MINI Coupe: “Another Day. Another Adventure.”

The “Another Day. Another Adventure.” international campaign will be launched to coincide with the world premiere of the new MINI Coupé at the IAA International Motor Show. MINI fans will be able to experience not only the sporty two-seater but also real driving fun through TV, print and the social web.

The new MINI Coupé is the latest member of the MINI family. The two-seater has a license for everyday adventure – as shown in the campaign. The “Another Day. Another Adventure.” slogan itself clearly signals that MINI is taking an unconventional approach with this campaign.

TV and print
The three TV commercials showcase the new MINI Coupé as the ideal companion for every adventure. The three locations of Rio de Janeiro, Iceland and Hong Kong promise fascinating landscapes and cultures.

In the “Sunday in Rio” TV spot, the MINI Coupé accompanies dancers to the legendary Carnival in Rio and transports viewers to a colourful world of samba. In “Tuesday in Iceland”, the MINI Coupé and its somewhat suspicious passenger are driving across a remote winter landscape; in the third, “Wednesday in Hong Kong”, a MINI Coupé driver “kidnaps” an attractive young woman in a breath-taking car chase. Acclaimed cameraman César Charlone, who was nominated for an Academy Award for best cinematography for his work in “City of God”, was brought in to shoot the films under the direction of Kevin Thomas of THOMAS & THOMAS Films.

The corresponding advertisements and billboards will also instil a thirst for adventure with the MINI Coupé. The locations used in the TV commercials also provide the background for print advertising.

Read More: http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/08/30/mini-coupe-%E2%80%9Canother-day-another-adventure-%E2%80%9D/

REVIEWS: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 - Four Seasons Update - August 2011

Months in service: One
Miles to date: 1957

After taking delivery of the Mini Countryman at Mini HQ in New Jersey, our Cooper S Countryman All4 spent its first month in New York, where first impressions were formed and where we began to evaluate the relative merits of the equipment we'd ordered.

Right off the bat, we're liking the turbocharged engine, which seem more essential in this car than any other Mini, if only because of the Countryman's greater size and weight. It being mid-summer, all-wheel drive hasn't yet been able to show off its winter-weather advantages, but it's welcome even on dry, sunny days because it effectively vanquishes torque steer.

When pulling away from a stop, it takes a moment before the turbo kicks in, so if you don't rev the engine when you're slipping the clutch the car can bog down for a second (at that point, the hill-holder feature is often quite welcome). Then the turbo kicks in, and the Cooper S Countryman scoots ahead with characteristic Mini verve. Mini claims the 0-60 time to be 7.3 seconds (with all-wheel-drive and the manual transmission), significantly quicker than the base engine's 9.8 seconds (with the manual and front-wheel drive). So far, in mostly around-town driving, we're averaging 29 mpg, which is not bad at all -- although that is on premium fuel.

The shift action and clutch are getting full marks, as is the electric power steering. Mini does electric assist better than just about anyone. Despite its larger dimensions, the Countryman is nearly as zippy through traffic as the standard Mini. Alas, the ride is pretty harsh, which is also very much like the standard Mini. At this point, we're glad to have skipped the sport suspension, but we're thinking that the upsized, 18-inch wheels were probably a mistake. Impacts are sharp, and the car can skip sideways when you hit a bump on an off-ramp.

We used the Countryman to go out to dinner with another couple, which is not something you would do with any other Mini. There were no complaints from those riding in back. In fact, they were ooh-ing and ahh-ing over how cool the car was. That is, until we hit our first sharp-edged bump, which caused a very different expletive -- and a mumbled apology from the driver.

As to other features of this particular Countryman, opinions are still forming on the navigation system. It comes with a Mini version of BMW's iDrive, which is somewhat cumbersome to use. We have not, however, dialed in to all the system's features, so more on that anon. There is a little cell-phone cradle thing on the center console, but it's poorly located (under the center armrest); if you just drop your cell phone into one of the two cupholders instead, you've effectively used up half your stowage space.

As its first month was drawing to a close, New York bureau chief Jamie Kitman grabbed the keys and was setting off for Pittsburgh with his family to take in a Pirates game. Since our Countryman wears Pirates colors, maybe they got preferential parking. In any event, check back next month to see what Kitman had to say.

Read More: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1108_2011_mini_cooper_s_countryman_all4_august_update/index.html

Win A Trip To Cape Canaveral With MINI’s 10th Birthday Celebrations

MINI marks a decade of fun and stylish motoring with a launch into space and the chance to win a trip of a life time. Over a third of a million Brits have bought one, they’ve clocked up an estimated 15 billion miles on UK roads and have driven enough miles to go around the world 600,000 times or take 33,000 return journeys to the moon and back*…


In the summer of 2001 the very first BMW built MINI rolled off of the production line in Oxford, 10 years later MINI is celebrating a decade of motoring by taking its owners on a virtual trip into space.

MINI is inviting its owners and enthusiasts to log the details of their car into a virtual space world called ‘MINI Lunatics’ (www.mini.co.uk/lunatics). Using the car’s mileage, their MINI will be blasted into the depths of virtual space before being docked in the MINI space station.

Exclusive prizes are available for lucky owners who randomly dock in a part of the MINI space station where a prize is hidden. A trip for four to Cape Canaveral is also up for grabs for any ‘MINI Lunatics’ who find seven hidden words which have been carefully placed around the site. Users can enter the prize draw by clicking on the moon.

Extra special prizes are also up for grabs for drivers who have driven the equivalent distance to the moon. Drivers with 252,000 miles or more can register their MINI’s details to be in with a chance of winning special limited edition MINI memorabilia.

Read More: http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/08/11/win-a-trip-to-cape-canaveral-with-minis-10th-birthday-celebrations/

REVIEWS: 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 - Four Seasons Introduction

The Countryman is a big deal for Mini. It's likely to be the biggest selling of all the body styles added since the original hatchback. It's also the variant that most stretches the definition of what a Mini is. For these two reasons, we wanted to take an in-depth look at the Countryman, so we ordered one up for a Four Seasons test.

We went to the Mini configurator to spec it up, which was a lot of fun. All-wheel drive, a first for Mini, seemed important, and that necessitated stepping up to the Cooper S, with its 181-hp, turbocharged 1.6-liter engine. So that started us off at $27,650, which is $4300 more than the base, front-wheel drive, 121-hp Cooper Countryman.

To that we added the Cold Weather Package (heated seats, power folding mirrors, heated mirrors and washer jets, $750), because there's plenty of cold weather where we live. We went for Gravity Leather ($1500), rather than the even swankier Lounge Leather ($2000). We did, however, add chrome interior trim ($250) to replace some of the gray plastic, and a center armrest, which seems like it should be standard but also costs $250.

To report on Mini's latest in-car electronics, we ordered Mini Connected with Navigation, for $1750. Automatic, adaptive, and Xenon headlamps were actually three separate upgrades that in total swelled the bottom line by $850.

Finally, as is so tempting with a Mini, we inflated the sticker still further with visuals. The contrasting roof and mirror caps are no-charge items, but not the 18-inch anthracite 5-star double-spoke wheels, which were $1250. We also couldn't resist twin hood stripes, at $100.

All that brought the total for our Countryman to $34,350, which sounds like a lot, but it could have been more, much more. To give just a few examples: We skipped the automatic transmission ($1250) and rear park aid ($500), both of which seemed anathema to a Mini. We avoided the sport suspension ($500) because of the wretched condition of our roads. And we bypassed the dual-pane sunroof ($1000) and the automatic climate control ($500), in an uncharacteristic bit of self-denial.

The Countryman's popularity meant we had to wait several months for our car to arrive, and when it finally did we were so anxious to get it that we went to BMW/Mini headquarters in New Jersey to pick it up. Mini product planner Johnly Velazquez took some time to show us how the Mini Connected systems works (a lot like iDrive, as it turns out), and to show us features like the two-position rear cargo floor panel that also can snap into place behind the rear seatback, and the center rail that serves as an attachment point for cupholders, a cell-phone bracket, and a sunglass case.

Read More: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1108_2011_mini_cooper_s_countryman_all4_introduction/index.html

MINI USA Shows Latest Models at Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2011 is just around the corner and starting on August 18, car aficionados from around the world will meet to celebrate the classiest, richest and most luxurious car event of the year.

Last year, the concourse gathered 255 cars and motorcycles, with an estimated 15,000 people in attendance and more than 650 volunteers helping with the logistics. Concourse d’Elegance Pebble Beach 2010 has also drawn cars from 33 different states and countries, including Asia, South America and Europe.

MINI, the Goodwood-based automaker, will put up an impressive display at Pebble. The MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD will be on display for the first time in the US at the Peter Hay Display on 17-Mile Drive.

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