As mentioned the 2.0 litre HDi does not offer a significant performance gain on the engine already in the Cooper D, a re-map would see the figures that the 2.0 HDi is currently offering.
In my opinion they need a lightweight engine between 1.8 / 2.0 litres that is producing around 150 / 160bhp as standard. This will also hopefully leave room for the after market peeps to tune the car to around 170 / 180 bhp.
Those kind of figures would put the car well into MCS territory though, so the question would be whether MINI would want to take away sales from the current flagship (the S) ?
::.. 2007 JCW Stage 1..:: --- Modern MINI Oscars Winner 2008 ---
A sport D would defo sell well.... i would consider a sport D in the clubman when I change from my S. Untill there is a D with some poke in the R56 I will stick with my R53 S.
Well if you can, do something similar to what volkswagen have done with the petrol golf TSI, turbo and super charge so you get the best of both worlds!
Or BMW could use their twin turbo know how and just stick another turbo on it, this would really boost performance like with the 335d over the 330d
Yes you can supercharge diesels, though I doubt BMW/MINI would go down that route as superchargers are generally more costly to build, which is why I suspect they were dropped from the new engine designs.
I think we'd be more likely to see the MCS'd before the JCW, a good measure would be to consider how the M badge is used, there isn't an M diesel, so I think you've hit on some good points
On the outside maybe
A 1.8 or 2.0ltr TD MINI would be awesome and be even better than the already good Cooper Diesel.
It fits, but its the wrong way round, so they would need to find away to get it work with a gearbox
Maybe if the deal on the current engine supply had some issues or something like that we might see something sooner, profit or easier manufacturing are generally things which push these opportunities for change faster
I think the success of the Mini Cooper D may have a large influence on the release of higher power models.
Can a MINI still retain its essential fun factor even when it is powered by a diesel engine? I think the answer is Yes as the torque is there. However, ultimately a lot is about dealing with the spoilsports who want to brand any car with a CO2 output higher than a gnats backside as the sole cause of global warming.
If I was in the market for a BMW 5 series it would be the 535D - a model that I am sure owes its development to the success of the 320 CDI engine in the Mercedes E Class and S class. What we need in the Dooper is an engine that is the equivalent of these powerhouses - able to hold their own with the best petrol engines and offering amazingly good fuel economy.
I'm working on a project at the moment with an independant automotive consult from the south coast. I showed him the engine in my Dooper yesterday. He was saying that he and the chap behind the previous gen JCWs had been looking at the engine recently (I'm afraid I've forgotten the chaps name though!). The outcome of their discusison was that they reckon they could extract 170BHP from the Dooper but it would require a new turbo to do it.
Interesting discussion with Nick Bateson of Red i Tuning today. He says he can get more than 30 bhp by remapping the ECU but this would shorten the life of the diesel particulate filter. He recommends restricting a power upgrade to 20 bhp to avoid this problem.
I will probably get my MINI's ECU remapped as a stop-gap in the next few weeks
However, it would be far better to have a car designed to take the horsepower from the bottom up with a suitable clutch, air intake, turbo, particulate filter, exhaust plus some Recaro seats to stop you from sliding around when cornering. Hopefully I will still be able to afford it when it comes out!
55mpg (according to BMW - extra urban figures); have you not heard a R56 MCS start up recently?
On a serious note, I would only consider a diesel sports MINI if BMW could develop a diesel engine which provided torque across the engine rev range. Everyone talks about diesels having xxx torque, but in reality max torque is delivered over a very short engine range on diesels. My R56 MCS pulls quickly in 3rd gear from 10mph all the way to 90mph; find me a diesel that can do that?
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