Mileage Challenge 7.1: Efficient, Small and Fun

Expensive electric-powered cars are getting all the attention lately, but there are still plenty of small, efficient cars with small price tags being introduced on the market. For our latest mileage challenge we decided to take out three cars with three approaches to efficiency:  the redesigned diesel 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI, the new 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid and the just plain gas-powered 2010 Mini Cooper.
 
We compared the cars in our latest three-car faceoff, but because of these differing powertrains it seemed natural to put them through our Mileage Challenge, as well. We’ve put diesel and hybrid vehicles on a mileage drive before but never two that were direct competitors with a fuel-efficient gasoline car in the mix to boot.

An overview of our test route and the contestants are below.

2010 Mini Copper Mayfair Edition Video

Like the Ford Mustang, the Mini Cooper is known for its wide variety of special-edition trim packages. To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Mini has released the new special-edition Mayfair Package. You can see changes on the Mayfair version both inside and outside the car, with unique badges, trim and upholstery appointments. While option packages are nice, handling is what makes a Mini special, according to Cars.com editor Bill Jackson. But there are trade-offs that you might want to check before getting the Mayfair Package or the Mini Cooper. Watch the video to find out more, or read Bill’s full review here.

2010|Mini|Copper

What Does This Button Do?

In our ongoing quest to decipher the baffling hieroglyphic-like buttons in the new cars we test drive, we bring you the above photo of a button from a 2010 Mini Cooper Mayfair edition. It’s located on the dash, next to the tachometer and slightly hidden by the steering wheel.

What do you think it means? Turn the lights on twice as bright? Flash them twice?

BMW Looks to Expand Lineup

BMW has had a pretty good year thus far, with sales up 7.2% in the U.S. But the maker of BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce is facing big challenges from its German competitors Mercedes and Volkswagen (owner of Audi), which are in the midst of massive product revivals.

Norbert Reithofer, BMW’s CEO, plans to keep his company competitive by expanding the model lineups at BMW and Mini and introducing a new brand for its upcoming electric cars.

We’ve already touched on the electric Megacity Vehicle. The model will go on sale sometime in 2013 in the U.S. and could eventually spur a family of electric cars.

2011 Mini Cooper Sees Small Changes

This fall, Mini will release its 2011 lineup that includes updated versions of its hardtop hatchback, the Cooper and Cooper S, as well as the convertible and Clubman models. As usual, there isn’t much that looks different on the outside to the casual observer, but Mini does enough to make the refresh interesting as we wait on the new Countryman SUV next year. 

The front and back get new bumpers, taillights and larger fog lights with a new placement. Frills include adaptive xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights for just $100 and black headlight housings are a no-charge option. 

There are also new options for 15-, 16- and 17-inch wheels. 

Inside, the most welcome change is altering the silver-colored plastic to matte black. One of our complaints of the Mini has always been the toy-like appearance and feel of its controls, and this move seems to mitigate that. Buttons and knobs for the climate and radio have also been redesigned. 

Mini has also made HD Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio standard; they were previously $500 options. Big brother BMW doesn’t do that. 

There’s also an all-new Mini Connected option with a 6.5-inch screen that integrates smart phone features including Bluetooth. Navigation will also be an available upgrade. 

What about the engines? While the 1.6-liter four-cylinder in Cooper and Cooper S models remains the same, it has been upgraded to 121 and 181 horsepower, respectively. They’re slight upgrades, but the company promises fuel economy improvements, as well. Those figures will be released later this fall. 

More photos are below.

BMW to Support Apple's iPod Out Feature

BMW announced today it will support a rather obscure feature from Apple called iPod Out, which will allow future BMW and Mini owners to view the iPod layout on the car's center console screen. The feature will function with BMW’s iDrive control system. 

The iPod Out feature allows users to see artist info and album art the same way they would appear on a classic iPod even thought the system is only available on an iPhone or iPod Touch. Users will also browse their music library with the iPod navigation menu, which might be more intuitive than BMW’s current system.

iPod Out will also allow you to access custom playlists and use Apple’s Genius system, which creates instant “smart playlists." Some other automakers, including Nissan, display album artwork but don't include other iPod features. 

