LEAKED!: MINI Clubman revealed before Sunday embargo

The folks over at Inside Line have some explaining to do with this. Albeit taking into the fact that the Clubman has been spotted virtually undisguised long before today, the official images are up and we're 50/50 now. Along with the three images came some notable specs.

The Clubman sits on a stretched Cooper platform. The Clubman's most noticing feature is the passenger-side suicide-style door. Smelling distinctively of the Saturn SC, the unique doors aid in entering and exiting from the rear seats. At the rear, a suicide-style hatch replaces the conventional liftback. The standard powertrain is a 1.6L four producing 120hp. The 'S' variant receives a turbocharged 1.6L producing 175hp. Diesel can be opted in Europe with a 1.6L common-rail diesel producing 110hp.

Embargo is slated to clear on Sunday to our knowledge. Once it lifts, we'll bring you the official pics and specs. Continue reading to view the other two images.

UPDATE: We're scratching our heads on why the rear shot of the Clubman shows 'Cooper S'. We'll try and find out, but we're thinking MINI might name this the 'Cooper S Clubman'. It's most likely wrong, but we can say we gave it a shot, right?

UPDATE 2: Folks, Inside Line has posted a load of official pics of the Cooper S Clubman. However, the embargo does not lift until Sunday, so we'll have to leave you guys with these three images. It also looks like AutoWeek was the first publication to release the images via their latest issue.

[Source: Inside Line/Edmunds]

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MINI Cooper D headed to Canada

The Globe and Mail is reporting that BMW will send Canadians the new MINI Cooper D. The Cooper D is the diesel counterpart of the Cooper and it gets a mileage of around 60MPG which is quite impressive. BMW will be also sending Canadians the diesel variants of various BMW models such as the 320d and the 525d.

Unfortunately, BMW has no plans to export their diesels to the US. However, if reception is massive of the diesel Bimmers or the diesel MINI in the US, this just might be another story like the Smart.

[Source: Autoblog]

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MINI Clubman sketch leaked!

Just moments ago, our friends over at TheHollywoodExtra just posted a leaked sketch of the MINI Clubman production version. The Clubman has been tipped to unveil later this year in Frankfurt. The Clubman will sit on an extended chassis of the MINI Cooper and will likely share the same powertrains. The fate of the Clubman reaching our shores is questionable, but as popularity of the Cooper increases by the day, we'll most likely see the Clubman on sale in North America sometime after its initial launch in Europe.

[Source: TheHollywoodExtra]

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MINI starts countdown to Clubman debut, releases a teaser

We've known for far too long that the MINI Clubman is on its way, but it's still nice to get some confirmation from the automaker's main information outlet that the elongated hatch is on the horizon.

Granted, the teaser page that MINI put up doesn't reveal any more information than we're already aware of, but in true-to-MINI fashion, it provides a quirky (dare we even say satisfying?) way of revealing the profile of the new Clubman.

[Source: Autoblog]

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2007 MINI Cooper One/ Cooper D

Mini has today released pictures official details of two new cars that will slot directly below the new Cooper and Cooper S in the second-generation model line-up and, contrary to expectations, the brand is striking out in interesting directions with both of them.

First there's an all-new and unprecedented Mini Cooper D (pictured above), which promises to be a multi-talented Mini hatchback that's both frugal and fun to drive.
The last-generation Mini used Toyota's unsuitable 1.4-litre four-pot diesel engine; the new Mini uses a cleaner and more powerful 1.6-litre turbodiesel related to the one you'll find in the Peugeot 207 and Ford Fiesta. It produces 109bhp and 192lb ft of torque on overboost, both significant improvements over the last Mini diesel, yet it's also cleaner (118g/km v 129g/km) and more frugal (64.2 combined mpg v 58.9).
The new Cooper D will hit 62mph in 9.9sec and go on to 121mph. It can be identified by its pronounced bonnet power dome and an enlarged bumper air intake, and will be priced from £14,190 when it goes on sale in April, a £1195 premium over a petrol-powered Cooper.

The biggest change coming with the second-generation Mini One (see gallery) is the dismissal of the old Chrysler-sourced 1.6-litre engine for a new lighter, more economical, more powerful aluminium 1.4.
Created as part of the deal with PSA that brought us the turbocharged 1.6-litre engines in the Cooper and Cooper S, this new 1.4-litre unit should average 49.6 mpg on the combined cycle (compared to 41.5mpg for the outgoing 1.6). What's more, with CO2 emissions of just 138g/km, it'll be £25 a year cheaper to tax for private buyers, and almost £70 cheaper annually for 22 per cent company car tax payers.
The new One's 1.4-litre engine is also more powerful than the outgoing motor, producing 95bhp and 103lb ft of torque. Channelled through a six-speed manual gearbox - now standard across the Mini range - the One will hit 62mph in 10.9sec (a tenth of a second quicker than the car it replaces), and go on to 115mph (a 6mph improvement).
Like the Cooper D, the new One will be unveiled at the Geneva motor show in March, and goes on sale in April from £11,595. That's £840 more than the first Mini One was back in April 2001 - but don't bank on that making the queue at the showroom any shorter.

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