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poita
28th January 2009, 09:50 PM
http://carsguide.news.com.au/site/motoring-news/story/first_look_bmw_mini_diesel/?referrer=email


Mini has a new shade of green which will be the envy of its rivals.

A new diesel-powered Mini will arrive in Australia later this year to claim the title of Australia's cleanest new car, soundly beating the high-profile Toyota hybrid Prius.

Australian Mini models will start coming off the production line in Oxford, England, in March and are expected to be in the showrooms by late May, early June.

Pricing is yet to be finalised, but it is expected the base Mini D will come with a $34,000 price tag which is $700 more than the existing 1.6-litre entry level petrol model, the three-door Mini Cooper.

A better equipped Chilli version is expected to be priced at just under $38,000, about $1000 more than the petrol version.

The turbocharged 1.6-litre diesel will come with two big drawcards - frugal fuel economy and boasting rights, being greenest engine of any new car sold here.

Mini says the Cooper D's fuel consumption is a claimed 3.9 litres per 100km, while CO2 emissions will be just 104g/km. The fuel consumption, in theory, gives the four-seater a range of 1025km from its 40-litre tank.

The engine is sourced by Mini from Peugeot. It's the same engine which powers the Peugeot 207 HDi, but the Mini beats its French rival in fuel consumption bragging right because it is almost 240kg lighter in kerb weight.

The cleanest car sold in Australia at present is the tiny tot 1-litre smart fortwo cabrio. Its CO2 level is 105g/km and achieves a claimed 4.4l/100km.

Other green-friendly fuel misers include the 1.5-litre petrol/electric Prius (106g/km, 4.4l/100km) and the 1.3-litre diesel Fiat 500 (111g/km, 4.2l/100km).

Australia's small car favourite, the 1.8-litre Toyota Corolla can only manage 172g/km and an average fuel consumption of 7.3l/100km.

Mini says the new D will feature fuel saving technology borrowed from parent company BMW including automatically switching off the engine when the car is stopped as well as brake energy regeneration and a dashboard display prompting the driver when to shift up a gear for maximum efficiency.

Other fuel-saving measures include a water pump for cooling and electric assistance for the power steering which are only switched on when needed.

The Cooper D will come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and a six-speed auto as an option.

The common-rail 1.6-litre diesel with variable turbo boost produces 80kW and 240Nm of torque between 1750rpm and 2000rpm, but 70 per cent of maximum torque is on tap at 1250rpm. Torque can be boosted to 260Nm using maximum throttle for swifter overtaking.

On full boost, the Mini D takes a leisurely 9.9 seconds to hit 100km/h from a standing start, two tenths of a second quicker than the 207 HDi.

On the styling front, the D comes with an aerodynamic undertray, a slightly larger power dome on the bonnet and a slightly different grille to the air intake below the bumper.

On sale: Mid year

How much: $34,000 to $38,000

Power: 1.6-litre turbo diesel, 80kW at 4000rpm, 240Nm at 1750rpm (260Nm under full boost).

Fuel consumption: 3.9l/10km claimed, CO2 104g/km

Transmission: Six-speed manual, six speed auto optional

Kerb weight: 1090kg


http://carsguide.news.com.au/images/uploads/Mini-Cooper-D-01-GL.jpg

Wraith
29th January 2009, 09:32 AM
I'm starting to really get into all these new TDi vehicles, don't like the mini above though, never been a fan of this model rebirth and they are way overpriced IMHO and that's all variants of them...

IMHO the new TDi Mazdas are the go !

The new Mazda 6 turbo diesel 2.2ltr is the 1st one I've read about that has a new technology diesel powerplant which sounds like a petrol engine !!!

No more of that 'bolts in metal bucket' sound with this car and it has all the features and kit of the petrol models, the power/torque output is also very good :)

New Mazda 3 sedan or hatch with this same engine is something I would seriously consider buying...

The other one I really like is the BMW 123d 2.0ltr twin turbo diesel which can be mapped to around 177kw / 500nm (easily do sub 7sec to 100km/h) and comes in the 1 series coupe, which has all the gear and looks of the 135i coupe :thumbs:

Neeko
29th January 2009, 12:14 PM
it's amazing how far diesels have come. Back in the day when the word diesel came to my mind you instantly think Landcruiser sounding tractor engines with absolutely no power... but these days, whole different story.

for the mini to produce that much power and still get that amazing fuel consumption figure really is astonishing, definitely beats some hybrid cars out there.

speaking of diesel and power, my dads A5 3liter turbo diesel does the sprint in 6.5 seconds. very amazing.

xplosv57
29th January 2009, 12:40 PM
Great, another Mini......

Nah should be a good thing, provided it's not too complicated!!

Australia's diesel quality is still way behind other countries though, once the govt. pulls their finger out, we can start to see some good power/torque figures and also a large array of models!!

xplosv57
29th January 2009, 12:45 PM
The other one I really like is the BMW 123d 2.0ltr twin turbo diesel which can be mapped to around 177kw / 500nm (easily do sub 7sec to 100km/h) and comes in the 1 series coupe, which has all the gear and looks of the 135i coupe :thumbs:

Another one you'll love is the 335d (200kW/580nM), a real diesel performance car, i hope we get that here one day!!!

Calibrated
29th January 2009, 01:57 PM
$34000-$38000 are they mad?

Neeko
29th January 2009, 02:19 PM
$34000-$38000 are they mad?

maybe very angry :rolleyes: lol

dieselhead
29th January 2009, 02:22 PM
Yeah, that's a bloody ridiculous price for a Mini, Diesel or not. I suppose they look at it as a competitor in the green cars market. Same price as a Pious but to be honest it kicks Toyota's arse in any department you could imagine: looks, driveability, economy, pollution (what with the bloody heavy metals in those batteries?!) and street cred. However, for that money and about same mileage/tank I would rather get a Bluemotion A3...

Wraith
29th January 2009, 04:48 PM
I think the new Minis price range is dictated by the fact it's coming from the BMW stable these days ;)

As we all know, any vehicle with a prestige brand name or influence on it, are priced higher than the norm...good luck to them trying to get good sales with it :out: when there are so many other better TDi choices in that class already and coming in the future...

Wraith
29th January 2009, 04:52 PM
However, for that money and about same mileage/tank I would rather get a Bluemotion A3...

IMHO even a Bluemotion Polo would be a better choice ie: if we ever got it here in Aust. (it was featured on the most recent episode of Top Gear) and you could pocket the massive difference as well ! :smile2: