Turbo charge or Supercharge, get it right.
 

I just started looking for a Mini for my wife. Everywhere I look whether it be Edmunds, Cnet, or any other review/comparison site they list the Mini Cooper S with a "supercharger" when it actually has a turbo charger which is a totally different thing. Each of these two terms mean something and they are not interchangeable.

So my question is, what came on what years or models. Does a supercharger (roots type blower) come only on the Works package? Did it ever come standard on an S or is it part of another package?

I have looked until I'm blue in the face for these specifics so I can narrow my search and know what to expect. When I call a dealer and the idiot salesman doesn't know the difference between a blower and a turbo, then he is of little use and I'm back to square one and frustrated because I can't figure out what these "really"came with.

What I'm trying to avoid is driving a hundred miles to go look at a car listed with a supercharger, expecting to drive a car with a blower on it only to see an intercooler on top of the engine which of course is equipped with a turbo charger. I want one with a blower (supercharger) so should I only be looking for cars with the Works package?

2002/2006 CooperS SUPERCHARGED hardtop there is a carryover on the convertible S I think it runs to 07/early 08

NEW BODY STYLE
2007+ CooperS TURBOCHARGED hardtop Convertible S followed after 08 body change

I've only driven 2 of these, both 2006 S models and both had turbo chargers in them with that little intercooler sitting on top of everything. Go figure.:confused:

For years and years I have seen in the various car magazines where writers get the terms reversed in an article and I think this stems from them being writers merely regurgitating what they've been fed and not really understanding what they are and how they work, so they just flip out one term or the other, which ever sounds best in their article.

A friend has a convertible S with the works and every other option on it and it has a supercharger (blower). He seems to think that all the S models were and are turbo charged and the only ones that have the blower or supercharger are those with the Works package.

Not meaning to dispute your post or anything but in light of the two 06' models I drove that should have blown engines according to your figures but instead had turbo, it seems the jury is still out on this one. Thanks for your post.

I just thought of something after reading some more posts. Do these things that are equipped with a blower ALSO come sometimes equipped with an intercooler? If so, that may be where the confusion is at least on my part. By default, I associate an intercooler with a turbo.

I've never seen a blown engine with an intercooler and don't know why you would need one since there normally isn't a reason to cool the air going to a blower since it's ambient rather than coming from a turbo that is driven by hot exhaust gasses which would benefit from cooling it down for density.

Maybe Cooper/BMW/Chrysler do things differently? Educate me please.:D

MY info is CORRECT ... The INTERCOOLER on the 06 has the SUPERCHARGER underneath it ...
The TURBOCHARGED motors have the turbo clearly visible in front of the motor

That explains it then, I must be all wet. So why does a supercharger need an intercooler? Thanks

blowers use the cooler to. the colder the air charge into the S/C the cooler the charge when it leaves the S/C as heat builds when you compress the air