BMW Mini Cooper Price Review And Specifications
BMW Mini Cooper is now available in a revised 181bhp 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. This is the cheapest of the lot from the miniseries. The 1.6-litre petrol engine is equipped with a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection and variable valve control for the first time. This is inspired from the BMW's VALVETRONIC system, adjusting valve lift and opening times in direct relationship to the driver's throttle demands. In terms of the ride and handling the car is not much alien and still holds itself in good stead. The engine seems a little out of the ordinary and in spite of its changes it will hardly be a matter of concern. The power delivery of the car is a lot smoother compared to the earlier editions and the turbo always feeling spooled up and ready to punch you forward. The torque output comes out in a linear manner, from usefully low down in the rev range. The Mini Countryman Cooper S, engine feels a touch more sophisticated and is cleaner in its power delivery which seems have a bit of character. With its price range the car is still one of the hottest buy in the small car luxury segment. In December 2009, more than forty Mini E cars were handed to private users for a two consecutive six-month field trial periods.
But still, the rear window and the B-pillars stay put, and this is something that will probably go away with the introduction of the mid-engined C8, but we鈥檒l have to wait and see if that鈥檚 the case or not. The last (for now) front-engined 鈥橵ette is powered, in its basic trim, by a direct-injection 6.2-liter small-block V-8 engine known by everyone as the LT1. It can easily produce 460 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 465 pound-feet of torque at 4,600 rpm, with the available performance exhaust system and 455 horsepower and 460 pound-feet with the standard exhaust system. It can go from naught to 60 mph in under four seconds en route to a top speed that ranges between 180 mph and 190 mph depending on the version you pick - not including the really quick ZR1. In the transmission department, you can either go for a seven-speed manual with active rev-matching or an eight-speed automatic (that allows for a 3.7-second sprint from 0 to 60 mph and 11.9 seconds for the quarter-mile run).
On the C7, the steering is beefed compared to the C6, and you get five suspension modes as well as Brembo brakes for ultimate stopping power. The suspension itself is by double wishbone all around with monotube shock absorbers. 75,625 for a 3LT with the Z51 performance package (that adds five horsepower to the total tally and can pull 1.03 Gs in corners). 70,000-odd sports car from GM? I didn鈥檛 think so. The Porsche 911 992 Targa is a bit of a statement in my eyes. It isn鈥檛 just a car for those that want the Porsche no-roof experience; those will just get your run-of-the-mill cabriolet. No, this is a car for those that get the history and understand what a Targa is and what a Targa once was and why it makes sense to pay more for it. On a different note, I really do hope Porsche is kind enough to stop keeping everybody hanging and starts offering the much-awaited (and much-desired) Turbo Targa.
I know, all 992-generation 911s are turbocharged but what I mean is that people want to see a 911 Targa with the performance of a 911 Turbo. Read our full review on the 2014 Porsche 911 Targa. Count Vincenzo Florio was a well-to-do aristocrat. The two finally found a 93.2-mile long section between the picturesque mountains of Madonie. The strip of road was picked so that, when all the roads were closed on race day, it would form a circuit. Practice would always happen with live traffic around. As the years went by, the race鈥檚 popularity grew to the point that, for a while, it was the biggest race in Italy - bigger than both the Mille Miglia and the Italian Grand Prix. When, after World War I, the Germans returned to racing, they did it at the Targa Florio. That automaker is Porsche, and its romance with the Targa is legendary. In fact, Porsche won the last Targa Florio to be part of the World Sportscar Championship, back in 1973. But, by that time, a car wearing the 鈥橳arga鈥?name was already being produced by Porsche.
The Porsche 911 Targa was created for the American market first and foremost, but its name was there to remind everyone that, on a certain ribbon of road in Sicily, Porsche is king. As it鈥檚 many times the case, the design came about as an answer to a problem, not as a decision straight from the stylistic department. Unfortunately, due to the strict U.S. 鈥?0s and, as such, could never be registered and sold Stateside. The roll hoop was finished in brushed aluminum and, behind it, there was a retractable soft top with a built-in rear window. Thus, you basically had a roadster with a roll hoop in place. But this isn鈥檛 the iconic Targa design we all know and love. That came about one year later when, in place of the fold-down section, a fixed curved greenhouse was mounted and connected to the roll hoop which, in turn, gained its now-trademark trifecta of angled gills on either side. The design endured the test of time, and you can find it almost unaltered (sans gills, though) on any 964-generation Targas. Then, on the 993, the Targa top was replaced by a full-on glass roof that basically extended from the front of the car all the way to the rear window. The 996 and 997 generations followed suit with a similar glassy roof Targa model but then, when the 991-generation arrived, Porsche reverted back to the classic Targa top to further cash in on its heritage. Happily, this design is back on the 992 and, by and large, stands as the only difference between a standard fixed-head coupe and a full-on roadster. That鈥檚 also because now, with the 992-generation, all 911s are widebodied.
