Microcar MC: which 0.5 CVT to choose (2000–2008)
The Microcar MC ran as 1 generation from 2000-01-01 to 2008-12-31 in one body: Mini 3-doors. All four catalogue versions share the same name, 0.5 CVT. The choice is not between generations — there is only one — and not between gearboxes or body styles.
The Microcar MC ran as 1 generation from 2000-01-01 to 2008-12-31 in one body: Mini 3-doors. All four catalogue versions share the same name, 0.5 CVT. The choice is not between generations — there is only one — and not between gearboxes or body styles. It is between two diesel 0.5 CVT rows at 6 hp and two gasoline 0.5 CVT rows at 21 hp, all with a 505 cm³ 2-cylinder Inline engine, No boost, Variable gearbox, FWD, and a 16 L tank.
If you only need a rule of thumb: the gasoline 0.5 CVT (21 hp / 15 kW) is the stronger of the two power levels; the diesel 0.5 CVT (6 hp) is the lower-output pair. The extra 15 hp on gasoline is 3.5× the diesel figure (21 ÷ 6). Where torque is measured, gasoline 34 Nm is exactly 2× diesel 17 Nm.
Specs that actually differ between the four 0.5 CVT rows
| Version (name as in data) | Fuel | hp | kW | rpm | Nm | Displacement | Cylinders / layout | Boost | Injection | Gearbox | Drive | Top speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 CVT (diesel, 6 hp / 5 kW) | Diesel | 6 | 5 | 3000 | not measured | 505 | 2 Inline | No | not measured | Variable | FWD | not measured |
| 0.5 CVT (diesel, 6 hp / 4 kW) | Diesel | 6 | 4 | 3000 | 17 | 505 | 2 Inline | No | not measured | Variable | FWD | not measured |
| 0.5 CVT (gasoline, 21 hp) | Gasoline | 21 | 15 | 5100 | not measured | 505 | 2 Inline | No | Direct injection (direct) | Variable | FWD | 90 |
| 0.5 CVT (gasoline, 21 hp, 34 Nm) | Gasoline | 21 | 15 | 5100 | 34 | 505 | 2 Inline | No | Direct injection (direct) | Variable | FWD | 90 |
Same name, same years, same chassis layout. The table is the whole product line.
Generations: nothing to “step up” into
1 generation is the entire model: 2000-01-01–2008-12-31, Mini 3-doors, 4 versions, all named 0.5 CVT. There is no later generation, no restyling generation, and no second body. Buying “a later MC” in this catalogue is still the same generation window. Comparison is inside these four rows, not across eras.
What did not change from row to row: Independent, spring front and rear, Disc front brakes, Drum rear, FWD, Variable, 16 L tank, 505 cm³, 2 Inline, No boost, production start and stop dates.
Engine: 6 hp diesel vs 21 hp gasoline
Displacement is identical: 505 cm³ on every 0.5 CVT. Specific output is therefore a clean ratio of power to that volume.
- Diesel 0.5 CVT at 6 hp: 6 / 0.505 ≈ 11.9 hp per litre.
- Gasoline 0.5 CVT at 21 hp: 21 / 0.505 ≈ 41.6 hp per litre.
Gasoline specific output is about 3.5× diesel (41.6 / 11.9). Peak power rpm also splits the line: diesel 3000, gasoline 5100 — gasoline is rated 2100 rpm higher.
Kilowatts track the same split: diesel 5 kW or 4 kW, gasoline 15 kW. 15 − 5 = 10 kW and 15 − 4 = 11 kW more on gasoline. Horsepower on the two diesel rows is the same 6 hp; the only diesel-to-diesel number that moves is kW (5 vs 4) and whether torque is filled in.
Fuel type is Diesel on the 6 hp pair and Gasoline on the 21 hp pair. Boost is No on all four, so none of the extra 15 hp is a turbo step in this data.
Gasoline 0.5 CVT lists Direct injection (direct); both diesel 0.5 CVT rows list injection as not measured. Do not treat diesel as “the same injection” — it is not stated.
Torque: only two of four 0.5 CVT rows have a figure
- Diesel 0.5 CVT (6 hp / 4 kW): 17 Nm.
- Gasoline 0.5 CVT (21 hp, 34 Nm row): 34 Nm.
- Diesel 0.5 CVT (6 hp / 5 kW): torque not measured.
- Gasoline 0.5 CVT (21 hp without Nm): torque not measured.
