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
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Originally Posted by Wraith
lol
when there are so many other better TDi choices in that class already and coming in the future...
