2011 MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 - Road Trip Redemption

After spending too much time hanging around Ann Arbor, our four-seasons Mini Copper S Countryman ALL-4 finally busted out of town in April, heading for New York with editor Jean Jennings and her husband, Tim.

Jennings reports: "Tim did the straight shot out from Michigan, down US 23 to the Ohio turnpike, across Pennsylvania on I-80, stopping in Clarion overnight to visit friends, and then continuing on to Manhattan. I joined him for the ride home, leaving New York City on Thursday afternoon of Easter week. It took us about two hours to creep through the meatpacking district, into the Lincoln Tunnel, and out to New Jersey. We made it to our favorite stop off I-80, The Inn at Turkey Hill (exit 236). Exceptional rooms for just over $100, gourmet dining room, brew pub on the premises, fabulous breakfast buffet included, super nice staff. A definite oasis in a sea of Super 8s.

"Surprisingly, the Mini proved to be a pretty comfortable long-distance cruiser. The hobby-horse ride it delivers on rough pavement -- and most awfully, on New York City streets! -- goes away out on the highway. Helping that long-drive comfort is a cruise control that performs flawlessly, whether driving across the flat wasteland of Ohio or through the hills of Pennsylvania.

"The Countryman's back seat knee room was partly achieved by cheating space from the front passenger, but the addition of that back seat space is worth it. The extra passenger and cargo space are not just a marketing ploy, but are extremely useful if this is your only car. The MASSIVE amount of crap we took with us astonished our bellman.

Back in Michigan, the Jennings put the Countryman's luggage area to work carrying a very different cargo. "The weekend we got home, Bob [the Chesapeake Bay retriever] was in a dog show and we were able to put his cage neatly in the back along with his gear and our two duffle bags for the weekend. We had to shim the floor a little underneath his cage so it would ride flat. But there was plenty of room, and opening the hatch and window gave him lots of air and a good view of the dog world around him at the show."

Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1204_2011_mini_cooper_s_countryman_all4_april_update/#ixzz1tGnIt9QO

2013 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe GP II Spy Photos

What It Is: A Mini John Cooper Works Coupe that’s been given the GP treatment, caught wearing very little camouflage. It’s already been confirmed that the high-performance Mini JCW GP II hatchback model is coming to the U.S. by the end of the year—we’ve even spotted one out testing—but this is the first time we’ve caught wind of a Mini JCW Coupe GP II. The Mini is wearing a few GP hallmarks, namely a set of four-spoke wheels and an aggressive rear diffuser.

You may be wondering why we’re referring to the coupe as a GP II, when this would be the first time the model has received GP kit. We doubt that Mini would refer to it only as the “GP” but at the same time call the three-door the “GP II.” It makes more sense for Mini to use common GP nomenclature, even if doing so means the coupe’s name makes a little less sense. The original Mini JCW GP was slightly lighter and slightly more powerful than a contemporary JCW three-door, attributes we expect will carry over to both the new hatchback GP II, as well as this new coupe.

Why It Matters: When the first-generation Mini John Cooper Works GP went on sale in limited numbers back in 2006, the Mini lineup had yet to expand beyond the Cooper hatchback and convertible. Today, Mini’s offerings include the Coupe, Roadster, Clubman, and Countryman, and extending the GP upgrades to a second model is easy and makes some sense.

Platform/Powertrain: Just like the tin-topped GP II, the coupe likely will get a power bump from the 208 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque in the standard JCW model to 220 hp and 220 lb-ft of torque. One of the original GP’s key features, or rather the lack thereof, was its missing back seat and A/C. Both omissions contributed to that car’s 62-pound weight loss compared to a normal JCW Hatchback. Of course, the Mini Coupe doesn’t have a back seat to begin with, so figure on perhaps only the deletion of the A/C here. Just as the three-door GP II should get an even sharper and more track-ready suspension tune, so would the coupe.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-mini-john-cooper-works-coupe-gp-ii-spy-photos-news

Chicago Mini Cooper

2013 Mini John Cooper Works GP II Spy Photos

What It Is: Essentially, a Mini John Cooper Works hardtop with more muscle and less flab. This won’t be the first time the Works has hit the gym—for 2006, a run of just 415 John Cooper Works with GP kits came to the U.S., bringing a slight boost in power, a sharply tuned suspension, big four-spoke wheels, a unique gray paint scheme with lipstick-red mirror caps, and a bracket-style rear spoiler. More significant, perhaps, is what it left behind: the back seat and A/C, resulting in a 62-pound weight loss. Watch for most, if not all, of said modifications to apply to the next limited-edition model along with one or two new features.

Why It Matters: The first GP model was a swan-song special that added some razzle-dazzle for the previous-generation hatchback’s last year of production. Likewise, the new GP should help keep interest alive in today’s hatch, which, at six years old, is starting to show some gray around the temples. This will be the most powerful Mini hatchback available, and should be the most sought-after collectible.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2013-mini-john-cooper-works-gp-ii-spy-photos-future-cars

Mini Indiana

Mini to Show New High-Performance GP II at Mini United Gathering in May [New York Auto Show]

We previously confirmed that Mini was working on a sequel to the hard-core 2006 John Cooper Works GP, and now the company has announced the new car will debut at the annual Mini United event this May. Details on the GP II, as Mini is calling it, are scarce. However, based on the previous GP, expect the new one to be lighter and slightly more powerful than the 208-hp Mini Cooper S JCW. Also, expect the GP II to be built in extremely limited numbers—only 415 of the original GPs made it to our shores.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/mini-to-show-new-high-performance-gp-ii-at-mini-united-gathering-in-may-new-york-auto-show/