TV Spot: Passport 9500i Radar Detector

"I'll take "Cheesy Late Night Infomercials" for a hundred, Alex".

Actually, it's only a 60-second spot for the Escort Passport 9500i. ("the i is for intelligent") New school quality, old school cheese. Classic.

high bandwidth - 720x480
low bandwidth - 360x240

www.escortradar.com

MINI CLUBMANia hits the U.S.!

With the official U.S. release of the MINI Clubman only days away, the hype machine is now in full force! Spy photos, leaked press releases, you know the drill. Commercials for the MINI Clubman have even started to surface in US television. Fortunately, we have the power of Internet to get a jump on things. I mean, who could resist a visit to the local MINI dealer after a spot like this... :)




"Club what?" You say? Get up to speed with Motoringfile.com's FULL COVERAGE of all things Clubman (my words, not theirs).

Click this link for more mania inducing videos!

MINI MILEAGE 2007: UPDATE/HOW-TO

Being the dork that I am, I like to keep a variety of statistics in both my work and personal life so I can then go around blurting out random numbers and factoids to anyone who will listen. (i kid!)

I bought my first MINI Cooper in 2003 straight off the lot. I fell in love with the car, the MINI "lifestyle", and coming from a 4-door Chevy sedan, I especially enjoyed the increase in gas mileage! But when folks would ask "What kind of mileage do you get in that thing?" while I had an answer, (being the dork that I am) I prefer proof (a.k.a. "statistics"!)

I have been diligently tracking my MPG since I picked up my second MINI- a 2006 MINI Cooper S in July of 2006. The process is quite simple actually:

1. I use the MINI's built-in Odometer/Trip Meter to track the distance traveled between each fill up...
2. At each fill up, I use the camera on my cellphone to take a photo of the resulting pump reading...
3. I then take another photo of my Odometer/Trip Meter before I reset it...
4. I upload these photos to my cellphone account, where each one is time/date stamped from when I took the photo. This is perfect for when I'm feeling less geeky since I can let them pile up for weeks until a day like today...
   
5. I review each photo and enter the data into a spreadsheet.

With a carefully prepped spreadsheet, now all I have to do is enter the data and the rest is done for me! It's a pretty basic set of formulas- namely averaging, and dividing. (If you really want a copy of my spreadsheet let me know. I'd be happy to send it.)

Here is a brief summary of travel data for my MINI Cooper S for 2007:

• The average fill-up in 2007 was $32 for 10.32 = 3.16/gal. (In the last 3-4 months the typical yield for $40 for is 12 gallons = ~$3.34/gal)
• The median mileage between fill-ups was 242.4 "per tank" (Only about 30% of my mileage comes from traveling farther than 20 miles of highway every few weekends. Gotta visit the fam' y'know!)
• + Overall, my MPG results in an average of 23.82 and a median of 22.68 a gallon.*
• + The highest MPG recorded in 2007: 41.9mpg baby! (Yes, that was a result of about 90% highway driving going to Las Vegas for AMVIV)

For better record keeping in 2008, I'm considering acquiring a gas card (credit card) so I can better track "Days between fill-ups" as well as maintain more consistency of where and how much I pay for each fill up (I also try to purchase the same dollar amount of fuel each time so I can use this as the "constant" in my formulas, which isn't always an option when you're relying on cash).

*(NOTE: I prefer "Median" over "Average" whenever possible. It provides a more accurate look at the data! But then again, I'm a dork.)

So there's a peek into how I get my "numbers" for the on-going "MINI Mileage Update" thread on this blog. I know someone will blow my method of analysis to shreds, but that's how we learn, right?

Ken Block+Subaru Impreza WRX STI = 170ft jump

I'm still in awe over this video clip, hence the lame title of this post!

Game Review: Mini Desktop Racing (Wii)

This review of "Mini Desktop Racing" for the Nintendo Wii was sent to me by a colleague and fellow MINI owner.* Having never heard of the game until now, how do I discuss the review without giving it away?

"Mini Desktop Racing is a single and multi-player racing game with a top down view, much like "Micro Machines". Every level challenges the player to find the best way of navigating through the obstacles and special interactive items."

Or, one of my favorite opening statements of all time:

"[Mini Desktop Racing] is brought to Wii by Conspiracy Entertainment and Dada Design Interactive, the same people that also released such budget titles as Ninja Bread Man and the aforementioned Offroad Extreme."

For the full review, I now direct you toward the full IGN review. The results just may surprise you!

Mini Desktop Racing Review
http://wii.ign.com/articles/840/840529p1.html

*Thanks Griff!