Since this is a port technology, it’s assumed that any interface upgrades on your iPhone or iPod would translate seamlessly to your BMW or Mini screen. 

To use iPod Out, you will need an iPhone 3G, 3GS, iPhone 4 or iPod Touch (second and third generations) running Apple's iOS 4 operating system.

Additional photos below: 

Free-Maintenance Programs More Popular

Automakers offering free-maintenance programs used to be few and far between, with BMW being one of the most well-known. Other luxury brands such as Jaguar are now adding them, but so are niche brands like Mini and, perhaps most impressive, Volkswagen.

VW has a reputation for being more expensive than the Hondas and Toyotas of the world, so offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles narrows the total price gap. A 2010 VW Tiguan, for example, starts at $23,200 ($24,300 when equipped with an automatic transmission) versus a Honda CR-V starting at $21,545 which comes standard with an auto.

The same could be said for someone shopping for an efficient compact car. Mini is now offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles as well. If you compare a Mini Cooper hatchback and a Honda Civic LX (the model with typical standard features like power windows and air conditioning), the Cooper's MSRP is $18,800 and the Civic's is $17,605.

Free service could definitely make that shopping decision more complex than the difference in monthly payments.

A list of current free-maintenance programs is below, and let us know if you would consider a program like when shopping for a new car.

First Mini Countryman Verdict? 85% as Good as the Original

When it comes to knowing Minis inside and out, there is one authority we go to first: the blog MotoringFile. The crew spent time this week testing the first crossover from Mini, the Countryman, and came away impressed.

They don’t crown it as the best Mini ever but give it a realistic grade. With all the added weight and two extra doors, the driving experience is about 85% of the traditional Mini Cooper hatchback, they say. The Mini fan does peek out a bit in the reporting of course, as MotoringFile declares the Countryman the “best handling crossover currently on sale.” Well, we’ll have to test it out ourselves before we believe that claim.
 
However, if you’re thinking about getting a Mini Cooper Countryman, which is set to go on sale in the U.S. early next year, this first-drive report is a must-read.
 
MotoringFile 1st Drive: MINI Countryman Cooper S (MotoringFile)

Crossovers Get Smaller as Category Grows

Several introductions at this year's New York International Auto Show certified that the class of compact crossovers is getting larger — with models that are getting smaller. Powered as much by increasingly stringent fuel-economy regulations as by customer demand, automakers are rolling out models that further blur the lines between crossovers and cars.

Models such as the top-selling Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, which J.D. Power and Associates classifies as compact crossover utility vehicles, combine the height, hatchback versatility and optional four-wheel drive of SUVs with the greater fuel and space efficiency of cars; this explains why their popularity has grown. According to J.D. Power, the compact "CUV" category made up 2.3 percent of the market in 2000. In 2005, it had grown to 6 percent, and despite declines in overall market volume in 2009, compact crossovers have reached a 10.5 percent market share.

Ironically, one of the auto show's highest-profile crossovers came from Mini, purveyor of one of the smallest cars on the market. The 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman crossover, which will hit U.S. dealerships in February 2011, is 15.7 inches longer than Mini's base car, called the Cooper, and 6.3 inches longer than its extended model, the Cooper Clubman. It's a few inches taller than its siblings and has the raised look of a crossover, as well as optional all-wheel drive. Though it's large for a Mini, the Cooper Countryman is relatively small as crossovers go, with roughly 12 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the backseat and a total of 41 cubic feet once the backseat is folded flat. This puts it in league with cars such as the Mazda3 four-door hatchback, as well as two other downsized crossovers introduced in New York, the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and Nissan Juke Sport Cross.

2011 Mini Cooper Countryman Video

Mini debuts its crossover at the 2010 New York International Auto Show, and Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder is on hand to check it out. In this video, Wiesenfelder goes through the 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman, noting everything from cargo room to a “whimsical interior” that has a platform for customizable features.