When the MINI line-up consists of a
3-door original, a
2+1 door Clubman, a 4-seater
MINI Cabrio, and a 5-door SUV called the
MINI Countryman, it seems that a new member of the MINI family has arrived and yes, it's a two-door, two-seater sports car called the
MINI Coupe.
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| 2012 MINI Coupe |
This model was inspired from the 2009 Mini Coupe Concept as seen from the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and why did MINI wanted to spawn a two-door sports car model was a complete mystery. As a sports car, the MINI Coupe ditches its hatchback look and gains some attractive side profile to make it more of a coupe rather than being a MINI. Compare this side view to some female swimmer who wears a Speedo and the results are inevitable. Because it is an FF car, the MINI Coupe finds a fist fight against the
Scion tC.
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| 2012 MINI Coupe interior |
How should you ask about getting inside the MINI Coupe? It's quite simple really. This MINI Coupe allows seating for two adults and opening the back of the MINI Coupe is just like opening the back of the Scion tC and the
Nissan Fairlady Z but with such luggage space, it is applicable for only three suitcases and a purse, whatever you want to put it on the back.
Now onto the performance side, well, the new MINI offers three kinds such as the Mini Cooper Coupe, the Mini Cooper S Coupe, and the Mini Cooper SD Coupe. The entry-level Mini Cooper Coupe is powered with the 1.6L Four-cylinder petrol engine with twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection and fully variable valve management based on the BMW Group's VALVETRONIC technology. It gets about 90 kW/122 hp at 6,000 rpm of power, 160 Nm/118 lb-ft at 4,250 rpm of torque, 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 9 seconds, 204 km/h (127 mph) of top speed, 5.4 litres per 100 kilometres (52.3 mpg imp) of fuel consumption, and 127 g/km of CO2 emissions. the hardcore Mini Cooper S Coupe uses an improved version of the turbocharged 1.6L 4-cylinder engine that produces 135 kW/184 hp at 5,500 rpm of power, 240 Nm/177 lb-ft at 1,600-5,000 rpm of torque, 0-100kmh in 6.9 seconds, 230 km/h (143 mph) of top speed, and 5.8 litres per 100 kilometres (48.7 mpg imp) of fuel consumption. The Mini Cooper SD Coupe uses the 2.0L Four-cylinder turbodiesel with aluminium crankcase, common-rail injection and variable turbine geometry, resulting to greater fuel economy of 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres (65.7 mpg imp) and the lowest CO2 emission of 114 g/km.
Most MINI Coupe variants are great on handling thanks to its weight and its tuned suspension and it gets better for the eco-car fans, the MINIMALISM environmental technology offers MINI's Micro Hybrid Technology such as Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start/Stop+, Shift Point Display+, Electric Power Steering, and ancillary components to make it more fuel efficient. It is mated with either a 6-speed manual or a flappy-paddle 6-speed semi-automatic transmission with Steptronic function. There is a Sport Button placed on the MINI Coupe and if you pressed that, it delivers a much sharper handling and cornering, which is essential to technical courses such as the Nurburgring and Fuji Speedway. Do you think it is highly essential to tackle tough mountain passes such as Iroha-zaka, Shomaru, Tsukuba, or Akagi? It maybe an FF car with a Sport Button but it takes practice to tenderize the technical turns.
There are a lot of other features on the MINI Coupe as well such as the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control), ABS, EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), CBC (Cornering Brake Control), Brake Assist and Hill Start Assist. The DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) and EDLC (Electronic Differential Lock Control) are considered optional but one MINI Coupe considers these features standard is the Mini John Cooper Works Coupe.
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| 2012 MINI John Cooper Works Coupe |
The Mini John Cooper Works Coupe is the hardcore addition to the Mini John Cooper Works range, the MINI family with powerful upgrades courtesy of BMW M Power. The new Mini John Cooper Works Coupe features a powerful version of the turbocharged 1.6L petrol engine, delivering 155 kW/211 hp at 6,000 rpm of power, 260 Nm/192 lb-ft at 2,000-5,100 rpm of torque, 0-100kmh in 6.4 seconds, 240 km/h (149 mph) of top speed, 7.1 litres per 100 kilometres (39.8 mpg imp) of fuel consumption, and 165 g/km of CO2 emissions.
Depending on the variant, the MINI Coupe is available in nine exterior colors such as Chili Red, Pepper White, British Racing Green, Eclipse Grey, Lightning Blue, Midnight Black, Spice Orange, White Silver, and Laguna Green (not applicable on the Mini John Cooper Works Coupe).
My Comment:
Outrageously funny, witty, wicked, and hard to resist its temptation that what you've expect from peeping on some schoolgirl readying with her Speedo one-piece swimsuit for swimming class, but sorry, we're not on the same league. This MINI Coupe's not in a same league with the BMW 3-Series Coupe, BMW 1-Series Coupe, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, and the Audi A5. It will compete only against FF sports cars such as the Scion tC and the
Kia Forte Koup. The bigger the MINI Coupe gets, the smaller the rivals will get.
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