturers do it right this new breed of turbos should provide hefty bumps in performance with minimal fuel mileage penalties (assuming the driver doesn't keep the engine in constant boost).

Any other fond turbo memories out there? Anyone intrigued by (or skeptical of) a turbocharged BMW? Turbos are not traditionally seen as a premium engine component (shhh, don't tell Bentley), so will putting a turbo in a 3 Series hurt that car's image?

Having just driven our brand-spankin'-new RAV4, and our new R500, in the past few days I am acutely aware of new-car smell. And not just new-car smell as a general concept but the variations in new-car smell based on both brand and interior materials.

Now, the tricky thing about your sense of smell is that it can become highly associated with thoughts, memories and emotions. So the question becomes -- Do my feelings about certain new car smells reflect my feelings about the cars themselves, or can I successfully separate my feelings about a car and my feelings about a car's smell? I'd like to think that even "stinky" cars can score well with me from a purely automotive sense, and I'd hope that just because a given car smells good it doesn't make me give the car undue credit in terms of design, functionality and value. With those concepts laid before you I offer the following opinions of how various new cars smell: