Mini Cooper 2006 News

The new Mini arrives here early next year with new efficient engines, a larger body and some changes to styling, but largely continuing with the signature design recipe. It has however  grown 98mm in length to 3821mm, 44m in width to 1727mm and 7mm in height to 1414mm on a 34mm longer wheelbase at 2495mm to give more cabin room and an additional 51 litres of luggage space. There's big news under the skin too, where the Mini debuts the new UKL platform that will in time underpin more new Minis and some new models from parent company BMW. Watch the 2014 Mini Cooper unveiling video on our desktop site. _______________________________________  

The new unit is based on the one in the 1.6-litre Mini Cooper S, with twin-scroll turbocharger, direct fuel-injection and variable valve control. The turbocharger is tweaked for extra boost and the engine has been fitted with a new high-performance exhaust system – finished with twin stainless-steel tailpipes. Engine outputs are 155kW of power at 6000rpm, and 260Nm of torque from 1850-5500rpm, with 280Nm available for a few seconds on overboost between 2000-5200rpm. It will be mated to a six-speed manual transmission as standard, but there will still be the option of a six-speed automatic with a manumatic mode and shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. Mini says the new engine gets a weight-saving aluminium block and bearing mounts, lighter crankshaft, reinforced pistons and a high-strength cylinder head. The manual transmission gets a fuel saving stop-start system, and the load on the electrical system is reduced by brake energy recapture with the alternator disengaging at high revs – combining to cut your fuel burn by about 500ml per 100km.  

High performance versions of the Mini Cooper are being recalled worldwide to fix an engine problem that could potentially start a fire.More than 235,000 of the turbocharged Cooper S models built between 2006 and last year are being recalled worldwide to remedy a secondary water pump fitted to cool down the turbocharger.The company has global reports of just over 80 water pump failures and four fires as a result, but BMW Australia and local authorities have deemed the program here to be a technical service campaign,Mini Australia spokesman Piers Scott says just over 3700 Cooper S (of which one may have experienced the smoldering engine bay issue) and John Cooper Works vehicles built between 2006 and 2011 are effected in Australia."This was deemed to be a technical campaign, in-line with similar campaigns conducted in the past," he said.Mr Scott said the use of the term `recall' overseas to describe the issue."It is the Department of Infrastructure and Transport that we liaise with locally and they would advise us if it were to be a safety Recall.""There is no less urgency under a technical campaign - replacement parts are now in the country and Mini Australia has already begun contacting affected customers," he said.The worldwide recall of 235,000 cars includes 29,868 in the UK and 89,000 in the US and involves replacing the water pump free of charge.The company head office said that the turbocharged engines are fitted with an additional water pump to remove residual heat from the turbocharger after the engine was switched off."Under high operating temperatures an electro-migration can occur at the circuit board installed in the additional water pump," it said."This can lead to a failure of the additional water pump or smoldering and even a fire cannot be excluded."More than 200,000 Minis are built each year at the company's Oxford plant, where production started in 2001and recently passed two million vehicles built - the car is exported to more than 90 countries.The turbocharged engine is shared with Citroen and Peugeot, but both French companies said there engines employed different electrical systems.

So the 2011 Mini Cooper S facelift photographed by Carparazzi in Europe is essentially … more of the same.There are some small changes in terms of a revised air intake and it’s likely there could still be a surprise under that bumper camouflage.  Some attention has also been paid to the light clusters, with the rear set now sporting LEDs.However, with the increasing pressure of emissions regulations, the Mini is also likely to have some upgraded engine technology aimed at reducing CO2 while improving outputs.Insiders are tipping that a variable-valve system will be added to the current 128kW/240Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine, while the naturally aspirated 88kW/160Nm version will also be tweaked – although there are no hints of how much it will increase the outputs of either.

