One Mini, two (different) engines!

Remember the Rover 416? Before it was re-badged the Rover 45, it was quite a popular 1.6-litre sedan, giving the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic stiff competition in the mid 90s. It was strange because, depending on which transmission one chose – it came either with a British DOHC engine if one chose the 5-speed manual, or a Honda SOHC engine if one wanted a 4-speed automatic. It is quite a feat engineering one car to take two different types of engines, but that’s what you got in the Rover 416.

History repeats itself with the new Mini, for a different reason. There is a new New Mini out, and it is been completely updated with new bodywork and engines, although one would be hard pressed to tell it apart from the car it replaces. All the body panels new - the front is rounder and higher to comply with the latest European standards for pedestrian protection, while rest of the car looks more “muscular” with subtle changes to the other body panels.

It is underneath the bonnet that sees the most radical change. The engine is completely new, and has been co-developed with Peugeot (it will power the new 207). In the Cooper, it’s a modern 16-valve 1.6-litre unit that puts out 120bhp (up 5bhp from before) and it comes mated to either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission (replacing the sticky Continuously Variable Transmisssion)

The Cooper S changes from being supercharged to having a turbocharger bolted on to the same engine. Its output rises to 175bhp, up from 170bhp previously. The entry-level Mini one will get a 1.4-litre engine. The new New Mini range will probably arrive in Singapore by the middle of 2007, but all details and pics are up on the web:
http://www.mini.com/com/en/new_mini_cooper/index.jsp?refType=teaserHomepage&refPage=/com/en/general/homepage/content.jsp

The interesting thing is that the Mini Cabrio range has yet to be upgraded, and it comes with the original TRITEC engine. This means it’s actually more characterful and quirky as it is slightly wheezy and the CVT it comes with is noisy and hesitant.

The Mini‘s TRITEC engine is really quite a story in itself – its built in Brazil and was developed in conjunction with Chrysler, which is now part of DaimlerChrysler, and thus Mercedes-Benz. How did a BMW product share an engine with its arch rival Mercedes-Benz? Well, apparently the development of this engine started before Daimler-Benz ‘merged’ with Chrysler in the late 90s, and its only now, after the first run of engines has been manufactured, is BMW able end the agreement, and secure a new engine for the Mini. The TRITEC engine also powers the Chrysler PT Cruiser and the top-of-the-line 520 model from China carmaker LiFan.

The fact that this engine has quite a unique story, and is “less than perfect” in most people’s eyes, is actually more in keeping with the Mini’s heritage. The A-Series engine that powered the classic Mini was also similarly flawed – it was ancient by any standards, and its gearbox-in-the-sump design mean that it could never be fitted with a 5-speed transmission. It was also noisy and harsh, just like the TRITEC engine, and it made the Mini one of the most characterful cars around.

Sometimes its good to be a bit off-beat and quirky, but that’s something BMW will never understand.

Credits: Justin_Lee