



By N2H

MINI Cooper S by Superchips

MINI Cooper S is one of the hottest version of this lovely little British car. It comes with a 1.6 liter turbo engine developing 175 hp and 256 Nm of torque.

Now Superchips UK, a tuning company which plays magic with ECUs, have come up with a special treat for this car a nice 20 hp bump in power.

MINI Cooper S by Superchips Superchips MINI Cooper S

With Superchips package in which the tuner optimizes ignition timing, fueling and turbo boost, the Cooper S gets 195bhp and 282 Nm of torque.

Like all of their products, this package too comes with a 12 month or 30,000 mile warranty, and it’s priced at 445 Quid.

Tags: Mini, Superchips

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Mini

The Mini Car is and was a small vehicle that was manufactured by the BMC from 1959 until the acquisition of the BMC Company in 200, and has spawned two successors, one being the BMW Mini and the other being the Austin Metro. The vehicle saw many variations during its tenure of being manufactured, including a jeep-like vehicle called the Moke, a pickup truck, a van, and an estate car.

The early Mini cars were rolled out in late 59 for press demonstrations and were named the Austin Nevens, however soon the names changed to the Morris and Austin 850’s in North America and France, followed by the Austin Partner and then Morris Maxot. Finally the name Mini was used, and from then on the car stuck with that name. Many of the first designs suffered from a less than desirable suspension, but those were soon changed for a new hydro-lastic system that brought a better right – however it bumped up production costs and weight.

During the 60s over a million were manufactured, and their popularity soared, along with a lot of great advertisements such as films using them, and many movie stars that added to their prestige. The Mini II soon followed, called the Mk II Mini from 67 to 69, however during those development years it never actually was released due to infighting. The final version of the mini lasted from 69 to 2000, and was their longest lived model called the Mini Cooper. Two people, John Cooper of Cooper Car, along with Issigonis designed a performance based Mini, which became the Mini Cooper, and was found to be very popular – and it even won races. Later they would be continuously upgraded until they reached fuel injection, and the company’s demise. Another of their models only lasted to the 80’s, well, 1980 to be exact, it was called the Clubman, and it was a performance mini as well, able to go from 0-60 in a very amazing 12.9 seconds.

Mini Car

These vehicles were also the first to use a circuit board behind the dash that used flexi print, and they were also the first to have run-flat tires. The final mainstay of the Mini was the very popular Mk III that lasted thirty years. It was the designated successor to the Mk I, however the Mk II might have taken a totally different path. The Mk III sold very well, and many special editions were made, and it became an English cultural icon – to which BMW took a liking. When Rover finally failed, BMQ took charge of the company and sold everything except the mini. Now the BMW Mini is being manufactured and produced in place of the originals.

Tags: Car Brands, Mini

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The 2009 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman

The MINI Cooper has definitely made a big impression around the world including the US. While the MINI Cooper is extremely small, it has a lot of history, is seen as very trendy and offers plenty of performance at a decent price. Wile there are several trim levels of the MINI Cooper, one that has grabbed our attention is the 2009 MINI John Cooper Works Clubman. We know it is a mouthful to say, but John Cooper brings to this vehicle plenty of racing heritage and the final product is quite nice, especially for those that consider themselves driving enthusiasts.

The MINI John Cooper Works Clubman- Full of Power and Performance
For those that love the MINI Cooper and looking to purchase one, this is the vehicle to buy. This model offers plenty of spunk and attitude and even includes more space than the standard two door hatchback MINI.

Under the hood, you will find great performance. The John Cooper Works Clubman offers a 1.6 liter inline four cylinder engines that produces a whopping 208 horsepower- pretty good for such a small vehicle. In addition, there is even an overboost function which increases the maximum torque from 192 lb ft to 207 lbs ft of torque. Married to this power plant is a six speed manual transmission- this is the only transmission offered to keep its racing heritage. Other special features include the fact that this is a three door hatchback that is about 10 inches longer than the regular mini which is actually a rear opening third passenger side door. Also add to the mix 17 inch cross spoke wheels a nicely done interior trim that is piano black, some stability control, Xenon headlights and a whole bunch of amenities that not only make this vehicle fun to drive, but very comfortable as well.

