That's the car we bought. MINI however, feels that the market for that car was not sustainable. The market is always changing. What was a huge hit in 60's and into the 70's fell precipitously worldwide. Automotive design life cycles were longer then too. As a society we have accelerated everything. We want it now, faster, smarter, doing more things so we can do less. The automakers are looking at alternative revenue streams too. WiFi subscriptions, OnStar and more, will be coming. This adds weight and size. People want it. The automakers are going to supply what drives profits. The enthusiast market is a niche market. MINI started there in 2002, figured out how to make it more than a niche and exploiting that. Not sure why this is so terrible.
Oh please don't get me started about OnStar! If you have read about some of the legal battles about OnStar and those type of systems............. I guess I am just an old dinosaur! But then agin I have read 1984
Yet the MINI hasn't really changed... oh wow, they moved the window switch and speedometer location, and gave it a massive underbite. OH THE HUGE MANATEE!
Earlier it was all about how the MINI had to change and grow in length, etc. Now your saying it really hasn't changed, which is it........ I know to MINI USA I'm not very high on their priority list and they are selling more cars each year but that is easier to do now because they have more models, but who is to say had they left the Cooper somewhat alone and just added the creature comforts on the interior that they wouldn't have sold more anyway. We'll never know. I will say I would have already bought a new one had they done that but hey that's just 1 sell they missed out on..
This is what I keep thinking of as I read through some of the comments (little dated, but still funny)
^^^^^^^^:lol::lol::lol::lol:^^^^^^^^^^^ Ok maybe I sound that way................but still LEAVE MY COOPER ALONE!:lol::lol:
My concern is if they follow the model changes and end up like the Mustang did and I love the old Mustangs. ( 1st car was a '69 Mach 1, and have owned 2 '68 Fastbacks ) Mustang came out with the 64-1/2 Model and in '67 it got alittle bigger, '69 got alittle bigger, '71 got very big, sales started dropping so in '74 they revamped the car and we ended up with the Mustang II ( gas crunch did have something to do with this ) and after a few years of that they almost quit making the Mustang altogether!!!! If over the next 7-8 years the MINI grows another 8'' can we then say it's big and maybe MINI USA will realize that but they then have to be very careful if they try to come out with a new downsized Cooper..
So we have the Cooper II to look forward to? :biggrin5: Ok call me sick but I would like to have a Mustang cobra II.
The problem is that when you call your company MINI, you can't do what BMW and Audi have done and just keep releasing new models that take over the smallest spot in their line up as the current models continue to grow in size. I guess they could go with MINI XXL, XL, L, M, S, XS if they keep enlarging the 2dr hardtop/vert.
Any Ford with a "II" or a "500" (minus Shelby's) after the name was bound to suck... And people knew it! Just saying.
Oh sweet jebus, this is like arguing with a brick wall. Wheelbase hasn't changed but 1" or so. Width changed but 1.5" or so. It has fatter bumpers due to 'improved' crash test standards. These crash test standards, including low-speed impact ones, help keep insurance costs down. A R53, while a fairly safe car inside, does not fare well in low-speed parking lot impacts. Now, to change gears a bit and stop talking about size, the only real things I'm offended by on the F56 aren't even size-related. The moving of the speedometer doesn't even bother me much. But the fact that they made the tach so small it's nearly illegible (should've gone digital speedo readout with normal-sized tach) irritates me. And why'd they do it? Because the sheeple demanded a 'normal' interior with an analog speedometer... and wait, what does that RPM counter thing do? And now they've gone and made the sport suspension option unavailable on non-JCW cars. It's the pandering to the incredibly stupid masses that worries me. You can keep the quirk without eliminating it entirely.
Okay.... you're sick.:biggrin5: The only good thing I can say about the Mustang II is they made good donor cars for building the kit hotrods. Mainly the front suspension.
You apparently like the newer MINIs and I don't like the looks of them so lets just leave it at that.. Us folks on MINI fourms are the minority, the majority of people buying the MINI just think it is a cute fun car that gets pretty good MPG..