Where both exist, gasoline torque is 34 − 17 = 17 Nm higher, i.e. 2.0×. Torque rpm is not measured on every row, so you cannot compare at which engine speed that peak arrives.
If you need a torque number in the spec sheet, the diesel row to pick is 0.5 CVT at 6 hp / 4 kW / 17 Nm, and the gasoline row is 0.5 CVT at 21 hp / 34 Nm. The other two 0.5 CVT names are the same power levels with torque left blank.
Gearbox, drive, chassis: no version buys a different layout
Every 0.5 CVT: Variable, gear count not measured, FWD. Front suspension Independent, spring; rear Independent, spring. Front brakes Disc; rear Drum.
There is no AWD 0.5 CVT, no extra-gear 0.5 CVT, and no disc-rear 0.5 CVT in this data. “Which version for drive or brakes?” has one answer: they match.
Performance and economy (mpg, 0–100, top speed)
0–100 is not measured on all four 0.5 CVT rows. You cannot rank sprint from this catalogue.
Top speed: gasoline 0.5 CVT (21 hp) is 90. Diesel 0.5 CVT (6 hp) top speed is not measured. The only measured top-speed figure in the line is 90 on both gasoline rows.
City / highway / combined consumption: not measured on all four. mpg is not in the data. CO2 not measured. Eco class not measured. Fuel grade not measured. Economy cannot decide the purchase from these numbers.
Tank is 16 L on every 0.5 CVT. Range cannot be computed without consumption.
Dimensions, weight, ground clearance
Kerb weight not measured on all four. Gross weight not measured. Ground clearance not measured. Wheel sizes not measured.
Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated. You cannot say which 0.5 CVT is lighter. The only measured “size-adjacent” figure here is the 16 L tank, identical.
Reliability and problems: what the sheet does and does not show
This dataset has no failure rates, recalls, or common faults. Reliability is not measured. What you can still use:
- One generation only (2000–2008), so there is no “new-gen reliability jump” to buy.
- Same Variable + FWD + Independent, spring + Disc/Drum on every 0.5 CVT.
- Two fuels: Diesel 6 hp vs Gasoline 21 hp with Direct injection (direct) only on gasoline.
Problems and reliability searches will not be answered by extra numbers in this file; they are absent, not hidden in another version.
Which 0.5 CVT to choose, using only the arithmetic
Choose gasoline 0.5 CVT (21 hp / 15 kW) if the goal is the higher measured output. You get +15 hp vs diesel 0.5 CVT (6 hp), +10 or +11 kW depending on which diesel kW you compare, ≈41.6 hp/L vs ≈11.9 hp/L, peak power at 5100 vs 3000, Direct injection (direct) stated, and the only top speed in the table: 90. If you also want torque on the page, take the gasoline 0.5 CVT that lists 34 Nm, not the gasoline 0.5 CVT where Nm is not measured. Power, kW, rpm, fuel, injection, gearbox, drive, tank, and 90 top speed are the same on both gasoline rows; 34 Nm is the only extra filled field.
Choose diesel 0.5 CVT (6 hp) if the goal is the lower-output Diesel pair. Power is 6 hp at 3000 rpm, No boost, 505 cm³, 2 Inline, Variable, FWD. Between the two diesel 0.5 CVT names, 6 hp is identical. The 5 kW diesel row has torque not measured; the 4 kW diesel row adds 17 Nm and lists 1 kW less (5 − 4). If you need Nm on a diesel spec, that is the 0.5 CVT at 6 hp / 4 kW / 17 Nm. If you match a listing that quotes 5 kW, that is the other diesel 0.5 CVT.
Do not choose by generation, body, gearbox, drive, tank, or suspension. All four 0.5 CVT share 1 generation, Mini 3-doors, Variable, FWD, 16 L, Independent, spring both ends, Disc / Drum.
Do not choose by 0–100, mpg, weight, or clearance. Those are not measured on every version. A version that looks “more economical” or “lighter” is not supported here.
What extra output “buys” in this data: not a larger engine (505 on all), not boost (No on all), not a different gearbox or drive. It buys the step from Diesel 6 hp to Gasoline 21 hp, from 3000 to 5100 rpm, from ≈11.9 to ≈41.6 hp/L, and — where Nm exists — from 17 to 34 Nm. Top speed 90 appears only on gasoline 0.5 CVT.
Short pick: same name 0.5 CVT four times — pick 21 hp gasoline for the higher figures; pick 6 hp diesel for the lower pair; inside each pair, pick the row that has Nm filled (17 diesel, 34 gasoline) if torque must be on the sheet.