I am slowly but surely catching up on all e-mails from the past few days (family emergencies have kept me away from the computer lately). This video was sent in a couple days ago from vlogbyMINI.de and it shows us the MINI Crossover Concept as it is introduced at the Paris Auto Show. Check it out!

I think this is the best media coverage to date that I have seen for MINI Takes The States 2008. It was aired on Univision and shows quite a few of our MINIs. Even if you don’t understand Spanish, you get an idea of how much fun we had. Look closely and you will see some familiar faces, including Pedro Vidal, who raced in the La Carrera Panamericana of 2007 and our good friend Alex Fuentes (nice job on the interview Alex!). Enjoy!

CNNMoney.com released a list of the top cars American’s love the most. Guess which little British car made the top spot? Yep - the MINI wins another one . The VW Rabbit and the Ford Focus round out the top three.

“Not surprisingly, the Mini’s exterior design was a favorite point among owners. The engine and transmission also earned praise.”

[ CNNMoney.com ]

Once again, the MINI has made it onto another top 10 list. This time, Kelley Blue Book picked the top 10 “Best Road Trip Cars”:

In putting together our annual list of top 10 “Best Road Trip Cars” for 2007, the editors of kbb.com wanted to include a vehicle for every journey—from weekend jaunts of one or two people to week-long escapades that involve one or two entire families and maybe a dog and a boat. Our selection criteria included all the tangible and intangible need-to-have attributes: driving enjoyment, passenger comfort, fuel economy and cargo space. The fact that entire vehicle segments are filling top to bottom with desirable models made compiling this year’s list more challenging than ever.

[ Full Article ]

Auto Express has an interesting article on the upcoming 4×4 MINI “Crossman”. If anything, you should check it out just for the photoshopped image of the vehicle. I will say that 4 doors on a MINI are very appealing to me if I am ever to convince my wife of ditching the “mini”-van. While it may never be the off-road vehicle that some thought, it should still be a hoot to drive:

The dashboard and all other interior detailing will be carried over from the Clubman. But the question on the lips of all MINI fans is: will the latest MINI be a proper off-roader, like the Land Rover Freelander?

Not really. The SUV will be biased towards on-road use, and won’t sacrifice the agile, driver-pleasing hand-ling for which MINI has become famous. Nevertheless, there will be a full-time four-wheel-drive system, said to have been developed by transmission expert Getrag. Add in the raised ride height, and the car will be reasonably capable over rough terrain – easily rugged enough for most buyers.

[ Full article @ Auto Express ]

CNN Money reviewed the MINI Clubman and seemed to like it quite a bit. The added space without sacrificing driveability seemed to be key:

The Clubman’s extra length, which brings along an additional 221 pounds of weight, does little to hinder its jaunty nature. (Or, surprisingly, its estimated fuel economy, which remains just the same as its shorter self.)

Check out the full article here: CNN Money.

NewCarNet released an article discussing car owners and Facebook. Apparently there are 23,000 MINI drivers across 310 groups discussing everything from repairs to mods. Runner-up? The Honda Civic drivers. Nice work gang! Keep Motoring!!!

[ Full Article ]

Cars.com compared three premium hatchbacks and guess which came out on top…. You guessed it - the MINI. while the MINI did not take top picks in each category, the overall winner is our little favorite go-kart:

“There’s still nothing on the road quite like a Mini Cooper. Beneath the trendy looks is an authentic driver’s car — with good gas mileage to boot.”

[ Full Story ]

Plenty Magazine just posted a cool interview with Jim McDowell and Gert Hildebrand on the green aspects of the MINI. In addition to the general questions about hybrid plans and MPG, I thought this question was a hoot:

If you’re comparing a Mini to a Porsche, how fast does the Mini go?

JM: From the red light to across the intersection a Mini Cooper is just as fast as a Porsche.

[ Full article ]

It looks like the folks at Motor Trend really like the new MINI Clubman after their chance to take it through its paces. While the Clubman won’t appeal to all MINIacs, I think it may do what it was set out to do - attract those who may never have considered a MINI before. For those who always thought the MINI was just too small, the Clubman may add just the right amount of space to make them think twice.

“I’ve never been all that much of Mini fanboy, but I think I’ve just become a card-carrying member of the Clubman cult.” - Edward Loh (Motor Trend)

[ Full Article ]