When the Mini Cooper came to the U.S. a few years ago, it caused as much commotion and excitement as Volkswagen’s Beetle did with its return. The British-born Cooper has been revered since its rally car racing days back in the 1960s. Now built by BMW, the hip and stylish Mini was relaunched worldwide in 2001 with modern underpinnings, and has since amassed a significant, though somewhat cultish following. In 2007, BMW introduced the second generation of the Cooper. And though there were key improvements made, the automaker proved its guile and smarts by barely changing the car’s exterior aesthetics.

For the 2011 model year, fresh exterior styling touches include new front and rear bumpers, larger foglights and new taillights. There are minor cosmetic changes to the interior while underhood, the 1.6-liter four cylinder gets a slight boost in both output and fuel economy. The city mileage was bumped up from 28 to 29 mpg.

The Mini has several model offerings. The hatchback is available in a base and an ‘S’ model plus, a John Cooper Works edition. All three are available as convertibles. Additionally, in 2008 Mini stretched the hatchback nine inches and called it the Clubman, with ‘S’ and John Cooper Works models offered.

Though the Mini Cooper is known for its looks, its place in automotive history, and its now German engineering, it is still ultimately defined by another one of its important characteristics: its teacup-sized dimensions. The Cooper aptly lives up to its Mini name, and is definitively a sub-compact automobile. But this small car came into existence for entirely different reasons than the rest of the sub-compact class. (Unlike the original, it’s not here because rising fuel prices dictated the need for smaller, more efficient cars.) Regardless, it still enjoys many of the same fuel-friendly benefits found with the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, among others.

The EPA numbers speak for themselves. The Cooper, with a six-speed manual transmission, achieves 29 city/37 highway, while the more athletic Cooper S rates at a still impressive 27 city/35 highway. Opt for the six-speed automatic and the standard hatchback serves up 28 city/36 highway, the S delivers 26/34. The John Cooper Works—manual transmission only—is the least fuel efficient with an EPA rating of 28 city/36 highway. But it’s important to know that many Cooper owners will admit that their car’s fuel economy in real world driving leans more heavily in favor of the City Rating, and premium-grade fuel is recommended.

The Mini Cooper is not a hybrid (although there are rumors of a hybrid version in the works). Nonetheless, the 2011 model ranked No. 10 in the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s list of greenest cars. Only three hybrids, a CNG car, an electric car, and four small gas-powered cars received higher rankings in ACEEE’s rigorous evaluation of environmental impacts.

Exterior

The Mini Cooper’s quirky styling and British charm are attention grabbers. It is neither a retro nor a heritage design. It’s the new Mini, that’s all. After all, the original was in production for 41 years, and this is just the latest version. The result is a car that barely resembles the Mini Cooper of the 1960s, but it is true to the spirit and look of the original while being fully modern in its execution. In short, it’s the cutest shoebox with four wheels on the planet.

The diminutive size was born out of necessity in the late 1950s when a fuel crisis in Europe created a demand for a small, economical, yet practical car. The brainchild of British car designer Sir Alec Issigonis, the Morris Mini-Minor went on sale in 1959 and established a design blueprint that stands to this day; engine mounted sideways in the front, driving the front wheels that are pushed to the corners.

The front-drive layout provided maximum interior room in a tiny package. With no driveshaft from the engine to the rear wheels, the cabin floor could be flat. Pushing the wheels to the extreme corners made the most of the small dimensions.

From the standpoint of structure and engineering, the Mini Cooper is 100 percent BMW. This little car is built for quality. Just the muted sound produced by shutting the vehicle’s door (usually heard in higher-priced autos) indicates the Cooper’s tight construction and top-notch craftsmanship.

Interior

The cabin is nicely detailed with touches reminiscent of the first Minis. A big round speedometer sets squarely in the middle of the dashboard flanked by other gauges, and a large tachometer is mounted on the steering column, easily seen by the driver. That’s a carry over from the original Mini, suggestive of rally cars where the navigator needs to see most of the instruments from the passenger seat, while the driver monitors the tach so not to blow the engine while going fast. The dash layout declares that engine speed is paramount, road speed is subordinate.