Mini designer Alec Issigonis and performance tweaker John Cooper had a brain explosion in 1964 and developed a model with twin motors. Cooper crashed it, spent eight months in hospital and the idea was officially shelved. It hasn't stopped many backyard mechanics from having a go ever since, including Brisbane dentist Bill Westerman."Five years ago I was drinking beer with my friend Fred Sayers and we both decided to build one," he says in his garage littered with Mini engines in various states of rebuild. "Right from the word go — when the hangover cleared — we got stuck right into it."His 1964 Mini Cooper S with a "worn-out" 1293cc engine in the front and another in the back is called "Nuts". "Because you have to be nuts to drive it and it's better with two," says Westerman with a cheeky grin."I don't know what I paid for this one. It came from a shell. I had a shed load of Minis at the time. It's a sickness, you know."The graduate dentist began learning his mechanical skills from his first car which was a composite Series II Land Rover he made from two he bought at auction. His love of Minis started with his second purchase in 1969 when he bought a new Cooper S for $2500 and headed off to work in outback Waikerie, South Australia."I realised fairly quickly that what you really need in the outback is a V8, so I bought an XY Falcon ute," he says. "It went through a set of tyres every 6000 miles (9656km), a set of shocks every three months and universal joints at least once a year over those corrugated roads."His next car was a modified VB Commodore V8 wagon donated to the young dentist by Holden. He had it about five years before returning to Brisbane, more study at the University of Queensland and the start of his amateur career racing Minis from 1986 to today."The aim was to race all the circuits in Australia and I've just about done that except for Perth and Darwin," he says. "I've had a lot of fun. Racing has been very good to me. I've always been in the middle of the pack because I didn't spend enough money on the race car to win."His efforts to get more power out of a Mini and get further to the front of the pack led him down the ignominious Issigonis path of a twin-engined model. "We were worried after the first drive as it was an extremely difficult beast to keep on the road," he says. "There has to be co-ordination between the two motors. The gearing is the same and all the internals in the engine are the same, but we set the front so it was revving slightly harder so there is a bit of a pull factor."The revelation that kept the beast on the road came from an article in a 1960s Sportscar World magazine about the Formula One Ferguson all-wheel-drive race car. "We got a lot of hints from that; you need an overdrive diff on the front and back," he says. "We put one in the front and it made a bit of a difference and then we put one in the back and all of a sudden it goes. The diff takes up the front-to-back bias. It used to crab before that."The other major problem was the suspension. "Minis usually understeer, but this one was really taily at the start, not because of the weight in the rear but the front suspension we put in the rear. The problem was the back castor ... it had too much toe-in and we had to remove it. Instead of a steering box and steering geometry we made it into a straight-ahead suspension. Now I can drive it over all the ripple strips and still maintain control of the car. We have handling reasonable so now we are after more horsepower."Two more powerful engines in various stages of rebuild are sitting on the floor of his garage waiting to be thrown into the "Nuts" car. "I have the theoretical knowledge of mechanics to build an engine but Fred has the practical knowledge to make it work," he says. "It's been an interesting engineering exercise."Unfortunately, the car won't be ready in time for the second annual Cootha Classic hillclimb which Westerman organises for the Historic Racing Car Club of Queensland. "Maybe next year," he says.The Cootha Classic will be held on May 29-30 featuring more than 250 cars and about 50 motorcycles from the 1920s to today in timed sprints around a 1450m track up and down Sir Samuel Griffith Drive with seven corners and chicanes.Racing starts at 8.30am. Entry is $20 a day, $15 for concession, $30 for a two-day pass and $5 for parking in the J.C. Slaughter Falls carpark.Visit: www.visitbrisbane.com.au.

The new Mini Challenge will hit Australian racetracks in style with a spectacular opening race next year, probably at the Australian Grand Prix.Though Mini Australia spokesman Alexander Corne can't reveal details of the new series calendar, he says it will have a big beginning.“I can't confirm anything specific but we want to start things off with a bang,” Corne says. “We want to put the Mini Challenge in front of the widest possible audience.”Mini already has a history at the Australian Grand Prix, it provided the cars for the Celebrity Challenge in 2002.Negotiations about next year's calendar are taking place with several key stakeholders. It is likely to support the V8 Supercar Championship and run alongside the Porsche Carrera Cup. According to Corne several parties have already shown interest in the category.Mini will unveil the new-for-2008 Challenge racer at the Frankfurt Motor Show in October. The new cars will be built at the company's English factory and be race-prepared in Germany before coming here. The plan is to try to have a race car here later in the year to help promote the new series to competitors and fans.Next year, cars will use a turbocharged version of the engine, replacing the previous supercharged model. They will produce the same amount of power, 154kW but the turbo engine delivers better torque and mid-range performance.Another addition is a limited-slip differential to improve traction in tight corners.The company has also improved the cars' aerodynamics to improve performance and keep the racing close.The Challenge racers will do 0-100km/h in 6.1 seconds and have a top of 240km/h. 

