So... Can anyone explain the setup? The twin tips are to look cool, because the diameter of the feeder pipe is no larger than the tail pipe. Essentially the Cooper S has three smaller cans and the Cooper has one large one.
I suspect that the the three shapes are as follows: A resonator to give the Cooper S it's described more distinctive tone and to engineer the backpressure. Then two sequential low-restriction mufflers for good flow, and between the two of them, adequate noise reduction. There's not really much point in splitting the exhaust in two for an inline engine.
There is another less cool reason of course. A single muffler didn't fit around the battery box. At any rate, it seems like a lot of plumbing to replace when it goes.
I for one don't let these things get me down of course. It seems a wonderful car. I always expected a car that would ellicit such emotion would be something unattainable, like a Porsche or a Ferrari. I'm just so pleased that I'm going to have a Cooper S with only a little financial stretch, that everything else just gets the volume turned down to me. Bring it on in whatever form the designers can dream of. I'm sure we'll all applaude when we first fire one up. |