Today marks the first time that MINI’s newest addition to the family – the F58 – has seen the light of day. Courtesy of Worldcarfans, we have our first look at what will be MINI’s largest model ever. What is the F58? Internally known as the “Spacebox” it’s MINI’s stab at the all important MPV... (visit MotoringFile for the full article) More...
Dear God MINI /BMW please stop! :mad2::mad5::mad2: They are now looking at releasing the 2nd house of the apocalypse. Next we will have a MINI school bus, RV, Airplane, Space shuttle...... Keep MINI mini. Less and smaller is better. rrr:
Somehow that just seems so appropriate sitting on a flatbed heading to the dealer for warranty work. :smilewinkgrin: No stopping MINI hugeness..... It's outta control. :frown2:
I puked in my mouth a little! This is the reason I will NEVER buy another MINI! Unless its another 1st gen, or classic. The R56 wasn't bad except the engine thing, same for the R55, things went south just after the R60 (which I still kinda like), and the Coupe and Roadster... Well the roadster is what the convertible should have been from the start... The Coupe, well.... Now the F56 isnt even here, and I am beginning to hate the entire lineup! Pretty sure the end is near for anything more than a oddly "cute" looking mid size, un reliable european mut of a car.
Huh.... The MINI Excursion.... Soooo now it's all about adding doors.... I kinda remember when there was only 2 platforms.... The coupe (now the "Hard Top":mad2 and the vert.... Someone at MINI is spending way too much time playing with Lego's.... Choice is good I guess.... Maybe... I'll just sit in my R56 and see what happens with the brand....:shocked:
Maybe we should start a internet partition. "Keep MINI mini. Less and smaller is better." DaveO can be the man we send to MINI USA with the results. :biggrin5:
Let's be honest and call this thing what it really is -- a station wagon. I distinctly remember spending several of my formative years in my Dad's olive-green '68 AMC Rebel wagon, with rear-facing third seat (guaranteed to induce motion sickness in my younger siblings), acres of fake wood paneling, horrendous vinyl interior, and ultimately a lump of a V8 that consumed a quart of oil between every single tank of gas. I can't help but associate those memories with this latest venture by MINI. A NY Times article documenting the demise of the station wagon described it as a "wallowing land ark." So much for selling the bulldog stance and go-kart handling.
I understand the angst regarding the expansion of the MINI line (remember, I'm the one who howled about MINI letting anything besides a Hardtop be a JCW), but there is a positive side to this proliferation. More models means more money for the manufacturers, and more money means more research and development and more models - and a solid network of dealers who can afford to keep a one-make store running. If Porsche hadn't done its SUVs, the company would have disappeared. BMW, without its big-boned Bimmers (SUV/wagons and 5-door GTs), would be just another niche player. Volkswagen still would be selling Beetles in Argentina and Rabbits everywhere else, instead of becoming the largest automaker in the world. The same goes for the Asian imports. So, if MINI keeps squeezing different models out of the same tube, that's OK with me - especially if it means I can have an awd, 300-hp JCW Hardtop in 2015.