M/A Team submitted a new Article: MINI USA INTRODUCES NEW CORAL RED EDITION HARDTOPS, EXPANDING BRAND’S SPECIAL EDITION... Read more about this article here...
OMG that is so fugly. I keep saying MINI can not make an uglier car than the F56 and then they prove me wrong and release this abortion.
I kinda dig it, but that's one of those colors you are going to have to see in person. It might be 'wow' or 'ugh' and you won't be able to tell in the pics. I'm glad that there are standard 3-door MINIs still being sold, but they are really getting big. I might go for a Countryman as a crossover type of vehicle, but the the Cooper (and S) have lost the cute/city-car/hatch vibe for me.
I wonder if there are any unsold or low mileage Pacemans left. A Countryman would be too big for my wife and me, IF I were going to buy a "newer" MINI of any model.
Very few Pacemans sold. I think that may be a model to get and hang onto. It is a very different car.
I think the external dimensions of the Paceman & Countryman are the same. The Paceman is just a 2 door. Nothing mini about it. Justa jumbo MINI with 2 doors.
To me, that's why I'd get one of the big models. I don't get the connected, visceral drive that I get from my R53 from the current Cooper model and it's not really a city car size anymore (sure, it's smaller than most Ford offerings in the US, but that isn't saying much), so that just doesn't make sense to me. It's a model that has become so generic that it has lost the differentiating features. To me, it's just 'a car.' At least the larger models make more sense for my lifestyle. If I needed to replace my daily driver, the Cooper just wouldn't make sense... it's not small enough to be small/fun and not large enough to be practical. Unfortunately, once I get done with the configurator, the price on the larger MINI offerings are maybe $5k cheaper than a similar Audi offering and the Audi has a nicer interior, better service and better longevity, so it's a tough financial choice when I realize that I want a MINI for a brand and features that MINIs haven't had for the past 10-15 years.
IF I were to buy another MINI, it would be a PACEMAN. I do not want a 4 door COUNTRYMAN, as a 4 door car is just STUPID when there are only 2 people in my family. My friends have all moved away, so I don't need a car with 2 extra doors. Sizewise, hell, my wife and I have grown in size, too, so the PACEMAN would be a more comfy ride and our dog would have more room as well. Besides, since PACEMAN is no longer produced, I am sure there are some low mileage ones out there for sale and that would enable me to buy a used one cheaper than getting a higher priced model.
This will save you some time looking. https://www.autolist.com/mini-paceman#page=1&make=MINI&model=Paceman&buyer_intelligence=true&sort_new_cars_last=true&location=West+Chester%2C+PA&latitude=39.9845&longitude=-75.586&radius=any
And the process of iterative design. Someone started with a mission of "Make a cool city car that is nimble, fuel-efficient and in the style of the classic Mini." After that was done and the product was launched, they knew they needed to do gen 2, so they started asking consumers for what they want. Unfortunately, the bulk of consumers looking for a small car will list items that are perfectly served up by a Toyota Camry. "The MINI is too expensive for a small car." "Why so many buttons/switches?" "It's too small for my family". The Gen 2 design team hears all of that and takes Gen 1 as the base, making improvements to meet what consumers want. Over time, all products in the market using that design methodology for a small car will eventually, around gen 5, build a Toyota Corolla... small, practical, efficient but uninspired. The guys in suits seek volume discounts and increased sales numbers and that's easiest/cheapest to get to by increasing your target audience... building something more generic that appeals to a wider group. Companies like Ferrari keep themselves specialized... find a niche and serve that well. Hopefully for your check book, you chose a niche with customers who pay well. MINI chose a 'small, efficient car' niche, which isn't so well funded. Hell... even Porsche did it. A Porsche SUV would be abhorrent to a P-car lover back in the 1970-80s range who valued precision sports machines, but they make most of their profit in SUVs and giant family-haulers now. Death of a corporate mission by 1000 tiny cuts...
Porsche still keeps the iconic 911 as it crown jewel. MINI got greedy with it’s BMW ownership and wanted more and cut off its nose to save its face. Now it looks like Micheal Jackson before and after.