Side-by-side Comparison: 2006 MINI, Honda, Scion, VW

Somehow I ended up on the Kelly Blue Book site again!! I don't know why- I'm not buying or selling anything... While there I ended up clicking the "compare" button. The results are as expected, MINI COOPERS KICK ASS in almost every area!

I'm not saying each of these cars are equally equipped, because frankly, I wouldn't know. But, with equal mileage:

cricka por photo mas grande

Used Car Blue Book, Private Party:

• '06 MINI COOPER S: $21,895.00 (mpg:25/32)
  
• '06 HONDA CIVIC DX: $13,510.00 (mpg:30/40)
  
• '06 SCION TC: $15,880.00 (mpg:22/29)
  
• '06 VW: GTI: $16,620.00 (mpg: 22/29)
  

Again, don't bash me for comparing cars that aren't in the same "league"- KBB.com seems to think they are!

MINIs autocross at Qualcomm Stadium

MINI Coopers rip it up at the BMWCCA Autocross at Qualcomm Stadium



Visit www.MotorkultTV.com for the complete segment.

What is your Carbon Footprint?

And by "your" I actually mean your vehicle. Mine is, like $18/3.2 tons of CO2/year. I guess that's pretty good?!

"[My] car outputs a moderate amount of carbon each year. If all the drivers in [my] range contributed we would offset a million tons of CO2..."

Whats yours? www.carbonfund.org/vw
(don't mind the 'dub...)

Classic Moment: MINIac Birthday

An apology to all you classic MINI lovers. This post has nothing to do with classic MINIs, but rather, a "classic" moment:

The other day I was at a birthday party for one of the hot female members of my MINI club. At the final act of the gift-giving ritual...

S.O. says "close your eyes" and heads to the other room... Birthday Girl closes her eyes for a delightful b-day surprise. Guests wait eagerly.

As S.O. comes out with an unwrapped swaybar box (it did have a ribbon, and a bow!), I thought, "uh-oh, here it comes..." I forgot that Birthday Girl is a MINIac too! Upon opening her eyes, where most girls I know would have said, "um, we need to talk!", her face lights up and she says "Wow! Cool!" Shows you what I know.

Whether or not they had a "talk" later, I'll never know. Nonetheless, I thought that was hilarious! I need to find me a girl like that!

Compare Old and New EPA MPG Estimates

Unless you've been living under rock then you've probably heard of the updated (and most importantly) more accurate MPG Estimates required by our wonderful federal government beginning in 2008. The conversation came up at work today and in doing a little research, I found a great website that allows consumers to compare the old numbers to the new ones. And since I drive a MINI, of course that's the first thing I checked!

source: fueleconomy.gov

Now here's the kicker-- In all of my ongoing MPG estimates (and I'm pretty consistent in keeping them), what's my average MPG? Yep- right about 24-26 MPG! I think this comparision chart will be invaluable to those considering a new vehicle for fuel effiency purposes. Of course it's always important to remember: your mileage may vary.

:bmp:

Racing MINIs (Not to be confused with "racy")

Found an excellent photo gallery tonight, linked to from NAM*...



...with over 100 awesome photos of track and rally MINIs! NICE!
(click the image above to visit!)


*What's NAM?" You say? Why, its NorthAmericanMotoring.com
(" MINI Cooper news, forums, FAQs, and reviews for enthusiasts and owners of the North American MINI Cooper")

Racy MINI Cooper commercial [PG-13]

I was researching the frequency (or lack thereof) of MINI Coopers reported stolen. Instead I found this "suggestive" MINI Cooper commercial.*

Not quite up there with scantily-clad popstars dripping with condiments, it still has all the important "elements":

Racy + MINI = What more can you ask for?

*After closer observation, I'm beginning to think this is one of those cases of "Steal the commercial and put our brand at the end". Not clever at all! I'll still give a shout out to stolengirlfriendsclub.com.

Review: Street Tuner Challenge (Season Two)

DISCLAIMER: I hate mainstream media. I never listen to the radio, rarely go to the movies, and I canceled my Cable subscription 4 years ago and haven't looked back. I'm certainly not the guy you want to review a TV show!


However, now three episodes into "Street Tuner Challenge", I think I've got a pretty good idea of the show enough to provide a few comments. Good or bad, I already know what the finished cars will at least look like, which makes it interesting to watch the show for "show's sake".

Episode One struck me as very MTV-wannabe, very "16-28 male", visually speaking- plenty of seizure-inducing jump-cuts and "ass-high" camera angles (not my word) to suit the Red Bull generation. "Certainly not produced with diehard tuners, racers, or even show-car fans in mind" I said. I found myself hoping for a couple commercials just to remind me I was watching mainstream media.

