OK, I'll be blunt. I won't be buying an F56 MINI. Or 4-door Clubman/Traveler. I believe they are good cars mechanically, but visually unappealing (to my tastes). So, in my continuing efforts to 'be prepared' for any eventuality (like a mobile home landing on my R55), I've started looking into possible successors. I drove a Fiesta ST, and really liked it, but it was just a bit too flash for me. I haven't tested the Focus ST, but wife has a more sedate model. It's a great car, but we don't need two of them. I decided to go test a FIAT Abarth. Made arrangements with my 'local' dealer (emails and phone contacts), set up an appointment, and away I went. Clue #1 this wasn't going to go well: The sales person has the title "Design Consultant." I thought "Motoring Adviser" was a bit over the top, but "Design Consultant" circles the bowl. Clue #2: When I pulled up at the dealership, salesmen were hanging around the front, waiting to grab people. Stirred up some very bad memories of previous car-shopping expeditions over the years. I made it past the gauntlet of scavenger sales-sharks (with skinny pants and goatees) and onto the showroom floor. I was late (last minute work-related delay, but I called), and my "Design Consultant" was not there, but would be back soon. I stand near her desk to wait, while glancing at a nice original FIAT Cinquecento. Golly that thing was small! I don't remember my brother's friends Abarth 850 being that tiny (it wasn't). Of course, I was a lot tinier back in 1964 than I am today. Clue #3 (personal judgement): In addition to the skinny pants and goatee'd male sales-sharks, the female "Design Consultants" were either covered in tattoos and wearing cocktail attire, or seemed to be training for a life on the runways of Milan or the streets of Rome. My DC scowled at me as she walked in. I apologized for having to reschedule, and then I told what I was there for, and she responded "Do you want your $25 Amazon gift?" I said,well, yes (it was a perk to get you into the dealership), as it would offset the cost of the long drive. I then said again, 'I'm here to test drive an Abarth." "Are you going to buy a new car immediately?" she asked. No, I said, I'm just in the early stages of looking. "Well, the Abarth is an up-scale car, and we restrict test drives to serious customers. You can go online and watch the Top Gear test." I've been buying new cars for over 40 years, and I had never been treated quite this way, although a Porsche dealer came close in 1975 (Porsche, mind you, not FIAT!). Got my validation and left, reflecting on how different my visits with MINI dealers have been. I guess there's always MINI Next cars (until the improved Gen 3.5 cars come out). Next stop, a round of Golf GTI.
That is interesting. My test drive was nothing like yours. The salesman was just a regular guy. I did get to test drive the Abarth & found it quite pleasing. No Amazon card for me, but a nice test drive. I'd recommend trying another dealer for a test drive. The Abarth might or might not be your cup of tea, but you won't know if you don't drive one. Let us know how you like the GTI. That car is one of the ones on my short list as a replacement car.
What is it about "Customer Service" that these sales people don't understand today. I heard the same story from a guy back in 2005 when I bought my MINI. He wanted to test drive a Mustang, no dice. He walked out the door and down the street to the MINI dealer and bought a MINI. Even at Sams Club they let you sample the food. Free samples at the Ice Cream counter. Even a hooker will let you.........na, I better not go there.
Anyway, the real point of this post is an appreciation of the training and methodology MINI USA puts into its dealer certification. As a consumer, you DO pay for it, either front-loaded or on the back end. But the American automobile buying experience is so nasty, I believe it has led many to avoid the process altogether (Carmax has capitalized on this). Whether MINI can sustain this through slower demand is questionable. As luke-warm as I am about the F56, I hope it's a success and that sales pick-up once production is fully ramped up. It will be interesting to this old marketing guy to watch.
I've never understood those plaid seats. Do they not come any other way? My friend has a GTI that came new off the lot with not only the plaid seats but a plaid vinyl stripe right down the center, bumper to bumper. I don't get it.
I notice now that there are a lot more MINI dealers than back in 2006 even their attitude has changed somewhat, still better than most but none the less. A few months after getting my 06 the R56 came out and I just wanted to compare, so we went to MINI of Morristown for a test drive. The sales manager knew I had no intension of buying it but we went out for a ride, of course not as long as when I bought the R53 but still. Now when you wanna test drive a few they say "oh, your thinking if either this model or that one?" Eh, no I just want to drive both. Kinda takes the fun it of it. Bottom line yes they have to sell cars but don't become just another car dealer....
I dig the plaid more than the leather. Bought a set of plaid seat covers from JC Whitney for one of my old Beetles. :ihih:
I prefer to think of it as "90's Grunge" edition. I looked at the Driver's Edition when I bought mine, but it being my first time owning a VW I wanted the iconic plaid seats. That and I didn't want a sunroof (which is massive on the MK VII!). I look at the plaid seats and golf ball shifter as being the GTI version of the dinner plate center mount speedo on the R53 and R56.
The plaid seats are classic GTI, but best of all they're cloth. I hate leather seats in cars at this price level; they're slippery, cold in the winter and hot in the summer - and usually look like they're made out of the same stuff as Band-Aids. The new GTI only has plaid seats in the base S model; the mid-line SE and top Autobahn model have leather. The S and SE come in 2- and 4-door models, but the Autobahn is 4-doors only. I'm waiting for VW to wise up and make the SE available with the plaid cloth seats, and my order will be in.
Sorry, I should have said 2-doors, like some of the packages, aren't in production yet. Hopefully within a month...
I'm with you re cloth v. leather. I'd even take the plaid cloth over leather or pleather, I'd just rather they offer another cloth fabric option. But I'm not in the market so my opinion doesn't matter. I get it, though, I think; complaining about the plaid puts me in the same sort of group as people who complain about the 1st and 2nd gen MINIs' center speedo.