It has been a long and painfully infuriating search, but I have finally, blessedly found it, it's the world’s most pointless button. It lurks on the roof of the new Mini Cooper S and if it wasn’t designed by a woman, or perhaps a committee of women, I’ll eat a beach towel. Amazingly, I very nearly missed out on finding this simpering switch altogether. I had merely made a mental note to moan endlessly about the fact that the interior lighting was far too bright, and an annoying shade of blue to boot. But then I went on a stupidly long drive to the snow from Sydney, entirely in the dark. By the time I got to Goulburn I was so annoyed at being bathed in the sort of light you normally only find in tanning salons that I decided there had to be adjustment available to me. After playing with all the available and beautifully funky feeling toggles and buttons I found the right one, flicked it and nearly crashed the car. Far from dimming this blithering blue light, the switch merely changed it to a pinky hue I can only describe as “dawn at the beach”. Intrigued, yet revolted, I kept flicking and found that the car’s mood lighting can be changed to vermillion, purple, a Midori green, a yellow-and-brown Austin Powers kind of motif and, thankfully, orange. I say thankfully because at least the orange choice blends in with the rest of the dash lighting, although the combined effect is so bright you feel like you’re driving around in a ’70s kitchen. Of course a little bit of kitsch is to be expected when an idea like the Mini is recooked, as this one was recently, gaining a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine and exterior tweaks so subtle that they’re like the effect of ageing on Elle McPherson’s body. You know they must be there, but they’re not really noticeable, and the overall effect is still so darn pretty. The shame about this shameful mood-lighting switch (surely it would make more sense in a 7 Series, where you can stretch out a bit) is that it taints what is otherwise an excellent, and much-improved, interior. The last Cooper S had a grey plastic finish that looked like it had been set upon by a whole childcare centre full of greasy fingered little fiends. It was supposed to look like brushed aluminium, I think, but it just looked liked rushed ab-libbing by the designers. Our test vehicle was all red leather and funky fake-wood plastic, but it all felt pleasant and of BMW build quality. And the dash just might be the coolest in the whole car world. The centrally mounted speedo has an indicator arrow whizzing around the outside, like one of those old-style weighing scales you used to find outside chemists, leaving space in the middle for a groovy little screen. This screen displays functions that can be selected with a very simple but still slightly iDrive- like controller, or the satellite navigation map. On the steering binnacle in front of you is a rev counter which can, if you like, also display a digital readout of your speed. When the Mini was first launched here, they couldn’t get away with that arrangement, due to ADRs, and we were the only country in the world with the speedo stuck to the steering wheel, but this time they’ve got around it. Looking at your speed on the massive central dial is totally impractical and no one likes having that information displayed where your passenger can see it so clearly anyway, but you put up with it because, as I say, the dash just looks so cool (even in vermillion-bathed light). While the old Cooper S was supercharged, and had a wondrous whine to go with that, the new engine, shared with the PSA Peugeot-Citroen group, is an award-winning turbo unit and offers more lowdown punch and usable torque than before. You get 128kW of power at a joyous 5500rpm and 240Nm of torque from 1600rpm to 5000rpm, which blips up to 260Nm via an overboost function when you really boot it. The result is a lot more fun than 128 kilowatts should be, and a 0 to 100km/h time of 7.1 seconds. The turbo doesn’t sound as good as the engine it replaces, but the performance more than makes up for that. Not many people can engineer fun into a car as cleverly as BMW/Mini and, much like its parent company’s cars, the best thing about the new Cooper is the steering. It really is go-kart like in that it needs so little lock wound on and it responds so pointedly. The great thing about the Mini is that it can make even the boredom of the urban commute fun, the bends on and off the Anzac Bridge every day were a particular joy. The ride isn’t too bad, for a car with such a short wheelbase, until you hit an expansion joint and it feels like you’ve run over a sequoia trunk. Not only do your teeth rattle, your ribs do. In short, and sweet, form, there’s a lot to love about the new Mini Cooper S, even with its stupid interior lighting system. It is, of course, entirely impractical if you’re ever going to carry more than one friend. And it is, undeniably, very expensive for a small car, prices start at $39,900 in standard trim and rise to very nearly $50k. But it’s not meant to be a practical car, it’s meant to be a fun one and on that basis it’s worth every cent.  

