"Hey, is that a PT Cruiser?"...... What is up with that? I have gotten at least 5 people asking me that in the past 2 weeks. I am being serious! What an insult!!! When I tell them it is a MINI COOPER they just stare dumbfounded.

At least no one has asked me yet if it is electric......

 

maybe if you squint.... then i might could see a small resemblence to a ford.... na......those cars are just ugly!

 

Lucky you..friend who owns a Middle Eastern restaurant here asked if my car was

"Gas or electric? Does it run on batteries?"

Yes, he was serious. Just not knowledgeable about current cars. Not a surprise. I told him BMW makes it, and just chuckled a bit. Promised to show him how it drives later. Probably should ask how his health is, first.

He's in for a shock.

Cheers,
Matthew Z.

 

Vermont has no MINI dealers, so I can see with they are "rare" animals up there in green mountain country.


Still, the "PT Cruiser" comparison is downright insulting

But...


Both the PT Cruiser and the MINI, have "MOPAR" engines under the hood.

 

Is it bad if I like the convertible PT Cruiser and the SRT-4 PT Cruiser?

 

same with me. people think my car is a PT cruiser.

and about a month ago i got a parking ticket. on the ticket the cop wrote "pt cruiser" for model and "chrysler" for the make. i was more mad about that than the ticket.

 

I don't know where the ticket was issued, but in Cali, that ticket would be void for misstating the Make and Model!

Oh, I've gotten the PT comments for the past 3 years and I just giggle and say, "Nope!"

I've gotten the electric question many, many times! People are just so used to seeing big ol' SUVs that to see something the size of our MINIs baffles them!

And I think the PT convertible is much better-looking than the regular one. It looks quite good as a ragtop!


Clover

 

I couldnt see a PT out of the Mini at all!! I would take that as an insult aswell. But i do agree w/the others who posted they like the forced induction PT's they kinda are cool/fast. But thats just me talking

 

Thats OK. At least once a day I get asked "What is it?". Last weekend at the car wash 2 guys asked. I told em "Look at the dang emblems!" ....with an angry tone in my voice. Then of course they asked "Who makes it?" to which I ignored them.

 

In the land of Hyundais, KIA's and Daewoos, MINIs must be a God send to them

PS: I sent you a PM RE: Club Shirt/Cap/Sticker---> never got a reply. Let me know if you are still interested in these items.

 

Did you pay the ticket? Since you don't have a PT Cruiser, you shouldn't have to pay it. I would fight that ticket for sure !

 

I'm really fascinated by this consistent, widespread perceived resemblance! Besides looking "unusual" (suspiciously so, perhaps?), what do these two cars have in common appearance-wise? I really find this bizarre. There should be a study done.

 

Yes...well, maybe the SRT-4 PT, but take a close look at the rear view of a PT convertible.

 

This is a new low. Have roadway aesthetics gotten so dull, boring, and nondescript that any car that looks a little out of the ordinary is identified as just some generic "other?" Could be. Sad.

 

Two years ago....maybe. I would get the "is it electric" stuff too.

But in 2005? Where do you motor?

regards,
Red

 

Guess they have never seen a MC on an off a ramp doing 60 in the tight part, inside the white line, shoulder, and flying away at 85 at the bottom of the ramp

Not much out there can do that. A PT can't keep up on a slight curve

 

To the next person who asks you if it's a PT Cruiser, simply reply: "Why no, it isn't. Unlike the PT Cruiser this car accelerates and corners."




A_Sr.

 

Of course, there is that embarrassing (however distant) relation to both the MINI and the PT that no one likes to talk about, the black sheep of the family that isn't on the Christmas card list and doesn't get invited to weddings...

the Dodge Neon.

...but obviously the casual clueless obersver doesn't know that the European market Neon has the same engine as the MINI, and that the PT is built on the Neon platform.

Or do they???!!!

 

wait... what does the Mini engine have to do with MOPAR?

 

A mother with two kids asked me if the car ran on electricity because it was so small. I told her, no, gas, and she smiled and walked away.:smile:

 

You ppl should own an original Mini, back when I had mine it was always, the same dumb ???s

I would think you could get out of the ticket since the idiot cop didnt write down the right model, just say "nope I dont own a PT Cruiser"....

 

H's joking.. however the engine is a joint venture between bmw and chrysler.

 

I once had a guy tell me that he loved my PT COOPER!!! I just chuckled and drove away.

 

I love the PT Loser. It and the Scion XB should mate so that the world's ugliest car can be born.

 

Our reliable and bulletproof 1.6 TRITEC engines were developed in a joint venture between BMW and then Chrysler Corporation prior to the "hostile" 1998 take over in part of Daimler-Benz. These engines have MOPAR genes and their reliability is attributed to the simple SOHC design and generally speaking Chrysler engines are very reliable and durable (Just ask my father in law who has been driving Dodges and Plymouths for the last 40 years).

The 1.6L normally aspirated TRITEC engine found in the MINI Cooper model is also used in Export versions (Europe/Africa markets) of the Chrysler Neon and Chrysler PT Cruiser (The Dodge nameplate is only used in North America). There is another small car being built in China (I think it is the Chery) that also uses this fantastic engine.

The 1.6L Supercharged version of the TRITEC is only used in the MINI Cooper S and no other car in the world shares this engine.

I for one, applud the MOPAR background in our engines because these engines are built to last And can take the abuse of tuners and racer alike.

The North American market versions of the Neon/PT Cruiser use a 2.0L and 2.4L (Turbocharged version also available in the 2.4L Turbo PT Cruiser) 4 cyl engine which is a "bigger" brother to our 1.6L TRITECS. Pop up the hood of a Dodge Neon and the engine will look very similar to the one found in a MINI Cooper.

The 1.6L TRITEC engine is currently built in Curitiba, Brazil a very industrialized town in that country (Also home to VW's assembly plants for the VW Golf/GTI). The engines are built using STRICT Toyota Manufacturing quality processes. The engine in our MINIs is the only component currently sourced outside of the European Union.

This is an artists rendition of the TRITEC factory in Brazil:



Engines in production:



Engine Quality Control Lab:



Engine being assembled:



Another view of the plant:



Curitiba, Parana State, Brazil:



Here is the main website for TRITEC Motors:

http://www.tritecmotors.com.br/english/index.html


If you speak/read Portuguese, their website also offers a section in that language. Very interesting info there.

So hope this answers your concerns about "MOPAR" under our bonnets.

Needless to say, the next generation of BMW-Peugeot PSA engines due for the all new R56 MINI in 2007 will have some very BIG shoes to fill once the TRITEC engine is discontinued from MINI production in late 2006.