Surprisingly, space is generous for the driver and front seat passenger, thanks in large measure to an abundance of headroom and a wide stance. Standard equipped seats are reasonably comfortable, but optional sport seats provide excellent lateral support for spirited driving.

As for rear seating, it’s possible to shoehorn two adults into this space, but not without cooperation from those up front. Room behind the rear seats is fairly sparse; the 5.4 cubic feet can accommodate four grocery bags. Fold the seats down and there are about 24 cubic feet, more than enough room for luggage for two for a weeklong vacation.

Under The Hood

When the second generation Mini arrived in 2007, a major change was a new 1.6-liter in-line four-cylinder engine with output of 118 horsepower and 114 pounds-feet of torque in the base hatchback, and 172 horsepower with 177 lbs.-ft. in the turbocharged S. For 2011, all models—hatchback, convertible and Clubman—it’s the same engine with a slight boost in horsepower, 121 hp and 181 respectively. Torque remains the same. A six-speed manual transmission is standard; a six-speed automatic is optional.

For those addicted to a-need-for-speed, John Cooper Works models are powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder that makes 208 hp at 6,000 rpm and 192 lbs.-ft. of torque from 1,850 to 6,600 rpm. Mini says the engine can briefly raise boost-pressure when accelerating to achieve 207 pounds-feet of torque from 2,000 to 5,100 rpm. A six-speed manual shifter is the only transmission offered.

On The Road

With its quirky, one-of-a-kind looks, nobody should take the Mini too seriously. However, anything it lacks in raw power it makes up in raw fun. Downshift from third to second when entering a tight curve and you’ll be yelling “Whoopee” until the exit. Even with the standard 15-inch tire and wheel package, the grip is tenacious, the cornering limits are high and the body stays almost flat.

Steering is on the heavy side, but delightfully quick. The steering wheel makes just 2.4 turns from extreme right to extreme left, which adds to the car’s athletic handling and feel.

Like all BMWs, the throttle pedal is hinged at the bottom, making first attempts at heel-and-toe downshifts or full-throttle applications slightly cumbersome. But the clutch action is smooth and the shift lever is light and direct, which makes running through the gears a simple task.

Engaging a clutch and shifting gears not your style? The six-speed automatic with manual shifting capability is pretty slick.

Panic braking is accomplished without panicking driver or passengers. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, coupled with BMW’s Cornering Brake Control and Electronic Braking Distribution, halt the 2,500-pound Mini quickly with only the slightest amount of front nosedive.

You can’t have superb handling without a stiff body and a sport-tuned suspension setup. But with that comes a ride that’s bumpy and rough, sometimes harsh. Ironic that what people like about the Mini are characteristics they dislike in other cars.

If you think the 121 horsepower from the standard 1.6-liter engine just isn’t enough, an additional $3,600 will get you the Cooper S model with the turbocharged output of 181 ponies. Or, you can go all out for the John Cooper Works edition for an additional $6,100. Yes, the need-for-speed is expensive, and you’ll probably not see the EPA estimated 25 city/33 highway fuel mileage.

With the regular Mini’s 29 mpg around town and 37 mpg on the highway, scampering over hill and dale is one of the few remaining sources of politically correct automotive fun.

Economics

From a fuel-efficiency standpoint, the sub-compact Mini Cooper is absolutely an economically sound choice. It is very much on par with all of the “econo” sub-compact cars (Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Chevy Cruze, etc.), and even superior to some of them.

But price-wise there is a significant premium—to the tune of anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 more in cost. The bottom line for the base Cooper is $19,400, while the Cooper S starts at $23,000. But the Mini is, after all, a higher-end vehicle than all the other sub-compacts. There really is no direct competition for this vehicle, and probably won’t be until Audi brings its small A1 to the U.S.

The first Mini was the inspiration behind the naming of the famed mini skirt by Sixties fashion designer Mary Quant. BMW has done a marvelous job of capturing the essence of the original car. The current Mini is more about fashion and fun than anything else. Especially fun.

Prices are Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) at time of publication and do not include destination charges, taxes or licensing.

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Is it going to be a hybrid 1-series? Will it be a gas-electric Mini? Maybe a hybrid Mini Clubman or even a Mini Countryman crossover SUV with a plug-in hybrid system?

