The early rumors indicating the coupe would be lighter were wrong. Due to MINI increasing rigidity with extra bracing (where the rear seat would be), the rear movable spoiler and several options that are now standard on the R58, the Coupe is actually around 45 lbs heavier than the hatch. This is based on our in-depth conversation about the car with MINI exes. But (and it’s a big one, it’s still faster than the R56 according to MINI. While the official 0-60 time is pegged at 6.1 we heard from MINI tonight that the R58 is not only faster than the R56 hatch in a straight line but also around any track thanks to better weight distribution and better aerodynamics.
Huh..... Make it smaller....shorter......take out a bunch of stuff, and it winds up heavier? Interesting
Pretty much all the comments that I've seen on this story, both here and elsewhere, are some flavor of negative. I can understand everyone's disappointment (including MINI's, I bet). After all, we all tend to see any sort of weight gain as bad, especially our own! And yet, I'm not so sure that it's really that big a deal in this case. Sure, 45 pounds (20 kg) is 45 pounds, but you can make that much difference in any car just by filling the fuel tank or taking the spare out of the boot (or putting one in). Extra bracing in turn requires the addition of, or beefed-up, attachment points, which together probably match or out-weigh the rear seat and seat belts. The spoiler and its mechanism add something too. Then there's the several options that are now standard; wonder what those are? Chances are that they're things that many buyers would have spec'ed anyway. In which case the additional weight would have been there anyway on those cars. No doubt more information will soon be forthcoming that will make this more clear. My 2-cents' worth.
Spin it any way you want, but the car is smaller and de-contented, on top of that BMW has been all in the news about how they're going to lighter, stronger materials and construction - I would have thought this an ideal platform to showcase some of that tech. Instead it's even heavier than the hatch it's based on, which was significantly lighter than the car it supplanted.......it just seems like a step backward to me. It's not a personal affront, I own a Clubman - the 2nd heaviest car they build! But I was hoping to see a 2-300 lb reduction on this car, not a gain. Wonder where this will put the roadster?
Very disappointing. We all know that weight is a huge factor for these cars due to the relatively low horsepower numbers. They should have done something to keep these cars at least 200 lbs lighter than the hatch. I have no idea how they shaved a second off of the 0-60 time with the same motor and a heavier car.
Ok, so who's the first aftermarket company that's gonna offer a fixed wing in place of the moveable wing? Strip out the moveable wing and motor, strip the roof spoiler, add a splitter and a fixed wing. Then we can talk.
Isn't the moveable wing there so the trunk would open? I thought I read that a fixed wing in the right position to work correctly wouldn't allow the trunk to open. I might have imagined this.....:blush2: And it's not just the extra 45lbs, it's the 2-300 less plus the 45 that we were expecting/hoping it to weigh in at.....
Where did 200-300 lbs lighter come from? The car is still based on the same car we have now, correct? So in reality, the only thing removed is the rear seat (65 lbs, right?) and perhaps some of the upright and roof, but the roof is almost the same size, so no significant loss there. With the movable wing, the weight would definitely go back up. Plus, from what they are saying, there are some performance enhancing stiffeners added, which are not 0 lbs, so just curious where all that weight was supposed to come from? :confused5:
Well..... I don't know about the 200-300 lbs lighter. But this I do know, for a given thickness, steel weighs 2.8 times more than aluminum. When I changed out the original bumper skin over to the JCW Aero on my 09, I was expecting to see an aluminum bumper beam like the 1st gens. I was very surprised to see it was made out of steel. I didn't take it off and weight it, but I'll bet it's close to 75 pounds. Might the rear bumper beam also be made out of steel as well (I haven't changed out the rear bumper, so I don't know)? I suspect there was a lot they could have done to reduce weight, but why bother with the 3rd generation just around the corner. It'll look better when they can point to new materials and weight reductions as compared to the old "Heavy" 2nd gen.
In an accident, I would prefer steel bumpers over aluminum, wouldn't you? :eek6: :cornut: Did the safety rules change on that, perhaps? It could also be that aluminum prices have risen and costs were a factor. I know our product's (grill tools and accessories) costs have risen dramatically in the past couple of years because of the rising costs of raw materials -- especially metals -- worldwide. Also, you very rarely see a car get lighter as new models come out. Who knows???
One might expect whatever the weight, with the lower roof and seats; the center of gravity should also he considerably lower than a R56...
That coupled with the stiffer chassis should make the Coupe a little speed demon... Even with 45 additional lbs. I am sure the mod gurus will have the thing kicking the crap out of a lot of unsuspecting muscle cars in no time...
Once the 4 runflats are pitched and a nice set of ultralight wheels are installed the 45 pounds will more than disappear.