BMW has been working for 20 years to build a successful line of British cars, and on the evidence of the second-generation Mini Clubman, it may have finally done it. That means it's time for all of us to get used to the fact that Minis aren't going to be that small anymore. Case in point is this new Mini Clubman, introduced last month and conspicuous by its size. Many of us who've pointed to BMW's stewardship of Mini as an example of retro done right bemoaned the Countryman subcompact SUV – a concept actually ahead of its time. The Coupe and Roadster, perhaps rightfully, deserved (and received) an eye roll. But now there's a so-called four-door hardtop that went on sale this year and this forthcoming, six-door Clubman that approaches the compact hatchback class in size. These vehicles actually look like practical moves at keeping buyers from defecting to larger cars made by someone else, rather than vain attempts at maximizing investment in a set of parts. And in an interesting twist, Mini is turning into one of its ancestors – minus the feeling of inevitable doom. Full Article at Mini has become the Rover that BMW always wanted
Mini might be making changes in the direction most of us don't want to see it go but one thing is for certain: in the world of automobiles there will always be something interesting to own.
I think the F56, and all cars in general, would look a lot better if they didn't have to design them with rediculous crash standards in mind. I still don't understand the whole pedestrian safety thing. Folding mirrors and old school hood ornaments are one thing, but redesigning bumpers and hoods for pedestrian impacts??? How often does this happen, and when it does, how often is it the drivers fault? Just because people don't pay attention, abuse pedestrian right of way laws, and feel entitled to do whatever they want, doesn't mean the world should end up with ugly cars. :frown2: An etiquette class and IQ test should be required to use a cell phone in public. :lol:
I feel the pedestrian safety thing is a cheap shot at trying to deflect problems with their design.. There are a lot of companies that can still do good design on cars that meet pedestrian safety requirements.... Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Chevy, Ford, etc to name a few...
I'd guess most incidents are the drivers fault. Texting, speeding, inebriated or otherwise inattentive. There are more bad drivers than bad pedestrians.
The new Cooper (I think) wouldn't be so bad if it werent for that ugly front end... The thing looks like a vacuum cleaner. They couldn't make it look aggressive? Or mean like the older couple generations? I get that most MINI enthusiasts want the MINI to remain in fact MINI. I don't really care about the other models, Clubman,Paceman,etc. But leave the Cooper Alone. Leave it a driving enthusiasts car. Stop stretching the dam thing. The R56 is big enough! sonsabitches stretch the 4 door "Cooper"
Agree, we are talking about BMW here, I am sure they have at least one designer on staff that could have come up with a better nose than that. Hell hire me, I am sure I could do better. I will say though, looking through the slides, # 64 in particular, the new CM looks a lot sportier than previous versions. This may sound a little sac religious but if MINI is canning the MINImal approach to car design then when can we expect something that can keep up with the Joneses. Real horsepower, rear wheel drive, how about all wheel drive? It really feels half hearted in my opinion.
I agree too. They've taken the basic design and added on to it to comply with the regulations, and they're using a relatively large platform that can be used by both BMW and MINI to do it. What it needs is a complete redesign with the pedestrian laws in mind, starting with a smaller blueprint. Unlikely to happen though because of the economics.
There are cars that I think look good, but it wasn't like that when I first saw them. The designs grew on me and went from terrible, to that looks good for what they have to work with. One of the better car designs is the Mustang GT. Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and other cars without the engine in the front have an advantage over others. First, they have always been able to design with looks and performance in mind over practicality, and second, they have the advantage of not having to worry about clearances between the body and a large engine in front. They still have clearance standards, but a lot of it is around things they can sacrifice like cargo space. Then you have high dollar cars like Aston Martin who get around the clearance issue by putting exploding hoods on their cars or other expensive methods. When they hit a pedestrian, the hood has an airbag like charge that pops the hood up to meet the minimum clearances for the engine and structural components like the windshield cowl. As always, money talks.:lol: There are starting to be good looking cars designed for the new standards, but they would always look better if they didn't have to be designed because of pedestrians who think their right of way is more important than actually crossing the street safely, and drivers worrying about texting and other social media instead of driving. That's the issue I have with the new designs... car enthusiasts have to suffer because of people who only think about themselves, or have no common sense regarding safety. Instead of teaching them to fish, the regulators are giving the fish away. Wow, haven't written that much since college. Should I start looking for a flamesuit?