Another thought: "Dave-O and the Butt Monkeys" would be a pretty cool name for a band. There could be some big bucks here, my friend! :idea::lol:
Someone is going to come out with an Aftermarket Body Kit for the front that will take care of the "Stick Out" look and make tons of money.
Probably. Interesting "fact": The guys from my local dealer who went to training last week said the black bumper bar is there specifically to meet the European safety rules and is an integral part of the front structure. They also said it's kind of "squishy" - you can't push in on it and deform it with one finger, but you can with two fingers.
I have one finger that I'm pretty sure will work quite well for that front bumper; two fingers would be overkill and ruin the effect. And Justajim, I don't hate the R56 anymore, it makes me think of walnuts each time I pass one on the track, and I really like walnuts... If they have to blast the F56 valve train with pistachios, that would take this argument to a whole new level; I LOVE pistachios!
Yeah that was a gimme, I need to stay away from those and concentrate more on the ten footers, was just helping out, saving someone else the trouble...
Yea like Dave said its all in good fun. I too will welcome the F56 owners to MA. I don't have to like some ones taste in cars to enjoy their enthusiasm. I'm not in to dragsters or low rider but its still cool to see what they do with their cars. Some low riders are works of art.
The tow hook is actually in the weird black bar. I drove an autotragic S F56 today and liked it more than I thought I would. Not saying that I'd trade in my R53 for one but given the other options on the market, I might consider one in a year or so. Gotta give MINI time to workout all the bugs. In the meantime, I'll continue shopping for a properly configured 128.
I took out an F56 Cooper manual yesterday for a test drive and I would concur with Jen on her assessment. Love the sport seats. In the end, MINIs are for driving. For the enthusiast, it really doesn't matter what it looks like inside. Those who whined about the ergonomics in the R53 need to get a life. If anything, putting the controls where they are for other cars make the MINI less MINI and more generic. Once you drive the car a bit and get used to where all the controls are, it's a non-issue. Every car is a little different. The car is bigger, but driving it feels like it's the same size as the previous MINI. It's not as small on the outside and general consensus has been, it's a bit uglier. But on the other hand, I've been told I own a "cute girly" car a few times in the past too. Design is just too subjective to please everybody. I also am not a big fan of electronics in the interior controls. However, having multi-mode displays has allowed MINI to keep the gauges in front of the drive relatively easy to read. Why one needs multi modes is beyond me. Just give me a MINI with one mode, being sport mode, cut the crap with eco mode and lop $2000 off the price of the car. I feel it's a waste, but this allows the display to be configured to all things to all people without getting it overly cluttered with buttons. If I follow the MINI Motoring creed of Get in, shut-up and drive, then the F56 is a worthy successor to the discontinued R56. But then, I'm still having too much fun with my R53 so I won't be buying one, at least for now. But it is a car I can recommend to my friends who are asking if they should consider getting a MINI....provide the new engines turn out to be relatively reliable.
It's probably going to be a fine car..... I hope... I plan to drive one when they become available.... ""provide the new engines turn out to be relatively reliable."" I'll keep my R56 for awhile and see how the new engines pan out as being reliable.... Maybe until the LCI update.... Hope they address the bumpers.... ""Looks better in the darker colors"" I'm sure it does.... So do the gals that hang around the bars at night......until the sun comes up.... You still need to like the look of the outside in the daylight too... If only the dark colors are the movers..... Mini.... It's a sign.... ""cut the crap with eco mode and lop $2000 off the price of the car"" Read somewhere where the price of the F56 was about $3,000 cheaper for a comparable equipped R56.... I haven't done the math... One can only hope....
F56 Hipster Car Launch.... Oppo Good read.... http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/i-was-at-a-hipster-carlaunch-and-it-was-eye-opening-1543681298
i love the people who say just get past the looks...or...your inside the car you cant see the outside...but its hard to say that when the interior is just as horrendous as the exterior...nothing MATCHES...the body lines dont flow...its got too much of a flat @$$ and a fish face....the interior doesnt know if it wants to be MINI or BMW so it took the worst aspects of both...its just a absolute retarded debacle that should be hit with a stick then killed with fire...i dont care about dark colors...IF YOU ARE ALREADY CLAMORING FOR AN AFTERMARKET BUMPER YOU HAVE FAILED MINI...i suspect this "thing" is the swan song...its sad when a paceman is more in keeping with the original formula....as someone who owns a 79 Leyland, who owned a R53 and now owns a R61... this atrocity is no where near what MINI is...