Future Mini owner here.. I check in from time to time to see what's new in the mini-world as I'm close to pulling the trigger one. I'm expecting a retirement check November 1st and it'll go on an order.

Have always wanted a mini even though the gas mileage sucks.. It isn't a deal breaker but not too happy about it.. Was in a Barnes and Nobles the other day looking through some car magazines and one had an article about the upcoming 3 cylinder turbo charged mini which will offer a lot better mileage and almost the same power as the current S version 4 cylinder..They had been testing the upcoming car side by side with the current mini S and were impressed. They didn't give any details as to gas mileage but the car looked identical. Perfect!!

This is my first chance to come here to see what everyone thinks about it and I don't see any discussion... ?? Am I missing something? Can someone point me to the posts or information about the upcoming car? If the mileage is as good as I think it'll be.. I'll hold off on my November order until the mini turbo is on the market... TIA

 

Yeah, I had a Metro & it got 50 mpg. Went as fast in 5th gear as my Mini goes in second.

Pirate, the '07 & newer Minis are turbocharged already. The new 3 cylinder will have some magic going on to keep the power comparable.

Motoring File is a excellent resource for info on Minis.

 

Mini gas mileage sucks?

 

YES 28 MPG in start and stop traffic, is terrible

 

Maybe in an R53 with the supercharger, but not the 2nd gens. however, even on a bad day, I get 27 miles to the gallon. Not bad for someone with a lead foot.

 

It ain't no Prius.
But the gas mileage is pretty reasonable.

 

Seriously, of the new cars out there, there are but a handful that get better mileage than my Cooper:

Prius
Insight
Fiesta (not quite available)
Smart
VW TDI's
... maybe a couple others


That said, NONE of those are as fun as the Cooper.

 

I get as low as 20 mpg in the city... My personal worst was around 18mpg while staying at Fontana Village. That was a fun tank of gas.

 

I've never gotten less than 30mpg and I thrash it!

Dave

 

The 3 cylinder is the next gen not in 2011! They are putting valvetronic on the S for 2011.

 

Gas mileage sucks? What are you comparing it to, bikes?

 

I get 12mpg in stop and go traffic as I'm accelerating... 25ish if I'm holding the throttle steady...

oh, and... INSOMNIAAAAAAaaaa

 

If driven properly, a BMW M3 gets better fuel economy then the Prius... It is all in how you drive the car.

http://http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBQQtwIwAA&url=http% 3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdKTOyiKLARk& ei=0AgeTPisMoT78Ab7hKHGDA&usg=AFQjCNE6qM8FEiSxl9BT IH17AWMKTh3q1A&sig2=bIMroo-Zsn1EeIZYFLAuvQ

 

So can you point me to any info on the next generation car? or any info as to when it will be on the market? Don't think I'll wait if it's gonna be more than 2 years.

OK.. here's the deal on the gas milage issue people.. I guess most would consider high 20's-low 30's decent milage.. I don't. I have 2 high performance motorcycles that get better milage. Our other car is a Honda Insight and it gets in the 50's on a bad day. I've seen it get in the high 60's when on flat roads. Just returned from Europe and most cars over there are in the 40's and 50's. Of course they are lighter and less regulated.

Unlike the masses here.. I do NOT get complacent believing that gas at the pump will stay artificially cheap as it is now.. sooner or later it'll creep back up to $4+ a gallon or higher... like it is everywhere else in the world..

As I plan on keeping the mini until I have BOTH feet in the grave.. it would just be nice to have both a car that rocks my world AND is somewhat energy efficient. and as I said... it's not a deal breaker.

 

Pirate007, sadly I have no info on the upcoming mini.

As far as my post, what I meant was it is all in how you drive, not the vehicle per say. Day one in my mini I averaged 31 mpg. But on a drive from Cincinnati to Louisville Ky, on day 3 I got right at 40 mpg setting the cruise at the speed limit and just enjoying the drive. Not bad for a car that is way more fun to drive than any other that I have owned. (this makes vehicle 60 or 61)

I can't blame you at all about fuel economy, I got rid of my 03 Jaguar for issues first, fuel economy second.

Also remember cars in Europe tend to get better fuel economy because they are not as regulated, that and if I were in Europe I would be drive a Diesel getting better economy out of a BMW or MB then you might get out of a Prius or Insight.

 

The best I ever got with my motorcycle is 28 mpg, but then, I'm draging a 350 lb sidecar around with it.

The Mini does better.

Dave

 

http://www.motoringfile.com/

This website has all you need to know

 

It's at least 3 years away (summer/fall 2013). Here's the specific section on MotoringFile: http://www.motoringfile.com/section/3rd-gen-mini/

 

Moreover on Europe, I seem to recall that their gasoline is of a slightly different formulation than ours. Perhaps no ethanol or less detergents.

 

ah yes, TopGear.

 

Ya they don't run ethanol. And their gas is of a little higher octane even though it is calculated different.

 

If in England the Imperial gallon is larger than a U.S. gallon. If going by litres, that would also be over a gallon. I haven't heard of the Honda you refer to, VW makes some high milage diesels but we are not speaking of economy cars. As for motorcycles well pretty plain on that one.
You are compairing apples to oranges, even though you aren't meaning to. I get a GPS average of 35+on the highway and odometer average of 34 with aftermarket tires. They are about the same economy as the factory rubber.
Good Luck on what you decide.

 

It is interesting we do not have more efficient vehicles on American roads. I recall hearing that there are cars with engines as small as 1.1L that get 70+ MPG in England. Unfortunately, I have not looked up which vehicles they are referring to. Could be MINIs; could be something else.

The effort to make more fuel efficient cars is proportional to the overall cost of fuel. Yes, we have had gas as high as $4/gallon in America. However, when I was there back in '97, fuel was about 1.20 Pound/litre. That's roughly 4.80 Pound/gallon, or about $7.20/gallon once you factor in the exchange rate. I can only imagine what it costs there now.

...

You can always take a MINI and put in a Suzuki GSXR 1000 or Suzuki Hayabusa GSXR 1300 engine like they do with Smart cars. Of course, the weight difference is about 1,000 lbs. Not sure if you would really get better gas mileage or not.

 

Many reasons for this, Americans generally won't buy something that slow.
Crash test standards for cars so light and small, look at the smart fortwo, it weighs about the same as an old crx which has more room, a little more power and similar mileage. The US is obsessed with safety and we're really only just now catching up to the 80s in fuel mileage due to all the added weight.
That 70mpg is actually about 58 because their gallon is not the same size as our gallon.
We have tree hugger rules about cars and fuel that are much more strict than theirs, especially concerning diesel engines and fuel.

 

Higher octane = worse gas mileage