This year marks both the 100th birthday of the Mini’s inventor, the late Sir Alec Issigonis, and the launch of what BMW like to depict as the latest incarnation of the small, but perfectly formed, Mini that first appeared in 1959.In 2001, BMW did its Dr Frankenstein thing with the moribund marque that had little more to offer its fanatical devotees than heritage and memories of The Italian Job.By contrast, the wholly New Mini – as it was called – offered faddists a package of German engineering; though it also "inspired" the blandest movie remake of the early millennium.With the arrival of generation two (that’d be the "new New Mini", then), the nameplate has not only survived the novelty of the retro auto movement it embodied, but has thrived to the extent of contributing 15 per cent of the BMW group’s global sales.BMW call its only front-wheel-drive the "only premium small car". You might wonder how certain other top end Euro hatch makers would respond, but it’s true that nothing else is quite the same.The hatches to which Mini is predictably compared are go-fast versions developed from humble shopping trolleys, whereas a Mini has no utilitarian relative. Yes, there are variants of more or less power, but in the main, a Mini is a Mini.It exists for no other reason than to provide buyers with a style statement that’s tolerably entertaining to drive and it has worked to the extent that 80 per cent of owners are new to the BMW group.Half of them are expected to buy another Mini and half of these in turn will go for the upper spec and quite quick Cooper S that’s been shown to the world’s media in Barcelona over the past fortnight.It goes on sale in Australia early in the second quarter of 2007, alongside the atmo "S-less" Cooper with diesel and convertible versions to come later.For now the current model rag top will continue to be produced with the new line of hatches."We wanted to launch with a bang," said a Mini man by way of explanation for their being no base models available when we visited Catalonia with the first wave of media to meet the new Cooper S. It wouldn’t want to be a squib then ...The immediate impression of the mass of gaily coloured Coopers arrayed by Barcelona’s Olympic Canal awaiting rapid deployment through the winding roads of the region is of change so subtle it is almost invisible. By third or fourth glance, though, these enhancements are telling and effective.Sixty millimetres longer than the previous model, its wheels are set far forward and back for longest possible footprint and scarcely an overhang.This works within to the extent that my average height co-driver could sit behind my above-average height driving position. Well, sort of - deep inserts in the back of the front seats removed the need to hug his knees while I could just about steer.Of more relevance than irksome practicalities, are the cosmetic options. I mean, this is Mini, right? With 319 exterior variations and 372 inside, Mini claim a theoretical total of (ahem) 15,000,000,000,000,000 trim combinations.While it’s all I can do to type that, they seemed quite straight-faced about it. Whatever, it’s unlikely you’ll see two Minis of identical trim and spec.Circularity is the dominant design motif; from the headlights that are now built into the body rather than the pedestrian-yielding bonnet, up to and including the huge kitchen clock-like speedo and disc-shaped ignition device that slides into the dash beneath the start/stop button.The Mini would do nicely for the fashion distracted DINK couple who find their nest filling and so need to replace their MX-5, that relatively affordable, two-seater style statement par excellence with a not too expensive two plus two. Certainly no-one could accuse them of surrendering to suburban SUV anonymity.Nor, with the Cooper S’s new blown engine, would they have to wear hairdresser slurs. The need to accommodate BMW’s latest small capacity Valvetronic fours was the primary impetus for developing the second generation range.While power of the Cooper S’s turbocharged 1.6 is up a mere 3kW to 128 over the old supercharged unit, torque rises a useful 20Nm to 240 with a decidedly juicy 260Nm briefly available under hard acceleration via the overboost function. Progress comes sooo much more readily now, with a lovely fat torque curve that arrives at 1600rpm and lingers until five grand.If there’s not much on offer after that point, already the Cooper S has gone further and quicker than you would have reasonably expected of a compact but bulky 1130kg package.The twin scroll turbocharger works seamlessly; turbo lag no more an issue than in the blown 3.0 litre of BMW’s recently released 335i.A claimed acceleration time of 7.1 seconds for the 0-100km/h will likely be reduced with the introduction of the sports mode that was missing from the launch cars.As it stands, the Cooper S travels with the assuredness of much larger car.At almost double Australian legal speeds in fifth on the freeway, it didn’t trouble the rev limiter.Through the seemingly ceaseless succession of second gear corners of the region’s B-roads, it could keep the company of all but sharpest hot hatches (dynamics will be enhanced by the optional limited slip diff).Rapid progress feels a bit too remote through the over assisted steering. It’s accurate enough but lacking the tactility to appreciate the Mini’s much vaunted "go kart" feeling.Torque steer occurs in extremis, but the press on driving impression is one of tractability, controllability and good, clean fun.Tail action can be provoked with the electronic nannies switched off, though it’s more twitch than a waggle.Our cars came with the same close ratio six speed manual gearbox that would be great instead of merely very good if the third-to-second down change sprung home more readily.Don’t take that as definitive; it’s an impression marred by the hamfistedness that comes with only infrequently rowing a left hand drive car.What would be handy in any configuration, however, is a more amorous driver’s seat; it’s slightly too flat and unsupportive for the more manic moments.Ride impression also need await local release. The runflats tyres (16-inchers on the conventionally suspended model, 17s with the sport tune) were good enough for first world roads.While the stiffened suspension offers marginally more grip and power out of corners, we’ll hazard that the softer option will be the choice on Australia’s crap tarmac.On the basis of our Mini homage to Catalonia, you’d have to say that there remain similar cars that offer either a more focused driving experience (Renaultsport 182) or greater all round ability (Golf GTI). But the great thing is these are just not Minis, and that’s kind of the point of owning one.Even so, the revitalised Cooper S offers ample substance to supplement its singular style.Paul Pottinger is a senior roadtester on the CARSguide team, and also editor of the Sunday Telegraph CARSguide. A version of this review, as well as other news, reviews and analysis will appear in the Sunday Telegraph.