(Actually, the conjecture started in October when BMW made a nearly identical preliminary announcement about the tie-up with PSA.)

It makes for a fun blog post to guess at possibly-could-be-maybe future vehicles, but of course, there’s no real evidence to back up those images in the crystal ball. According to the press release, the new venture, dubbed BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification, vaguely states that the two companies will work on battery packs, generators, power electronics and chargers, and software for hybrid systems—the generic stuff that all hybrids need. Executives offered banal quotes, talking about “competitive advantages” and “cost structures.”

The announcement is more accurately interpreted as a sign of weakness—a fearful response to falling way behind in the hybrid space. In other words, instead of taking a bold step and making an investment, these companies don’t have to really commit to a full R&D budget and time commitment. After all, BMW is not a big company and would find it challenging to pursue the full range of advanced auto technologies all at the same time.

Have We Seen This Before?

BMW played the same card in 2005, when it glommed on to the hybrid technology project with General Motors and Daimler-Chrysler that yielded the two-mode hybrid system. At the time, Burkhard Goschel, BMW’s head of development, said, “The creation of a shared technology platform for hybrid drives will allow us to more quickly integrate the best technologies on the market.”

Six years later, what did this “quick integration” produce? One vehicle: the $90,000 BMW X6 SUV hybrid. How many of those did BMW sell in 2010? Ahem, 248 units. That puts its 2010 hybrid sales at No. 25 out of the 27 hybrids currently on the market. No. 26 was the $104,000 Lexus LS 600h L, followed by BMW’s other hybrid, the $103,000 BMW Hybrid 7 (using a system not developed in the G.M.-Daimler partnership), in dead last place.

As a point of reference, BMW sold 11,727 of its clean diesel vehicles in the U.S. in 2010— 7,925 units of the BMW X5 SUV and 3,892 units of the BMW 335d The company sells more of its diesel SUVs in month than all its hybrids in a year.

Meanwhile, BMW has launched an excellent web documentary series about the future of mobility. The first segment is about cars and the design of cities.

More Hope for EVs

If BMW’s hybrid efforts have been completely lame, at least it’s pure electric program has shown some life. The company has put a lot of effort into the Mini-E and ActiveE test programs—and the electric production model, the Megacity, is slated for 2013. With regard to the “BMW Peugeot Citroën Electrification” joint project, it’s more likely to yield components for that promising EV than a mainstream affordable hybrid Mini or 1-Series.

Most of all, the tie-up with PSA is a cost-saving hedge to keep hybrid development slowly moving forward at BMW, just in case regulations or market forces push the company to get serious about hybrids, rather than continuing to issuing press releases every few years about another joint development project.

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The new releases, the 2012 Coupe and Roadster models, will be available in 2011—within six months of one another. Not many details about the vehicles are available yet—including estimated fuel economy numbers—but expect that to change by the time they get to Geneva.

In the meantime, MINI will release its new Countryman model later this year. The car, which has been called the “Maxi-MINI” by Edmunds because it’s the largest car the company has produced to date—nearly a half foot longer than the Clubman and 16 inches longer than the Cooper.

Most intriguing though is news of the small car concept, which although not yet confirmed for production, could potentially be one of the first full releases to emerge from BMW’s long-term city car team. BMW, which owns MINI, is creating the two-seat MINI concept as part of its Project I program, which is geared toward designing and developing the next generation of urban mobility. The initiative was launched in 2008, with its first product being the MINI-E—an electrified test vehicle based on MINI’s eponymous vehicle line. BMW has no intention of releasing the plug-in, which it describes as an “experiment,” but will utilize what it learned from the test fleet in future Project I vehicles. So far, MINI has not announced any plans for forthcoming hybrid or electric offerings.

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In Sept., 2008, German Chancellor Angela Merkel plugs in an electic-powered Smart car as Daimler head Deiter Zetsche and Matthias Wissmann, Chairman of the German Automobile Industry, look on.

