Bumpers are like nose jobs on actresses, pre-and post. Pre-nose job, the schnozz is big and functional, better air circulation and oxygenation, but the actess starves if she looks like Jimmy Durante. Post-nose job, not quite as functional, she now has sleep apnea and sounds like an F-15 when she breathes, BUT she lives in a million dollar mansion and is able to afford getting every nook and crevice hot waxed, and she is internationally beloved.
The MINI is Jimmy Durante. No one went to see him for his looks...
The MINI needs a nose job. Just not a Micheal Jackson type nose job.
Funny thing is when the R56 came out, for those of us who owned R53's for awhile, and grew accustomed to it on a daily basis, in comparison the R56 looked significantly larger and bloated. To the average person who wasn't into MINI, or just discovering MINI, it was hard to tell the difference between the two models, they appeared more similar than different. I'd love to see an R53 next to an F56, to see if that still holds, because this time I don't think it does.
It's not just that though--it has everything to do with combining the 2 series and MINI platforms together--if MINI had it's own seperate platform, the front wheels COULD be pushed out farther to the corners. But that wouldn't work for the 2 series, so in a nutshell it's a compromised platform.
When the new F'ed 56 comes to the local MINI dealership I will go down and get side by side pictures of my R53 and the new thing.
The problem with the newer MINI's (Gen 2 and 3) V's the Classic and R53 is the rake for the front and widndshield meaning to too pulled back now. The Gen 1 looked more like a modern version of the classic mini. Small car with short front and rear overhangs with vertical glass.
Now every new MINI is are stating to look like every other 3 door hatchback on the market. (Kia, Hyundai, Ford, Civic ect.) The only thing Mini has kept (and screwed up) is the round headlights. BMW / MINI has lost the raw classic mini driving feel and style and lack of having every little do-dad (Navi, BlueTooth, Mini Connected) that the original mini was built on.
The MINI brand has turned into a starter (gateway car) to becomming a BMW customer.
Wow--so the base Cooper has pretty much the same overhang, and the S has a small, but significant, amount more than a 1 series. When you look at the picture at the top, it's striking how much better the proportions work on the 1-series versus the MINI. The 1 looks lean, the MINI bloated. No getting around it.
Still, a better comparison would be the F56 versus the 2-series--same platform, and the overhang difference may (or may not) be as striking.
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