Test drive Mini Clubman
In anticipation of the presentation of the new Clubman, I leaf through the book Maximum Mini by Jéron Buij, an encyclopedia of models based on the British compact. There are sports cars, coupes, beach buggies, station wagons. But there is not a single car with rear passenger doors. They were not on serial machines either, with the exception of one single non-preserved prototype. The new Mini breaks that tradition, but in some ways they are closer to the same car from the 1960s. It all started with the previous generation Clubman, which was timidly fitted with a tiny sash. The new car has a complete set of rear passenger doors. They say that the last "Clubman" was most dissatisfied in the homeland of the model - in the UK. The fact is that the sash of the Clubdoor opened completely ...
MINI John Cooper Works Test Drive: A Clockwork Orange
Behind the wheel of the most extreme MINI series Contrary to fashion trends, the full autonomy of the Mini John Cooper Works whets the appetite with a classic recipe for handcrafted pleasure. Here, the resemblance to Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece is not limited to the body color... Villain. Insane. Hooligan. Real bandit. The figure is beyond the limits and rules - almost like that Alex from the gloomy phantasmagoria of Anthony Burgess, filmed by Stanley Kubrick in 1971 and becoming one of the examples of modern cinema. Of course, the colors here are not as thick, but in general, with the Mini JCW it will turn out - a bad boy. With the acceleration and final transition of Mini to BMW technology in the latest generation, the car gains more. For all its speed and dynamism, even the Cooper S now behaves…
Test drive Kia Soul, Mini Cooper Countryman, Nissan Juke: Three Rebels
If you're looking for an urban model with a personalized look and feel for adventure, then you've come to the right place. Today it is fashionable to be illogical. More and more of us are happy to do what until recently we did not like. Until recently, our mothers told us to dress warmly, and we protested. Today, people buy all kinds of waterproof, windproof and breathable clothing that they wear in everyday life - completely voluntarily and without intended use. For what? Because they are interested. Not surprisingly, cars such as the Mini Countryman are becoming increasingly popular. Although, in the interest of objectivity, we must admit that the MINI Countryman in particular is actually neither impractical nor…
Test drive Mini Cabrio, VW Beetle Cabrio: Hello sun
Somewhere it is always summer, if not on the street, then in our hearts. Inviting the sun We wore the serious faces of German car testers, drove test sites, secondary roads and highways, in the sun and in the rain, measured interior noise, removed the gurus, raised and lowered the deflectors - and we have time to admit: serious for Mini. Because - it's really inappropriate to announce the result at the beginning, but it responds so well to drama - in this test, the Mini Cabrio wins. This was unthinkable for the previous two generations of the 330 open model. But then in the Mini clan, the desire to be not only recreational, but also full-fledged small cars, which should be taken seriously, flourished. It may…
Test drive MINI Cooper SE: Sir Еlec
Driving a promising all-electric version of the iconic Brit More than 60 years ago, Sir Alec Isigonis invented the Mini in a stark, four-person coupe, thoughtful to the last inch. What are the chances of the concept of the first ever all-electric Cooper? First Impressions There are few cars that can afford such doses of extravagance, bold ideas and pioneering spirit without being leveled and made a laughingstock. This time more than Mini - different and unconventional, crazy and original, fast and confident. Why not electric? The answer to this question is given by the new Mini Cooper SE, which tries to combine the style and spirit of an electric-powered Mini, thereby creating a meaningful, practical and pretty…
MINI Countryman christening VW T-Roc: We rock you
Competition between two compact design crossovers The MINI Countryman has been on the market for eight years, is now in its second generation and continues to be one of the freshest offerings in the compact SUV segment. The VW T-Roc is one of the newcomers to its class, trying to be both charming and sensible. It's time to compare the two models in versions with 150 hp diesel engines, dual transmission and automatic transmission. His original name was Montana. And no, we are not talking about an American state with that name, nor about a regional city in northwestern Bulgaria. VW, which until recently was under fire for sleeping through the ever-growing hysteria over SUV models, did have a similar car…
Test drive MINI Countryman John Cooper Works: red arrow
John Cooper Works is the sportiest member of the MINI model family When we first came face to face with the second generation of the MINI Countryman, two main conclusions unwittingly came to our mind. First, MINI has never made such good family cars before. Not just a model that can be used as the first car in the family, but also a model that does the job perfectly. Secondly, MINI has never before created a car that is so different from the classic MINI. Not because its design is not 100% MINI, and not because the driving experience is not dynamic – on the contrary, the new Countryman once again sets the benchmark for handling in its segment. Simply put, the MINI Countryman has gotten too big...
Test Drive Mini Cooper S Rallye: Baby Call
With a reproduction of Rauno Altonen's car at the Monte Carlo Rally. In 1959, the first Mini rolled off the assembly line. Five years later, the little Briton dominated the legendary Monte Carlo Rally for the first time. Today we are looking for traces of a former rally hero in the French Alpes-Maritimes. V-shaped eight against a 4,7-liter inline four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 285 hp against the ridiculous 1071 cu. centimeter and 92 hp Despite the eloquent initial balance of power, the main motif in the comments about the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964 was "David defeated Goliath." As the Beatles attack the music world on their first world tour, Mini turns ideas and concepts in international rallying on its head. 52 years ago...
Test drive Audi Q2, Mini Clubman and Seat Ateca: between an SUV and a station wagon
Three lifestyle models that are difficult to classify With the Audi Q2, there is a conscious rejection of solid dimensions. A small urban high-end SUV competes with larger competitors - Mini Clubman Cooper 4 and Seat Ateca. But can it surpass the epitome of the lifestyle car concept and the vastly larger Ateca? And for us car testers, it's not every day that a model that doesn't fall completely into any of the usual classes stops at our doors. Such is the Audi Q2, which teeters on the edge between small car, compact SUV and family model and thus eludes simple classification. That's why we invited him to the first comparison test with the all-new Seat Ateca compact SUV and…
Test drive MINI Countryman Cooper S Park Lane Edition: different
Behind the wheel of a special performance based on MINI Countryman Sometimes times change very quickly. Just a few years ago, the appearance of an SUV in the lineup of such a traditional brand as MINI seemed like a shock, even blasphemy. There were heated discussions about whether such a concept could even match the company's image, whether the proportions of the car would be in keeping with British design traditions, and whether the Countryman could even be a real MINI or not. As if those days were yesterday, the MINI Countryman has long been a permanent member of the MINI family of models, selling well and enjoying a full reputation as the most dynamic and agile handling model in its field. segment. What's even funnier in this case is that...
Test drive Mini, Koleos, Kuga, Kodiaq, Lexus RC and Passat Alltrack
Every month, the AvtoTachki editors select several cars that are sold on the Russian market right now, and come up with different tasks for them. Ivan Ananiev tried to drive sideways on Renault Koleos. A field washed out by autumn rains with several shallow ruts can still be overcome even on a two-wheel drive car, and even with all-wheel drive it turns out to drive from the heart, easily throwing the car from skid to skid. Alas, only up to a speed of 50 km / h, when the disabled ESP is activated again and stifles all attempts to slip. It’s hard to explain to yourself why it’s childish to drive a large crossover that claims to be the flagship of the brand. But after a calm XNUMXWD summer, this was the first experience of driving for the sake of ...