An interesting thing from the article was that the new cylinder bores are different top to bottom to compensate for different temps top to bottom.

 

No chance of getting a shop to hone or bore that . Well some builders keep things tighter at the bottom of the bores so maybe its the same thing. I do think the engineers intentions are well meaning, I cant fault the idea of more efficiency and lighter weight just not at the cost of a short unfixable life. I hope I am wrong.

What should they do?

 

Plug in hybrid is coming soon. I imagine F60 will see it first, then other models to follow. Diesel could very well be an option too. This new modular engine design is brilliant. Spoke with an engineer about it when he came out to visit the other day. Fantastic design. The diesels and gas motors share 80% of their components. For example, the pistons are the same on all B motors. Wild stuff. Looking forward to the next few years to see what happens.

 

I have zero interest in a plug in or diesel mini

now in my daily driver, yeah I love our turbo diesel x5

 

^^^^^^^^ What he said. But then I am old school, except for MINI, NA V8 rules.

 

My wife's previous car was an '06 Audi S4 Avant. The engine was bullet proof and never used a drop of oil after 65,000 miles. BUT, as with BMW products, the ancillary parts were an expensive problem. A headlight bulb burned out. The whole frontend of the car had to be removed to replace a bulb.( $400 )
Bottom line, German cars are wonderful to drive, but an owner needs accept the fact that maintenance is very high, period.
And I have to admit, I still miss the sound of that wonderful S4 V8, almost Ferrari-like.

 

Get all that. We have been venturing out into non American ownership. Two V8 Genesis (first gen and second), and adding MINI to the experience. Still have a soft spot, and will continue to own American iron. V8 based if I can help it. Eye on 2018 765HP "GT500" (or whatever they will name it). Or the "Last Hellcat" rumored to be close to 800hp. The end of the line with 2020 and beyond coming w/forced MPG/CO2 standards. Mostly electrics, w/model airplane like engines (i3 preview of what is to come) for the "masses". Need to have a collection of red meat cars to pass on as heirlooms. Oh, and add the almost 475hp/900ft lb TD 2017 King Ranch Super Duty 350 to the collection. Time to trade up from our current KR.

Speaking of your former S4. Replacements, along with the M3/4, with opened pipes, to me , sound like a 1973 str8 6 panel truck w/no muffler running nitrous. Sound pollution way more harmful than us exhaling CO2 and methane. Unless one is inside listening to the faux sounds of the motor as the owner. I bet, beside some horrid engineering "who cares about the customer ongoing expense" break/fix, the S4 was one of your fav machines?

I have a choice for the morning. What to drive for work. Genesis Ultimate 5.0, or MCS. Both with HUD, and loaded. Well, The MINI. Anything under 100mi for the day, MCS puts me in happy place.

 

I still don't understand all the 3rd gen dislike. I have a 15" MCS that has been perfect to me for 25K miles. AND I managed to roast a set of tires in that time (this is not a complaint as I did it on purpose.) The car handles better than any BMW I have ever owned (of course no M cars in that lot) AND is far better made than any ford, Hyundai, or Mazda I have ever sat in. Those Ford ecoboosts are terribly frustrating engines with horrible turbo lag. Even if I have to spend a little more money on my MINI the way I pull off from a stop light is worth every penny. I guess coming from German cars, EVERYTHING on the MINI is cheaper.... SO I am just elated...

 

I wish I could get a set of tires to last that long, mini needs to put some damn negative camber on these fronts.

Minis have turbo lag too, autocross one and you'll see it, getting power .300 seconds later than you are used to in a corner is aggravating one of the reasons I went back to a R53

 

I will admit that autocross is a different story altogether. And yeah you are totally right, not being used to .3 seconds adds up quick. But in the daily driven world, 3/10ths of a second is the same as what most people experience in automatic transmissions.

Out of curiosity, does this mean you are seeing better times with the R53, or just that the R53 is more competitive in its class?

 

I enjoy the R53 a lot more, they are both in the same class I think I'm faster with the R53, but there's no way for me to know, hard to setup a test back to back. I sold both my r56s

 

This is the F56 forum. The R56 has a different engine and turbo.

 

" And why no hybrid mini option, If MINI isnt a priority then what is it ????? "


Maybe in the future there will be a hybrid, last time I heard it was in prototype with the Countryman F60 platform.

 

ohh my bad, even worse then, the f56 does not have an LSD it's not going to be competitive, at least with me at the wheel it wont

 

Hi regarding F56 and Mini/BMW evolution, I would give an A++++ for a modular design, the 2002/1600 make great use of compatible parts and are still popular because of it. But I think the manufacturing process needs to address end use more, there are huge amounts of resources that get used in building cars and if it cant be fixed its a throw away car, and thats just plain wrong, making parts extra complicated is a waste of new technology, and may be because parts manufactures want to lock in supply, also not good.

Electric cars are here but I still cant make some of the trips I need to. so hybrid is where Im at, but BMW chose to go with the i3/8 stuff and not include MINI thats a huge mistake. A hybrid assist tuned for sport would reduce fuel use make for fun cars and if an added short drive electric only feature was included would be great, the smaller battery could be something that could be replaced with out having to scrap the car. Thats a step forward and not even a new idea. ZF transmissions have a rear drive electric unit already available to manufacturers.

creating another generation of engines/drive units that are both 4 and 3 cylinder I give that a big - - - - minus fail. yet more parts to stock, I feel sorry for parts people now as its off the charts with the number of vehicles and parts.

You used to be able to send an alfa spyder back to the assembly line to get rebuilt, So how about a modular plan that includes the whole car.

 

Everything you described already exists in the BMW line up and BMW did not forget to include MINI - the new PHEV Countryman is coming (it is already in testing) and will have a similar setup to the i8, Active Tourer, X5e, and the 330e where an electric power plant complements a gasoline engine to boost fuel efficiency and power in a seamless way.

In the case of the PHEV BMWs, it is possible to run all electric for a short range (~16 miles on the 330e), meaning if you had a short commute and/or if you were able to plug in at work, you could potentially avoid using any gas on your daily commute altogether. Performance isn't an issue either as the electric engine supplements the gasoline engine, providing instantaneous torque and boosting power output if needed. The battery packs are replaceable and BMW covers them with a 8 year warranty. The F60 Countryman PHEV will no doubt be similar and use the electric motor as part of the ALL4 system. It was also rumored the Clubman would get a similar treatment, but since gas is so cheap, interest in PHEV is not as high, but we'll see.

 

Yes I know,,,, my comments are a bit of back-handed encouragement, and I hope they get this right, they are a bit late with these offerings, and they arent across the line, so lets see if the changes are truly solid. Extra development time should be a good thing but isnt always, and some of what Ive seen still concerns me about things being tough enough.

 

The MINI is in a class all by itself. While off the rack it hasn't intimidating looks, it can still rip through the chicanes of a track keeping up with the best of them. Out of the box has a Jekyll and Hyde Personality with fuel economy of a naturally aspirated 4 banger ( if you can manage to keep it under 70mph ), while still eager to chirp first two gears to 60 in 5 seconds or smoking a set of tires as desired...

That said, MINI owners have the best of both worlds and in some cases, a back seat ( unless its been deleted like mine )