Autoblog

As 2008 officially draws to a close, the time has come for all of us to look back and remember what defined our lives for the last twelve months. For most Americans, and in fact the entire globe, fuel prices were very much responsible for how we lived our lives. That's why it's not at all surprising that Oxford Dictionary's Word of the Year for 2008 is "hypermiling."

For those outside the green movement, hypermiling is defined by the word-meisters of Oxford this way: "Hypermiling" or "to hypermile" is to attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one's car and one's driving techniques. Rather than aiming for good mileage or even great mileage, hypermilers seek to push their gas tanks to the limit and achieve hypermileage, exceeding EPA ratings for miles per gallon.

So, there you have it. How long 'till hyper is replaced by wondermileage or excessivemileage? Thanks for the tip, Rebecca!

[Source: Oxford University Press Blog]

There had been some rumblings recently that the Oxford plant, where the new R56 MINI is being produced, may be halting production of the new Cooper S model. Until today, it was just a rumor.

However, Motoring File got confirmation that due to a leaky fuel pump found on 3,000 Cooper S', a retooling of certain components in the production line has forced a manufacturing stoppage of the iconic hatch. Currently, the plant is closed for the Christmas and New Year's holiday, and no time frame has been set as to when production will begin.

How this will affect those of you with a deposit on the new, turbocharged Cooper S remains to be seen, but better to have the problem solved now, before delivery takes place.

[Source: Motoring File]

Paul Tan has just posted a pictorial tour of his recent visit to MINI's British manufacturing facility in Oxford. The all-new second generation '07 MINI Cooper looks to maintain its spot at the top of the segment, with significant changes under the hardly changed hood. Even though most people will confuse it with the previous generation, it is a different car bumper to bumper. Perhaps a tour of the assembly line will help some of us see the differences more clearly.

As Paul explains it, the R56 MINI Coopers are produced in what BMW calls the MINI production triangle. Apparently, the three plants used to produce it form three points of a triangle on a map. At the top of the triangle we find the Hams Hall engine plant. The Swindon plant, on the bottom left, is where the body pressing and sub-assembly manufacturing is done. The Oxford facility handles paint and final assembly and is on the bottom right.

Paul points out that the final assembly plant can configure a new Cooper in one of several quadrillion combinations starting with just four basic models -- left hand drive with sunroof, left hand drive without sunroof, right hand drive with sunroof, and right hand drive without sunroof. Add in two engine combos and more than 300 different interior options as well as an additional 300 exteriors and you can see how they claim no two MINIs are likely to roll out exactly the same in any given year. Make sure you follow the link to read Paul's great commentary and photos covering the MINI's new "triangle of production."

[Source: Paul Tan]

The idea of a 49-day, 8,000 mile drive  from South Africa to England would seem to suggest something rugged and roomy-- a Land Rover Range Rover, perhaps. But a trio of lightly-modified MINI Cooper S hot hatches have just completed the trek, having ventured through 10 countries (including Botswana, Egypt, and the Sudan).

In order to make the sojourn on questionable (occasionally non-existent) roads, MINI prepped the cars by boosting ground clearance to 230mm (around 9"), reworking the shock absorbers and fitting steel wheels wrapped with more durable tires. Rear seats and interior trim was jettisoned in order to free storage space for the requisite pair of spare tires, along with food and sleeping provisions.

The epic trip began March 8 in Johannesburg, South Africa, and wended its way to the MINI's plant in Oxford.

[Source: MotorTorque at AskAPrice.com]