It’s encouraging to me that the 302 hp motor with front LSD from the X2 M35i is proliferating across the Mini lineup in the JCW trim level, but so far it seems like anything smaller than the Clubman still gets the 228 hp X1/X2 28i motor in the JCW. Well, except this goofball.

I agree with that part! Especially the current televangelist version of Kanye. (But not with hating all hip hop music.)

Sounds like you’ve got bigger problems with the world at large than people calling wheels rims. 

Yes yes if we’re being precise about it a rim is part of a wheel and not a whole wheel, but calling wheels “rims” is a common-enough turn of phrase that correcting it is getting farther into the weeds than is really necessary. Of all the hills to die on, do you really want to make this yours? 

For some reason the ad campaign for the Seltos in India features an anthropomorphic maybe-evil secret agent meerkat, and a lot of calling stuff badass.

It’s not a kleenex it’s a facial tissue. 

You’re right, there are lightweight forged wheels out there, but these CF ones at 18 lbs each are still saving 4 lbs per corner relative to your example. That’s not insignificant on a performance car like these. 

I didn’t say it was weird, I only provided it as a comparison to the Escort RS Cosworth since both are boxy hatchbacks with double rear wings.

As a resident of the Maryland suburbs of DC, I feel like DC will have tougher sledding towards statehood than Puerto Rico, but both are pretty far off.

Because the Trump administration never saw a regulation that puts restrictions on businesses that it liked, and loves finding new and different ways to get rid of those restrictions, consumers be damned.

We got the original in limited numbers, but not the follow-up.

Both generations of the Mazda 323 GTX are like the understated, less-bonkers cousin of this.

If you were referring to the previous owner instead of me then you should’ve said previous owner. Because what you wrote sure looks like you were calling me an idiot. Congratulations on being both a bad automotive engineer and bad at writing the English language. Who do you work for? I want to make sure I never buy a…

Those LA lefts sure happen a lot here in DC too. 

It’s also on some BMW and Infiniti cars available in showrooms as we speak. Mercedes tried it about 15 years ago with less-than-stellar results.

Your nightmare has already arrived! Basically all accelerator pedals are switches now. I don’t think any car on the market has a cable connecting the pedal to the throttle anymore. Brake-by-wire is also becoming a thing on some cars.

Haha I totally agree with you on those Fringe trips to DC!

Yes I know that’s what’s on the Mini USA site, I already linked to it, and I think they screwed up. The 2019 Countryman weights are all in the 3600-3700 lb range and the 2020 is not a new car. The only difference with the 2020 is the JCW gets the drivetrain from the new X2 M35i instead of the 2019 that was the same as…

I don’t know WTF is up with that curb weight number. I think someone at Mini goofed. The listed curb weight for the X2 M35i is 3721 lbs. Yet the Countryman JCW which is in theory just a different looking version of the same car lists its curb weight at 4696 lbs. The 2019 Countryman JCW is listed on MSN Autos as…