The name Mini leads one to think about the small, quick, and great handling British car. Well, that still applies, as the Mini brand lives on, thanks to BMW, and the Cooper S, small as it is, is as fun to drive as ever.
There is a new Mini in town though, and it is the biggest one yet. The Mini Cooper Clubman Works is basically a Mini Cooper S on steroids. It’s longer and bigger than the Cooper S, and it can properly seat 4 adults.
Under the hood, it has a 1.6 liter turbo charged inline-4 cylinder engine that produces 208 horsepower and delivers 192 lbs of torque. Sufficient braking power is provided by 12.4 inch ventilated rotors with red 4-pot calipers provided by Brembo.
One of its most distinctive features is the double rear door. It is split in the middle and hinged on the corners near the tail lamps. It is great looking, though it obstructs the driver’s rearward vision a bit. This new British icon gets great handling, thanks to German engineering courtesy of BMW. The Mini Cooper Clubman S might be bigger than the usual Mini, but it’s still as fun to drive as ever.
Everyone knows that starting something, be it a small business or a bigger enterprise is a struggle. Everyone starts out that way, and whether the endeavor succeeds or not depends largely on the determination and grit of the parties involved.
This is especially true in the world of automakers. The Japanese, before they became global juggernauts, also experienced a lot of growing pains. This was most especially true when they first entered the North American market. There were quality issues and reliability problems, and of course, the American competition. They stuck with it though, and now, the Japanese are selling huge numbers in the US.
The same can be said for Korean car makers. They started out peddling cheap cars that had lots and lots of issues, mainly quality and reliability (like the Japanese before them), but now, they have improved so much that getting a Korean car is now a serious proposition for many Americans.
Now, car makers from another Asian nation are itching to get their cars into the US market. This time, it’s from China. Chinese car makers are now the ones facing the struggles that the Japanese and Koreans once met. The Japanese and the Koreans got over their problems and are now enjoying success in the US. Can the Chinese do the same?
The market for cube-like, edgy vehicles was at one time cornered by Toyota’s new brand for the young, Scion. The xB used to be the only one of its kind, with edgy styling and a ton of customization options.
Now, here comes the competition from Korea. Kia has introduced the world to its all-new Soul. The Soul is a small, squarish crossover targeted mainly at the young and hip crowd that used to flock to the Scion xB. Though boxy overall, the Soul features some soft curves to sexy up the look a little bit. Under the hood, the base model Soul is expected to get a 1.6 liter engine with four cylinders that produces about 120 horsepower. The Higher-spec models get the 2.0 liter engine that produces about 140 horsepower and is expected to get 30 miles to the gallon.
Inside, the Souls gets standard auxiliary and USB jacks with full iPod controls integrated into the steering wheel. Kia has promised all sorts of customization options for the Soul, something to look forward to for its intended buyers.
With more cars like the Soul, Kia has shown that it has come a long, long way. Kias are no longer just cheap cars, they are now cars with Soul.
Vuele Conas is a blog that is dedicated to providing information about cars and autos and SUV (Sports Utility Vehicles. Here you will be able to find and read articles about where to get car financing, choosing a car, basic trouble shooting, setting up your ride and doing minor car repairs.