Tags: Car Reviews, Mini

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Five Great Fuel Efficient Cars On The Market Today

With the price of fuel so high, along with everything else for that matter, many people who are in the market for buying a new car have decided to turn their attention to the most fuel efficient cars on the market today. When cutting back on the amount of driving isn’t possible, many people’s only recourse is to buy a vehicle that uses less gas to go the same distance. With technology continually improving, there are many versatile and full feature automobiles available today that do in fact offer good fuel efficiency.

Here are five great fuel efficient cars that are on the market today:

Ford Focus
Though most people associate foreign cars made by the likes of Volkswagen and Toyota with fuel efficiency, the Ford Focus is one of the more fuel efficient cars out there right now. The Ford Focus also has the distinct advantage of being a surprisingly economical car in terms of the cost to the car buyer. Most vehicles that feature great gas mileage tend to cost a bit more too.

Honda Civic
As one of the most economical non-hybrid cars to drive available from any manufacturer, the Honda Civic has proven popular with individuals and families alike. The Civic is particularly popular with those that have sizable commutes to and from work. For those that do want to take the step to better fuel efficiency as well as want to move into an alternatively powered vehicle, the Honda Civic is also available in a hybrid version.

MINI Cooper
Despite it being well known as one of the smaller appearing vehicles on the road today, the MINI Cooper comes packed with a very spacious interior. Even the turbocharged versions of the MINI Cooper are somewhat fuel efficient. There distinctive look combined with their great gas mileage has made them one of the more popular cars today.

Nissan Altima
The Nissan Altima provides things for the prospective owner that they would not expect to find in a fuel efficient vehicle, including a big 2.5 liter engine and a great deal of space. This is one fuel efficient vehicle that doesn’t get labeled as a small car. The Nissan Altima combines great use of space and fuel efficiency to make it a great family car.

Toyota Prius
The most famous of all hybrid vehicles, the Toyota Prius regularly gets gas mileage in the upper 40s and occasionally even into the 50s. The nice part about the fuel efficiency offered by the Toyota Prius is that to achieve it, the car doesn’t sacrifice anything else that the vehicle owner would want. There is plenty of space and luxury inside the Prius and car buyers have shown how great a car it is with their customer loyalty and word of mouth advertising.

Driving a more fuel efficient vehicle is a great way to combat the high cost of fuel, food, and everything else. When money is saved in one area of a person or family’s life, it can be put to better use in another area that is lacking. These five fuel efficient vehicles show that there are options out there for those interested in improving their gas mileage when they buy a new car. Fuel efficient cars are the wave of the future and there are already plenty of great examples available on the market.

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The Electric Mini Cooper, Finally

For years, auto enthusiasts have seen quite a few electric vehicles come out- most of them extremely small with weird styling cues and by companies that are unknown and lack financing. While most car enthusiasts agree- all companies and cars are welcome to make an electric car a reality, one car and one company sat on the sidelines when they should have been leading the effort who you might ask- BMW and their Mini Cooper.

The Mini Finally Goes Electric

Anyone that has seen these tiny, very stylish and trendy cars has probably asked themselves, why not this car for an electric? It’s extremely small, lightweight and has the engineering powerhouse of BMW backing it. Well, your wish has come true- the Mini Cooper is coming out as an E-plug car as early as 2009.

Mini E

While BMW has plenty of projects with alternative energy vehicles, this will be their first product for the US. The Mini E will be sold in limited quantities- about 500 for the 2009 model year. They will be available for sale in only 3 states: California, New York and New Jersey.

Tech Specs of the Mini E

It looks like the Mini E will definitely not disappoint. The car will featured a powerful motor getting about 204 horsepower and offering decent acceleration from 0 to 60 in about 8.5 seconds. The top speed is slow for those looking to take this baby on the autobahn, but at 95 mph, it will be just fine for American roads. Here is the real surprise, with a full battery charge, expect the Mini E to get a fantastic 150 miles, which is much more that practically any other electric plug in is expected to get. For instance the Chevy Volt is only expected to get about 40 miles on a full charge.

The Mini E will use lithium-ion batteries and these batteries will take up plenty of room in the Mini- good bye back seat. The weight for the new Mini E will also increase to about 3,200 pounds, about 700 pounds more than the gas powered version. However, charging the Mini E using a special charging adapter at one’s home will be quite quick at only 2.5 hours. It should be noted that a driver can use a standard wall socket- but this will increase the charging time. Right now no price has been set, but if the US government offers a tax credit, this vehicle may be in the range of a lot of car buyer’s budgets.

Tags: BMW, Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars, Mini

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