If the name "Chrysler" makes you cringe, then just pronounce it "Mercedes." Since Mercedes Benz now owns Chrysler, just call the engine a BMW/Mercedes collaboration. Feel better?

 

Good point, Joe! LOL!

Clover

 

American manufacturers mis-read the market when it came to small cars. They assumed that anyone that wanted a small car also wanted a cheap car. For many buyers this assumption was correct. Many don't care that much about quality, they just want cheap. BMW assumed that the person that wanted to buy a MINI would be willing to pay a little more for quality. From the sales figures, it appears that they were correct. But it is still a small percentage of the market. Compare the number of MINIs sold against the number of Cavaliers, Neons, ,etc. and you will see that there is a huge market for inexpensive cars. You get a double whammy in that many people who want to buy an inexpensive car, also don't want to spend much money in maintenance. You then end up with an inexpensive car that gets lousy maintenance. It is a recipe for disaster. I am a former mechanic and former service manager for a domestic brand. America has produced some fine automobiles, and also some real bad cars. American trucks have traditionally been the finest in the world. They may be losing their monopoly of that reputation as "foreign" manufacturers are making inroads into this market also. Honda, Toyota, and even Mercedes have their share of problems too. Have you heard about the "oil gelling" problem that Toyota is battling. Mercedes has had one of the most expensive judgements in history made against them because they "forgot" to inform owners that the sophisticated oil monitoring system in their cars only worked with synthetic oil. I recently was talking to the owner of a large repair shop who told me "If it wasn't for broken Honda's, I would be out of business". All manufacturers have problems. I have 19000 miles on my 2004 MINI and so far it has been practically trouble free. I certainly have had no issues with the engne, nor do I expect any. It appears that the engine, whoever makes it, is up to the standards of the rest of the MINI. I would not lose one minute of sleep worrying about it being a "Chrysler" engine.

 

Or, since Chrysler bought American Motors and BMW bought Rover, you can call it an American Motors/Rover collaboration. Though I suppose that doesn't help, does it?

By all accounts the Chrysler/BMW unit is a very good engine. It is what it is and it's a bit silly, IMO, to worry about who did what. I worked for Chrysler at the time the engine was being designed and the folks working on it worked upstairs from me. They had a wonderful late-model Classic Mini Cooper that they'd let me take home and play with on occasion. I can tell you these guys were enthusiasts and were very excited to be part of the New Mini engine project.

I have to think that the DaimlerBenz purchase of Chrysler doesn't please BMW much under the circumstances and that could be part of the motivation for the engine change.

Mark

 

Starts at -45f,rolls right away,and goes like snot when it's warmed up
Good for me

 

Pfft! -45F? And you call yourself a Canadian!!

-CW

 

"The move to state-of-the-art supermini engines will greatly enhance the appeal of the second-generation Mini, which is expected in late 2006. The current car’s biggest weakness is its Brazilian-built and Chrysler-sourced Pentagon engine. Although the unit has been well polished by BMW engineers, it cannot completely disguise its budget origins."

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=32502

 

I have owned 6 Chrysler vehicles and 2 MINIs so far. My MINIs have been to the dealer more than my DCX cars. My father has worked for Chrysler for 40 years, and as long as I can remember, he has never had to take a car in for repairs. Then again, I have friends who have lemon Hondas, Acuras, Audis, and BMWs. I guess second-hand experience should steer my beliefs, as it seems to do with a majority of the people here.

 

Sorry I meant to say -45c which is -49f,I was still in shorts and a t-shirt,but I was impressed that a car made in the U.K. with an engine built in Brazil would start at that temp.