Automotive Addicts |
- 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 Review & Test Drive
- Complete Perfection: Identity Designs’ Custom Matte-Silver 3M Vinyl Infiniti G37 Coupe
- How To Die In A Road Rage Shooting
- Is Infiniti Changing To FWD For Future Models?
| 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 Review & Test Drive Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:01 AM PDT
'MINI MANIA GROWS TWO MORE DOORS' The new Mini Cooper has been a phenomenon here ever since it first débuted a couple of years ago. Mini owner car clubs have popped up all over the country as this fabled, small, ubiquitous two door was taken over, redesigned to modern day standards, and marketed around the world by BMW. To expand its sales to families and active singles and couples, Mini introduces the four-door Countryman in 2011. Two more seats for adults or children are in order, or you can fold the two seats down to increase cargo space. More front and rear overhang is necessary on the new Mini since it has been transformed into a crossover/stationwagon. The wheelbase has been lengthened to 102.2 inches, almost 2 inches longer than the Clubman's and a solid five inches over the standard Mini Cooper hatch. These new extra inches are going to good use as the 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman's standard rear bucket seats have a 5.1 inch fore/aft range adjustment. You can also order their three-place bench seat at no extra cost if you want your Mini Countryman to seat five. The bench seat will also adjust fore/aft, similar to a 60/40 split bench, and like the bucket seats, it seatback cushions recline. With all of the seats reclined you get 12.2 cu.ft. of cargo space. If you drop the rear seats into the floor you can get up to 41 cu.ft. of cargo space. You can also use the roof rack to store cargo to your needs. The Mini Cooper S ALL4 Countryman that I tested only comes with the 1.6 liter inline four-cylinder engine that adds BMW's Valvetronic variable valve lift to the twin-scroll turbocharger and direct injection systems. This combination adds up to 181hp at 5,500rpm and 177lb.ft. of torque (192lb.ft. with the overboost) and more efficient fuel economy. The base Mini Countryman features the normally aspirated 1.6 liter engine with no Valvetronic or direct injection systems and makes just 121hp at 6,000rpm and 118lb.ft. or torque. You are better off with the optional engine that came with my test Countryman. The new Mini Cooper S comes equipped with Mini's familiar Getrag six-speed manual transmission allowing you to change gears as you like. Mini's six-speed automatic transmission is optional and includes paddle shifters for even more fun-to-drive action. Front-wheel-drive is standard but the fun and extra traction needed in the snow, wet, or slick road surfaces is made easier and safer with the optional 'ALL4' all-wheel-drive system that is available only on the Mini Cooper S Countryman. Even though it is touted as all-wheel-drive, it only indicates a clutch-pack coupling built into the final-drive unit. An electrically driven hydraulic pump governs the pressure that reaches the coupling. In dry conditions, you can expect most of the torque to go to the Countryman's front wheels. Up to 50% can be redirected rearward to promote proper cornering character, and in really extreme cases, up to 100% of engine torque can go to the rear wheels. Also, an electronic limited-slip differential allows for side-to-side torque swaps between the car's front wheels. The suspension is fully independent with a MacPherson strut setup up front and a multi-link setup in the rear with front/rear sway bars. It gets a slightly softer tune since the car is bigger and heavier, even with the sport suspension. Turn-in is excellent but it tends to get a little loose at speed in S-curves as the sway bars try keeping the rear from hanging out as the new Countryman has a higher ride height. I'd advise taking it easy when driving on continuous curving roads. The electric power rack & pinion steering is nicely weighted with a great feel for the road and quick, precise response to your inputs. The brakes are slightly larger to more effectively and safely slow this larger and heavier Mini Cooper S Countryman down from speed. Up front are 12.1 inch vented discs clamped with dual-piston calipers and 12 inch solid discs in the rear clamped with single-piston calipers. Keeping you in control are standard ABS, EBD, Corner Brake Control, Dynamic Stability Control and Dynamic Traction Control with EDLC. The new Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 rides on big, 18X8 inch alloy wheels wrapped with 245/45R18 inch all-season run-flat tires for a smooth and quiet ride. Inside the new, larger, roomier cabin is basically the same dashboard setup but for the addition of two more toggle switches for the rear door windows, larger air-vents at the ends of each side of the dashboard, new surfaces that are now textured grain and newly designed door panels that underline the specific shape of the body. In addition to being the biggest and most rugged member of the Mini family, the Countryman promises to be the most tech-laden. Adaptive HID headlights are optional, and Mini is promising full integration for iPhones and other smartphones that find their way into your Countryman. While the all-new 2011 Mini Cooper Countryman is more useful and practical than any other Mini to date, be prepared to spend more money as prices start at $26,950.00, and my fully loaded S ALL4 model was stickered at $34,650.00 including destination. Standard features in the 2011 Mini Cooper S Countryman ALL4 not mentioned above that I tested includes Tire Monitor, A/C with micro filter and air-recirculation, manual 6-way adjustable front bucket seats, adjustable tilt/telescopic sport leather-wrapped steering wheel with cruise-control buttons, sport button for quick throttle and steering response, Boost CD,AM-FM audio system wit HD radio technology, six speakers and auxiliary input jack, power windows all express up/down, power remote sideview mirrors, variable intermittent wipers/washers, rear wiper/washer, power door locks, remote keyless entry, center rail with eyeglass case and two cupholders, center console with two cupholders, low-profile aluminum roof rails, seven-airbags, 3-point safety belts for all four seating positions, side-curtain airbags, thick cut-pile carpeting with thick floor mats front/rear, cold weather package of power folding/heated sideview mirrors, heated front seats, leather seats, dual pane panoramic sunroof, automatic climate control, Harman-Kardon sound system, black stripes, Xeon headlamps, 18X8 inch alloy wheels, comfort access keyless entry, cargo net, center armrest, park distance control in the rear, and foglamps.                COPYRIGHT:2011:HARVEY SCHWARTZ SPECIFICATIONS
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| Complete Perfection: Identity Designs’ Custom Matte-Silver 3M Vinyl Infiniti G37 Coupe Posted: 31 Aug 2011 03:44 AM PDT
Our good friends at Identity Designs in Jacksonville, FL, who happens to supply us with all of our graphics and printing needs, recently did a matte silver 3M vinyl wrap on a new Infiniti G37. The remarkable vinyl wrap job exceeds expectations taking today's faddish matte colored exteriors to a new level.