On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a summit on the electrification of the automobile, with senior executives from the major German auto companies, as well as utilities and the high-tech sector. Germany doesn’t want to be left out of a potential electric car revolution—especially after falling way behind the Japanese competition for hybrid gas-electric cars. German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer said that electric vehicle technology is “the most important project of this legislative period.”

But, the widely circulated German weekly Der Spiegel is calling the re-emergence of electric cars a “great e-llusion.” The magazine suggests that the attention given to “cars with power sockets rather than gas tanks” is more about publicity and political maneuvering than about a real shift to greener automotive technology.

By all appearances, the car companies are on board. BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer will travel to the meeting in a Mini E, an electric version of the Mini Cooper. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche will squeeze into an all-electric Smart ForTwo for his journey to the summit. The article didn’t mention how Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen’s CEO, will arrive. VW recently shifted its plans for its first electric car from the e-Up mini car to the e-Golf, an electric version of the Volkswagen Golf due in 2013.

The CEOs want massive subsidies first for research and development and then for consumer incentives. They are also calling for uniform standards for battery charging stations.

Anti-Electric Arguments, Rehashed

Der Spiegel’s list of EV drawbacks will be familiar to anybody with the recent history of the electric car.

• There’s No Market: Without government subsidies, electric cars are virtually unmarketable. France offers customers an incentive of $6,500, China offers $8,500 and the United States offers $7,500. According to a study by Deutsche Bank, even with big government subsidies, only about 5 million electric cars could be registered in the European Union by 2020. That’s about 2 percent of the E.U. car parc.
• Eco-Benefits are Marginal: According to Der Spiegel, Franz Fehrenbach, chief executive at Bosch—a major supplier of diesel equipment—contends that the environmental footprint of a mid-size diesel car is smaller than that of an electric car, when considering the carbon burned to produce the electricity. Yet, he and others believe that carmakers will find it difficult to achieve emissions targets planned in the EU for 2020 without electric cars.
• Driving Range is Overstated: Consumers will be caught off-guard when range is less than advertised. An electric Smart supposedly has a range of 85 miles, but in a road test by German motoring magazine Auto Motor und Sport, the electric Smart only made it 65 miles on a single charge. Mitsubishi says that its i-MiEV will go 80 miles, but only yielded about 50 miles in testing.

Who’s Side Are You On?

Der Spiegel compares the rage of electric cars with the recent “euphoria surrounding biofuels, which were once touted as a viable alternative to petroleum. Those hopes “were quickly dashed” when the true energy costs and the impact on global food markets were more fully evaluated.

Despite promises by German automakers to deliver electric cars in the next two or three years, the same auto executives seeking subsidies are also expressing doubt. VW CEO Martin Winterkorn believes the costs are too high, the ranges are too short and the charging times are too long. “It’s important to tell people the plain truth,” said Winterkorn.

With the first mass-market electric cars hitting global markets late this year, we expect one anti-EV article after the next in the popular press. Only time will tell how common electric cars will become on the streets of Berlin, Beijing and Berkeley.

But even Der Spiegel grudgingly admits that battery-powered vehicles will become a part of the future mix: “There will not be a single type of engine to ensure individual mobility in a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly way. Instead, cars will still be powered by classic internal combustion engines, as well as by hybrid engines, natural gas, biofuels and one day perhaps even with hydrogen. And, of course, with electricity.”

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The market test of about 500 Mini E cars in New York, New Jersey and California was to include a special 220-volt charging unit so leasees could recharge their cars in 3.5 hours. But the installation of the charging box has to be approved by each local municipality. Each city “has different codes and different inspectors” according to Tom Baloga, BMW’s vice president of engineering. That could delay some East Coast installations as much as six months. Until the 220 chargers can be installed, the 35kWh lithium ion battery pack in the Mini E can still be charged using standard 110-volt household socket, but a full charge there will take 21 hours.

With a full charge, the Mini E should be good for about 150 miles. The first drivers are achieving about 100 miles of range in real-world driving. Using either 110 or 220 will cost the same, since utilities charge by the kilowatt hour. BMW said it has delivered more than 50 Mini Es so far in its one-year marketing test.