Mini bigwig Dr. Michael Ganal said all new models of the Mini had completely new four cylinder engines, which he claimed increased performance and decreased fuel consumption by 20 per cent.Other new features included an optimised chassis, new six-speed transmission and electro-mechanically assisted power steering.The new Mini is boasting itself as the safest car in its class with six airbags as standard. Ganal said the exterior changes are subtle because Mini buyers don’t like change, so the rounded headlights and hexagonal grille have had only slight design tweaks to bring them up to date.Inside is a different story, with a complete revamp for a more spacious and sporty feel, he said.The CARSguide test team is currently in Barcelona for the official worldwide launch of the new Mini, and our test drive reports will be available in coming weeks.

"It was really different; you can't describe those sorts of feelings," he says."It gave me a different attitude to lots of things, I was usually on the bottom of the barrel, suddenly I was on the top."And it wasn't just a success for Holden and his partner BMC's Finnish works driver Rauno Aaltonen, but for Mini cars overall, which filled the top nine places.On Sunday October 8, Minis and Mini fans will gather at Bathurst before the 2006 Great Race to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their victory. Holden will lead a parade of more than 50 Minis, mainly older models, including a replica of the 1966 Cooper S he raced. The original was stolen from outside a Sydney nightspot, never to be seen again.Mini is also considering making a return to Bathurst next Easter for the 12-hour race for production cars."We're considering our options for 2007 and if the 12-hour race fits with our program we'll be there," Mini spokesman Alexander Corne says. "It has appeal to us because Mini and Bathurst have a strong history."Holden plays a big part in that history, launching Minis into the spotlight with his 1 1/2-lap victory in the 1966 event."I only drove little cars, which means you don't get noticed until something like Bathurst and you beat all the bigger ones, then you're on top again," Holden says.The racing legend's rise to success was one of determination and commitment.Born with what he describes as "twisted feet" and contracting polio while in hospital at the age of five, Holden was told he would never walk. But he was determined to "get mobile".Walking led to riding bicycles and competing, until an injured knee forced him out of the sport. It was a simple progression into his next sport of choice when he was 18."I wanted to do something else, so I started playing around with motorcars," he says.Even today, Holden doesn't hesitate to showcase his talents on the track, driving a Mini in last weekend's Speed On Tweed and competing at Eastern Creek and Queensland raceways in recent weeks. Earlier this year, Holden raced a V8 ute at Bathurst. "I still win races every now and then," he says.Holden's resume includes racing Peugeots, Holdens, MGs, Escorts, BMWs and Corollas and stretches to "thousands" of events spanning more than 56 years.He competed at Bathurst 34 times and says he particularly enjoyed driving the Minis."The car itself did things that no other car did in those days," he says."They were pretty important, they were attainable, it wasn't very expensive. You haven't got overhang, everything was balanced, it was front-wheel-drive which, at that stage, wasn't thought of very much."Minis began production in Australia in 1961 and Corne says they quickly became part of the racing scene.The Cooper S was introduced in 1964 and although production stopped in 1971, the cars were still racing up until 1976.At the upcoming anniversary, Holden will get behind the wheel of a 2006 model Mini Cooper S.This is one of three 2006 Minis that has been competing and will continue to compete in the big motorsport events throughout the year. And Holden says the new version of the car that has developed a cult-like following over the decades, is just as much fun to drive, even though it's a little bigger. "I love it," he says. "It's still got all the atmosphere. It has front pockets, it's front-wheel-drive; all Mini things."As with the cars he drove, Holden is kicking on and says he feels better now than ever. Even recent battles with cancer can't slow him down. "I love being me and being able to do this," he says."When you are told you're never supposed to be walking, every day's a bonus."People ask why I'm still racing. If I stopped, I'd stay stopped. I wouldn't get going again. I want to keep going."Mini launched a search for colour photos of the 1966 victory through CARSguide and they have reaped rewards, with the discovery of several colour pictures.The 2007 Mini will be going on display at the Paris Motor Show next week.