Vista MINI Blog

MINI enthusiasts know the benefits of being “green”, “earth friendly”, “eco-conscious” – monetary and otherwise. Having a healthy outside environment is one thing, but if you are polluting your internal environment, you are creating your own oxymoron.

 I have no doubt that most of you know how to “be healthy” but along with phrase usually comes a plethora of excuses ranging from, “it’s inconvenient” to “it’s too expensive”. Alas my fair readers, I too was once a believer of these aforementioned excuses, however- no longer. I have discovered one of the gems that is comes along with the privilege of living here in south Florida- GREEN MARKETS! And lots of them.

 The best organic food is that which you find close to you. The average fruit or vegetable spends 21 days AFTER being harvested being transported to your store. You can imagine the kind of costs that have to be cut in order to pay for that lengthy transportation. Those costs are usually directly reflected in the quality and taste of the food that you are putting on the table for your family. So yes, on the whole, fresh fruit and veggies may cost a slight percentage more, but you better believe that you are going to get a much longer shelf life out of them-yes, no more throwing away money  food because it went bad.

 And people, Green Markets, Farmers Markets- whatever they are masquerading as- they are everywhere in south Florida, especially during “season”.  There are some that are open year round. Marando Farms,for example, located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale, is open every Saturday and Sunday. If you are more of an open-air market lover, be sure to check out the Oceanside Farmers Market in Lake Worth, all whilst catching a fabulous view of that piercing blue Florida beachside. A land lover, eh, then head on over to the Boca Raton Greenmarket, but make it snappy because these folks only hang around until May.

 Wherever you choose to pick up your fresh veggies, artisan breads, delectable jams or one of a kind clothing piece, remember that being green isn’t just something you do on earth day or when you feel nauseous, it’s a way of living just a little bit better. Let’s Motor! Vista MINI <3 to all!

MINI Connected, which will first show its face in the all-new Countryman later this year, is a unique technology that will allow MINI owners web access and seemingly limitless data exchange capabilities.  All future MINI models will eventually have this technology as an option, but it will debut on the Countryman.

MINI Connected stands to be the world’s first in-car entertainment solution, allowing in-car web radio, a huge range of infotainment, navigation and communications functions to be used on board in tandem with your smart phone.  All operations are controlled via the built-in MINI operating system, allowing you to quickly and safely navigate your preferred functions.

The way it works is simple:  You plug in your iPhone (currently the only supported smart phone, but more will likely be added later) into the armrest.  This not only charges the iPhone, but it also provides a connection to the roof antenna and a hard-wire for your data.  The BlueTooth capabilities of your smart phone pair with the MINI operating system so all the typical wireless functions are supported.  Not only will web radio be supported, but a host of other functions, as well, including Google send-to-car, Google’s own mapping feature that allows you to send a business listing directly to your car for in-car navigation and hands-free calling.  That means no more having to write down an important address or phone number only to enter it later into your car’s navigation or calling system.  Additionally, it is speculated that the traditional web communications should all make the scene in one way or another, including SMS, email, Twitter and web browsing itself.  There is even talk of an official “MINI App Store” with downloads and perhaps even third party app development.

Streaming audio and web content in your car is an incredible thing, and one that seemed lifetimes away only a few short years ago.  The MINI Connect should prove to be a tantalizing feature for those of us that are technophiles.  It is good to see cutting edge automakers like MINI embrace the idea of a network-connected world.

MINI shocked the world this week when they announce that the next generation of its core product will be powered by not four, but three cylinder engines.  These 3-cylinder engines, designed in-house by BMW, will be an entirely new range of engines for MINIs made in 2012 and beyond.

They are highly efficient and surprisingly powerful turbocharged that are reduced by at least .2 liters in capacity, but BMW promises instead of a downgrade, performance will actually be improved over the current generation of MINIs.  Weight of the vehicles will be lower, while efficiency will be dramatically improved on every model boasting these remarkable 3-bangers.

Paired with these engines will be MINI’s typical six-speed manual transmission, but rumors have surfaced that there may even be a dual clutch transmission in the works for the higher-end models.

All-in-all, the new generation of MINIs will prove to be more powerful, lighter, more fuel-efficient and ecologically conscious, which is a great thing.  They are currently slated for the next reiteration of MINI models, scheduled to arrive in 2012 or 2013.