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The ten MINI Es, which will log close to 100 miles of driving per day, are part of a larger effort to see how these small zero-emission plug-ins fare in real-world, everyday conditions. The cars will be evaluated on criteria ranging from performance to ‘wear and tear’. A total of 500 MINI Es will be put to the test in New York, Los Angeles, New Jersey, London, and Berlin. 450 of the vehilces will be leased to individuals for personal use, while 50 will be used in municipal initiatives, like SCOUT.

Although Mayor Michael Bloomberg has committed New York’s participation in the year-long study, it was only two weeks ago that he announced that the city wold have to reduce its vehicle fleet by ten percent to meet recent budget cuts. The reduction would eliminate more than 700 cars, including more the 75 Toyota Priuses.

The MINI E cars will begin arriving in New York City as early as April.

The MINI E can travel in excess of 150-miles on a single charge. Its 150 kilowatt motor produces 201 horsepower and allows a top speed of 95 miles per hour. MINI will also be providing customers with a special wall box that can recharge the car’s lithium ion battery in less than three hours.

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The car’s 380-volt battery back comprised of 5,088 individual cells, and can be recharged using a standard 110-volt electrical outlet. The battery pack has a maximum capacity of 35-kilowatt hours. BMW will offer a specialized high-amp wall-mounted device that will allow a full replenishment of the battery in less than three hours. The Mini E will have a cruising range of 150 miles, well beyond the requirements of most daily commutes.

In terms of performance, the Mini E will benefit from 204-horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. The result is a 0 to 60 time of 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 95 miles per hour. These numbers fall short of specs for the standard MINI Cooper, but the Mini E will grant performance—especially acceleration from zero—much better than virtually all compacts or subcompacts currently on the road today.

The Mini E optimizes efficiency with a re-calibrated suspension, regenerative braking capability, and a modified air-conditioning compressor designed to cut down on power usage.

Approximately 500 cars are slated for production, which will take place at BMW’s Munich plant before the end of 2008. The price of the Mini E, or production beyond the first demonstration models, has not yet been determined. Follow the progress of the Mini E on MINIspace.com.

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This game of inches, a little bit here and little there, adds a modicum of practicality and access while retaining the cool factor. In fact, the vehicle’s unique five-door design—featuring a single pint-size club door on the passenger side and a pair of stylish swing-out doors in the rear—may just add to its hipness. Car and Driver says the Clubman is “all the fun and cuteness of the smaller Mini with a (slightly) more hospitable rear seat.”

This slight uptick in “hospitality” comes at about a 10 percent premium and may not offer enough extra cargo space or legroom to justify the expense for many drivers. The Clubman still falls behind nearly every other compact wagon on the market in these categories and ranks among the most expensive cars in its class. Mini seems to be courting drivers whose needs fall somewhere in between its sporty but diminutive standard model and your run-of-the-mill compact wagon, but most would probably be better off picking one or the other.

“Certainly, the Clubman is the cutest little urban wagon you’ll ever see. But it’s also one of the dumbest,” says The Washington Post. “Try getting into a back seat of the Clubman using that slit of rear door in a crowded parking lot. The front passenger door of the Clubman opens one way. The skinny rear door opens another… It’s a circus!”

The 2010 Clubman has changed very little from earlier models, with the standout improvement being that cruise control is now standard. Available in standard and S (for Sport) versions, the Clubman offers the same powerplants found in the smaller Cooper models. There’s a 118 horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, and 172 horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. There’s also a special John Cooper Works edition, which offers a turbocharged 208 horsepower engine but costs $10,000 more than the standard and loses about 3 mpg in fuel efficiency.

Power for the Clubman is managed by either a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission, both resulting in high fuel economy—on par with the smaller Cooper and Cooper S. The standard Clubman gives 28 city / 37 highway, while the sportier Clubman S rates 26 miles to the gallon in the city and 34 on the highway. Although the Clubman is bigger than its Cooper siblings, it’s nearly identical in quickness, speed and fuel efficiency.

Love It or Hate It

Like most things “Mini,” the interior of the Clubman is a love it or hate proposition. “It takes design risks,” says The New York Times. “Aircraft-style toggle switches, door pulls that seem borrowed from a funhouse ride, the clock-sized center speedometer… Audio controls are so enamored with their own looks that they can’t be bothered to work effectively.” This car was built to make a statement, inside and out—if you want comfort and familiarity from your center console, buy a Toyota.