The guys at Identity Designs took the extra time and effort to make this a unique wrap job. Not one seam, not one flaw, just plain perfection. Identity Designs utilized the best material in the business starting with 3M's latest 1080 Matte Silver vinyl. They even took the liberty of wrapping the entire door jams making this project turn out better than one would with traditional painting. There is no doubt that the customer base for complete vinyl wrapped cars has increased to record levels. Luckily, you can still find a shop to do the job right. We welcome you to check out the photos of this project before and after below. Vinyl work performed by: Identity Designs                 If you need a vehicle wrapped, be sure to check out Identity Designs and mention AutomotiveAddicts.com.  |
| How To Die In A Road Rage Shooting Posted: 30 Aug 2011 08:32 AM PDT
 "Road Rage," by Tony the Misfit Drivers in the great state of Florida have never been known for their prowess behind the wheel. It seems to me, though, that the roads are only getting worse: a few years back I could go weeks without someone making a concerted effort to kill me, but these days I can pretty much count on a near death experience every time I get behind the wheel. Short of trading my GTI in on a surplus deuce-and-a-half personnel carrier, there isn't much I can do to make the roads any safer. It's not just me, either. I've had people from all over the country tell me how bad the roads have gotten in their area, which eliminates the possibility of mass hysteria, or something in the drinking water here in the Sunshine State. Maybe it's the price of gas, or the tanking economy, or a real-estate market that's about to reach critical mass; whatever the cause, other motorists seem to be driving with their heads firmly implanted deep into their colons. With that in mind, I bring you five good ways to die in a road-rage shooting. Just as there are more drivers on the road these days, there are more armed drivers behind the wheel, too. Sooner or later, distraction meets rage, and a six-o-clock-news story is born. Treat the left lane as your own personal sanctuary. Don't let driving keep you from texting or talking on the cell. Never use your directional signal. Try to drive in someone's blind spot as often as you can. Courtesy is for pussies. So there you have it: five ways to maximize your chances of getting gunned down by a driver with anger management issues and a newly purchased handgun. Of course if you were to do the opposite of what I suggest, chances are you won't be making the six o'clock news any time soon. The choice is yours.  |
| Is Infiniti Changing To FWD For Future Models? Posted: 30 Aug 2011 06:50 AM PDT
 Infiniti's upcoming JX luxury crossover. Image: Infiniti One of the things that’s led to Infiniti's success in the luxury market is the handling of its automobiles. Although a few previous models (like the I30 and I35) were built on a front wheel drive platform, the bulk of Infiniti's cars have been built with a front engine, rear drive configuration. That's given the automaker the semi-official designation as "the BMW of Japan," but now Autoweek is reporting that a change may be in the works. Infiniti, it seems, wants to adopt a front engine, front drive layout for future vehicles. Per Infiniti's VP of Product Planning, Larry Dominque, "customers really don't care about the platform beneath the car;" in other words, Infiniti customers are more concerned with styling and interior room than with how their cars handle. I'm not sure I buy into that logic, since every Infiniti customer I've ever met knows perfectly well the difference between front wheel drive, rear wheel drive and all wheel drive. Take away one of the things that makes Infiniti unique, and you'll remove a lot of potential customers from showrooms. If you guessed that profit was one motive behind the move, you'd be correct. Front engine, front drive platforms are cheaper to build, but they do offer the buyer greater interior room since FWD vehicles can be built with a flat rear floor. They can generate better fuel economy, too, which is a critical concern of all automakers thanks to the pending CAFE standards. Dominque insists that "the performance they need" can be delivered via a front wheel drive platform, but I'd caution him on that point. The performance Infiniti thinks it needs and the performance that Infiniti's customers expect may be two different things. Before you start flooding Infiniti with e-mails and phone calls, Dominque insists that Infiniti's G series and M series, its staple sport sedans, will remain on a front engine, rear drive platform, which leaves the FWD door open for vehicles like the new JX crossover. We'd fight the switch to FWD on sport sedans to the death, but if Infiniti decides that front drive is best for their largest luxury crossovers, I don't think fans will be storming corporate headquarters with pitchforks and torches. Source: Autoweek, via EGM Car Tech  |
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