Vibrations from the industry: 3-Cylinder Mini in the works

Smaller engine for a tiny car.

 There’s a new Mini Cooper on the horizon, and our crystal ball is vibrating to the tune of three cylinders. Expect an announcement that base Mini Cooper models will soon be powered by a 1.5-liter turbo three-pot with Valvetronic infin­itely variable valve lift. We’ve seen this engine before: BMW has been shuttling journalists through 1-series and 3 Series test vehicles equipped with it, and along with a modified version of the i3’s electric drive system, it will help motivate the upcoming i8. The engine is essentially half of BMW’s N55 six-cylinder; put another way, it’s the N20 four-banger with one cylinder lopped off. Expect power and torque outputs far in excess of the current Mini’s base 121-hp, 114-lb-ft four. The Cooper S and JCW models will most likely retain four-cylinder power.