Riding on the same suspension as the Cooper, the Clubman displays a high degree of agility and handling. It is very responsive to driver inputs and has superb cornering skills. And because of its longer wheelbase, the Clubman grants a softer, more comfortable ride. That makes the Mini Cooper Clubman better suited to road trips and long commutes.

Antilock brakes with cornering control and electronic brake-force distribution come standard, as does Dynamic Stability Control in case you get a little too carried away on curvy country roads. This feature also helps in gripping the pavement under challenging road conditions.

The Clubman’s build quality is world-class. Mini is owned by BMW, and the two companies share the same high standards for engineering.

For most people, this car is simply too impractical and too expensive to even consider—but Mini didn’t set out to build cars for everyone. If you’re in love with Mini styling, have use for something small, sporty and fuel efficient, and are willing to spend a couple of thousand extra dollars for a little added cargo room or passenger comfort, the Clubman may be just the right fit.

Reviews

“While the back seat remains far smaller than that of a Honda Civic or other compact, it is now more usable for a toddler or limber teenager. Taller passengers will still demand a more socialist distribution of resources, with front occupants sliding forward.

“The seats are terrific and the materials are first-rate. The Mini also delivers the safety features and optional amenities of, well, a BMW. But the clock-sized center speedometer is so tackily oversize that Flavor Flav might be offended. The [opening from the] swingin’ saloon doors at the rear isn’t large enough to provide a valid reason to open just one of the two doors; a liftgate would work just fine.”

New York Times

“Besides being a blast to drive, reasonably economical, and a cheeky fashion statement, the Clubman’s most significant accomplishment is that its increased passenger comfort and extra cargo room make the Mini a real car for more people. For many buyers, this functionality will more than offset the few extra dollars and the few extra pounds the Clubman packs over the standard models.”

Motor Trend

“The Clubman doesn’t feel that different from a normal Mini. The extra length and wheelbase manifest themselves in slightly better high-speed stability, and ride comfort has been improved a bit over the standard car, but little else stands out. The rear seat is roomier but still slightly claustrophobic, the chassis is ever-so-slightly less willing to rotate in tight switchbacks, and rear visibility—owing to the thick C-pillars and the central post created by the twin rear doors—stinks.”

Automobile Magazine

“Part of the point of making the bigger car is, obviously, to accommodate more stuff…The problem is, when we drove the 1.6-liter, 118-horsepower Clubman, we found it struggling to give us the power we needed…The Clubman S, however, was a different story. The car had plenty of pep, and while we didn’t take it up any steep hills, it was able to reach highway speed and pass other cars with relative ease. But the extra performance drops the gas mileage down to 34 miles per gallon on the highway and 26 miles per gallon in the city with the manual gearbox (32/23 for the automatic).”

CNet

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Mini offers two engine options. There’s the 120 horsepower 1.6-liter four-cylinder found in the base Cooper, or the 175 horsepower turbocharged version of the same engine found in the sportier Cooper S. Fuel economy is exactly the same as its smaller cousins, rating 28 city/37 highway for the standard Clubman, and 26 city/34 highway for the turbo-charged model. Consumers now have yet another efficient Mini to consider.

The Clubman is quick, agile, and athletic. Though a little bigger than the Cooper and Cooper S, it drives with the same spirit and sport. It’s ideal for maneuvering in tight spots, as well as darting in and out of traffic with little drama. Inside, the Clubman offers a good bit more cargo room and versatility than the standard size Cooper. It has an overall storage capacity of 33 cubic feet with the split rear seats folded down. Due to its added level of space and comfort, this is probably the Mini to have for tackling long distances. And as far as cabin appearance, the Clubman upholds Mini’s unique blend of new age technology with old world aesthetics.

Creative and cost-efficient, the Clubman received high praise from most auto journalists attending the event. The only shortcoming seems to be a rear seat that is still pretty tight, despite the vehicle’s expanded dimensions. The Clubman starts at a base price of $20,600, and is available at dealer showrooms throughout the country.

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