Episode Two toned it down a bit- Having met most of the FBR guys on many occasions- and I'll admit they're not the staunchest crew out there- in my opinion the production thus far taints the seriousness in which they take the actual under-the-hood aspects of their products in favor of the over-the-top visual designs Hollywood loves so much (the fact that they insist on referring to the FBR team as "the hollywood team" kinda says it right there). Fireball Tim certainly knows how to work the camera and certainly ads to the entertainment value of the show, so it makes for good TV I guess. I really wish I knew more about the other crews and could compare their "treatment".

This week I saw Episode Three and what I percieve as a huge change in direction- Namely, semi-educational? Watching folks remove and disassemble brand new engines and trannys, just to rebuilt them- explaining each step in detail? My friend walks in from the kitchen, stands there for a sec, and says, "Is this the same show?" I was thinking the same thing!

As a fairly new car "enthusiast", I like the different directions each shop is taking their cars and the persona to match is cool too (can you say "executive pre-production meeting"?). As each episode focuses on a different aspevct of building a tuner car- from what I've seen thus far, I think the show will get better (i.e. less camp, more technical) as the season progresses.

At the end of the day, it's just another "reality" TV show designed to space out the commercials and make me think Smirnoff Ice isn't just another flavored malt beverage. If my friend remembers to TiVo them I'll probably watch the rest of the episodes just to give STC/Speed Channel the numbers and validate the MINI brand. (Wow- I could be blatantly pimping my own online show right now, but I got C+ in Marketing!)

As a non-TV-watcher I am interested in other "reviews" of the show as a whole, and if possible, from some of the folks who may be associated with the other teams. As per NDA terms of course.

MINI by Fireballed!
EVO by Skunk2
Focus by FocusSport

streettunerchallenge.tv

Rear-ended on the LIE!

Saw this one on NAM today:

"Today on my way home on the LIE eastbound I was stopped in traffic then got rear-ended by a Ford Explorer which was rear-ended by a person who is in the assigned risk insurance pool. Explorer because its high plowed right into the boot lid and the left rear quarter, I was pushed into the car in front which got pushed into the car in front, in all a 3 car and 2 SUV collision. The cars in front of me took off before the cop arrived..."

I don't know what a LIE is. "Loser In Explorer"? According to the thread (at the time of this posting), no MINI peeps were hurt. If you must follow the thread here it is: [thread]

Pursuit MINI @ SEMA 2007, by Team Fireballed®

Most die-hard MINI fans have already seen the results of Team Fireballed's entry for the 2007 Street Tuner Challenge on the Speed Channel, unofficially dubbed the "Pursuit MINI" or, the "World's Fastest Show MINI". However, as a diehard MINI fan, I couldn't NOT blog it too, now could I?

Check the official Fireball Tim blog for the inside scoop and a slew of "behind the scenes" clips of the making of yet another one-of-a-kind Team Fireballed® showstopper.

FireballTim.com - SEMA.org - STCMINI.com

TOP TEN* things my GPS device doesn't do!

I've had my TomTom Go300 for a little over a year now, and as I am finally starting to use it more and more, I'm discovering many things it doesn't do, that I really wish it did.

I was messing with my friend's $2000 on-board Navigation system in her shiny new 2007 Lexxus recently, and it wasn't that much better than my $300 device. Add the random 5- minutes on various, crippled in-store demo models, thus sums up my personal hands-on experience with navigation devices. If the one in the Lexxus doesn't do it, then I assume no GPS devices have these features. I'd love to get my hands on an upscale portable GPS system for comparison purposes (hint hint!).


For now, I've decided to start my "Top 10 things my GPS device doesn't do!", a work in progress, and in no special order:

1. Remember my Search! When I look up "Claim Jumper" and it shows me the wrong location, to look up another location, I should be able to go back to "Find > POIs..." type a C and it brings up recent searches. I shouldn't have to start all over. Alas, I get to fumble with spelling C-L-I-A.. delete, delete... you get the picture...

2. More U.S. POIs please! While the TomTom comes in $100 less than it's Garmin counterparts, has a cooler name and funnier commercials, the only real differences I've seen in the two brands is that Garmin is quite U.S.-centric while the UK/EU-oriented TomTom brand is a late comer to good ol' USA, and it shows. I was with a friend and he was looking for his bank, the second largest bank in the U.S. My bank is *the* largest U.S. bank. Yet, when I'm looking for an ATM, neither of them show up on the list of 40 banks I've never heard of. Isa this what I get for opting for the TomTom over the Garmin?

3. (Semi) Automatic POI updates. When I look up a POI ("point of interest")- namely an establishment with multiple locations (i.e. a chain store) like, say, "Claim Jumper"; The magic POI genie should notice I like Claim Jumper, and when I connect my device to my computer, it should check the non-existent POI database and download all the Claim Jumpers in the U.S. to my device. Asking first of course...

