Most liked posts in thread: MINI (BMW) Sold out!

I never leased anything in my whole life except getting a new lease on life after bypass, so answer this question for me. Had my co-pilot and I been leasing Friskie (I doubt we'd have named the wee laddie under those conditions) we would not have been able to take our fantastic trip half way across the country to visit Gettysburg, PA, upper NY, VT and etc. to the tune of just short of 5000 miles? ...all that added to the daily trips to the donut shop for morning coffee with a few other old farts of dubious renown?

 

The gov't is mandating more and more "safety" items into cars each year. Air bags and ABS I can agree with. TPMS, why? Are we really too lazy or stupid to check our own tire pressures? Obviously yes. Now we have back up cameras, park assist, lane departure warnings, adaptive headlamps, and the list goes on and on. Never mind all the while this makes the cars more expensive to buy, maintain and repair. Not to mention MINI could maybe address some of the reliability issues as well.

 

Driver Nanny's.......we might as well take the bus!

 

So back to the OP's original post, which I read as a stream-of-consciousness rant at his audio system while listening to the WRR boys summarily dismiss criticisms of the F56. A lot of their dismissals are based on the "sky is falling" complaints WRR logged when MINI released the R56, which was of course followed by ever increasing sales numbers despite its shortcomings and the fact that the core of the dedicated enthusiasts community continued to perceive that certain attributes that made the 1st Gen so special and appealing were being lost.

Their podcast is a great service to the MINI community; I am a faithful listener and generally believe they do a great job with it. I do believe; however, that over time they've been losing a considerable degree of objectivity. MINI USA of late gives them and their MF compatriots unique and privileged access to inside information that often gives them the scoop. I think they're somewhat hesitant to take a stand by saying or agreeing with the most critical comments..."your new [F56] baby is really ugly"... for fear of that unique access potentially drying up -- i.e., thus the "sucking up to MINI." So the dissing of people saying that they are ruining the brand continues...

 

This is dead on correct, and it actually goes all the way back to the R53, where you could count on MF to acknowledge then minimize any issues (the 2002's had a fair share of issues). And then Gabe would throw out something like "It's not true, we a VERY critical of MINI at times, just last week we did a whole paragraph about how the cupholders could stand improvement. Well, actually they're pretty great, but maybe they could be a little bigger. Or not."

That's MF. Each new MINI is better than the other "in every way," which seems to be their favorite line. And you're right, it's gotten worse with time.

Granted, MF does get scoops here and there, and they're worthwhile for that, but any review/opinion piece written on there is so comprised that it's generally worthless. It's sad in a way, Gabe was/is an enthusiast who started off in the right direction, and wanted to cater to enthusiasts, but ended up catering to the masses instead.

 

So it only took you 3 beers to like the F'ed 56 huh...... :lol::lol::lol:

 

With that sentiment in mind, and with a nod to "Something About Mary," I will forever refer to the F56 as the "FBM", or the Frank and Beans Mini. I like that "BM" is part of the acronym. As for the "F", I'm stuck there, maybe Dave can help come up with something creative....:devil:

 

Well, that's kinda sorta what they did with the classic, and that turned out pretty well, considering the Classic is on most "best cars of all time" lists...

So what I'd like is for BMW to go evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. The Classic had a bump in the road--that would be the Clubman, and like I said earlier, this is reminiscent of that. Yes, I do make fun of the R56 too, but truth is it's not that much different from the R53, with the exception of the headlights. The F56 is a departure from "simple", which is the MINI trademark, there is way too much going on, in a nod to Japanese styling. The appeal of the MINI is a hint of retro, it's gone too far this time, there isn't a hint of retro there.

Like I've said ad nauseum, we'll have to agree to disagree.

 

Looks like a photochop job. No one knows what the next MX5 is going to look like yet. Hoping it looks better than that car with it's tacked on Mazda 3 front end. What worries me more than its looks is the fact it houses a Fiat engine under its hood.

Besides all Miata guys know the NA is the best Miata ever. It's the R53 of the Miata world. :lol:

 

NB for the win, everything before it was getting to it, and everything after was change for change sake... All MX-5 folks know that...lol

 

It's all subjective, of course. It might help if there was a person in the picture to give a sense of scale and size.

It just doesn't scream "fun little roadster" at first glance like early models.

 

I thought that was a picture of a new Lexus roadster!

 

^^^ I knew that was coming....

 

Friend of mines sweet NA next to my MSM....

 

It was close in style/performance/weight/sportiness of the Elan S2, but nowhere near a copy by any means.

 

I always thought that Mazda built a reliable MGB!

 

^^^ That was exactly my thought. Appears to be true too.

Being a dead nuts copy of a Lotus Elan is an urban legend.

 

MINI should have stuck with making MINI's that were true to what made original Minis so special, popular and the best selling car in Europe for years and years and years.

In my opinion MNI did sell out and let the market and BS research on trends dictate what the road of MINI should take be rather than breathing more life into the soul of a car brand they brought back from the dead.

MINI /BMW did cave in and sold out to making butt ugly little SUV's and 1/2 Ass station wagons.

If you want those cars go buy a small over priced BMW or Audi.

The MINI is a minimal car and a drivers car PERIOD. Less is more and it analysis has been.

I don't know why people cannot understand . You don't need nanny this nanny that, seat heaters, blue tooth, SAT Nav and all the other driver assist crap and MINI connected.

Jeez people, until you have driven a car like an R63 that is more mechanical than nanny controlled try to understand why is R53 owners are so passionate about how MINI has killed the car we love so much.

Carry on or MOTOR ON the choice is up to you.

 

Really, Jimmy D.?!?!? Please...... tell us more of this analysis.

 

I'll throw out there that I am a soul-less one . I have never driven a supercharged MINI nor a classic mini. I drove a base cooper about 5 years ago 1 time just to check it out for my sister in law (who hit a deer in it - the MINI survived surprisingly well).

I got into my 2010 MCS when searching for a newer DD that 1. Was turbo'd 2. Was a manual (absolute requirement) 3. Fun to drive 4. Was modifiable (not after absolute horsepower - I like to tinker, I'm an engineer) 5. The wife approved of (or I wasn't buying it...period....not gonna happen).

I wanted something like my turbo awd talon I'd had years ago. I drove a Juke, an Impreza (not WRX), several R56s, and an a4 when searching for my vehicle. Not a lot of options for a manual tranny if you don't want a civic, mustang, or camaro. The juke and mcs were the same price though the Juke was new. I enjoyed the MINI so much more than the others and found one at the right price.

I didn't realize I was joining a small, but very active and passionate community. I like it. I understand both sides of the argument, but in the end BMW is a business and they exist to make money. We vote with our money in this society and I see several on here have voted not to buy. Unfortunately, many others have voted and they are buying what is out now. I myself would like to see MINI continue even if they don't build exactly what I want. More choices and more competition is good for all of us.

-From a soul-less one.