4. "Current Direction" option. When looking up a POI it defaults to "closest" location; You can change it, but for instance, the other day, the closest location was in the opposite direction I was headed. If the device were smart enough to notice, that'd be awesome. If it were dumb, but knew to ask "... in the direction you're going right now?" that would be nice too (of course, we never mess with our devices while the car is moving, right?)

5. Wifi/integration/access. After I gave up on finding my friend's bank on the TomTom, I pulled out my entry-level cellphone, accessed Yahoo, and found the address in about two minutes. Then I entered in the address in the GPS and was on my way. Wouldn't it be awesome to not have to use my cellphone for that? The TomTom GO300 does allow Bluetooth integration, but having read the manual a dozen times, I already know this is not a feature!


After proofreading a few times, I guess I wish the TomTom Go300 worked more like an iPhone. Then again, I didn't spend $600 on it. Then again, if I had an iPhone, would I need a GPS device? (I mean, once you hack it and install the 3rd party app).

This on-going list (and I promise I'll stop when I get to ten) brings up a few related questions I'll have to search the InterTube for answers:
- How does an establishment get their location in the POI database anyway?
- Can a user recommend POIs to the manufacturer? If so, how?
- Just how much can I hack my GPS device before it stops working?

What are your peeves of your GPS device?

Newsflash: Women Want Cupholders!

Okay, so perhaps it's not an exclusive...

Making the rounds through my favorite websites (a.k.a. procrastination) I came across a recent article at MyRide.com. The topic: "Top Ten Things Women Like About Cars". Among the list are things you'd expect like Safety and Comfort, Efficiency and Safety, and Convenience. A good read for those who hope to one day proclaim they've figured out women. I for one wasn't entirely enlightened. I mean, except for the cupholders, that is. That blew my mind.

Photo courtesy of MyRide.com

"As a woman with children, cupholders are a must…the kind that adjusts to keep spills to a minimum."

Get the full story at MyRide.com. Then come back and tell us your thoughts!

How To: Rear Badge Removal [PICS]

In a fit of boredom inspiration, I decided to remove the rear badging from my beloved MINI (To take photos of the process was an afterthought. Sorry for the crappy cellphone quality).

The rear badge we know and love...

Step One: Tape off with Painter's Tape (optional but recommended)...

Dental Floss (The cheap kind. Don't use this.)

Step Two: Floss Gently.


Trivia: Floss goes through fingernails better than double-sided tape...

The process continues...

Badge Removed. But you're not done yet!...

The aftermath... Rear Badge, preserved for future use; and about 3 feet of (cheap) dental floss...

Back to work on the tape... Don't use this! (duh)

Plastic scraper from "goo-gone" kit. Better? (note the question mark)

Step Three: Wet & Scrape, repeat as needed...


Looking good! (but only because you can't see the scratches left behind! Grrrr!)...

Step Four: Cut & Polish... (this did not remove the scratches completely!) :(


Wax on, wax off... (Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax, not shown)

The result:




Estimated time: 15-30 minutes.

Supplies used:

• Blue Painter's Tape
• Dental Floss
• Goo-gone® kit (liquid & scraper)
• Meguiar's Speed Glaze + applicator
• Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax (not shown) + microfiber

Tips I learned: If you have all the correct supplies BEFORE you begin, you can probably crank it out in about 15 minutes.

Things I wish I knew before I started: How the heck do you remove the double-sided tape remnants without leaving scratches?

Mission Zero starring Uma Thurman

That's right folks, it's the second* Pirelli Film production, featuring Ms. Uma Thurman...
and the Pirelli PZERO, of course!

www.pirellifilm.com

*Yes, that's right- there was a first one!

Alex Roy's BMW M5... drool...

Photo courtesy of Wired.com

Long before I had any interest in cars, I was the biggest technology fan and gadget freak I know. That has only subsided a bit in favor of the occasional go-fast mod and a penchant for a spotless and shiny MINI!

Imagine my excitement this morning as I read the Wired.com article about Alex Roy (who I now classify as "some crazy Manhattan-ite"), hellbent on beating the U.S. coast to coast speed travel record. Straight out of the movies (Cannonball Run), inspired by a movie (C'était un Rendez-vous), it became a movie, "32 Hours, 7 Minutes." And now I can't wait it to own it- and a couple "road-friendly" gadgets I never knew I wanted. Until now.

If you don't agree this is the the coolest BMW M5 ever, then you're probably not a gadget freak. Enjoy the full-length article anyway, and more video clips at Wired.com and 32Hours7Minutes.com.

(How does one obtain a bumper-mounted, thermal imaging night-vision camera, anyway?)