Without the odd grill /bumper it looks like the old dodge neon all it needs to say is "Hi" Now when people add silly eyelashes to that MINI the 3/4 angel eye lights will look like glowing hooker eyeshadow. Also what is up with the turbo snail fog light housings? I can see them all sitting around a table in a conference room. Lets make everything rounded and then add a few hard 90 degree angles on the front for no reason at all. Yes, that's a great idea, it will break it up so everything does not flow together. :confused5::lol:
Like any car company Mini faces the challenge of expanding their customer base while trying not to alienate current customers. I will reserve judgement until I see the new design in the flesh. Also, I think the photos are a bit distorted nd the color choice may make a big difference as well. I am a long time Corvette fan and have owned several. With each new model the current owners threaten to burn the designers at the stake but then buy lots of them.
I didn't remember having the same questionable reaction to these LED headlamp corona DRLs when they appeared on the Rocketman concept. I had to go back and look at some of the old images, and then I remembered that the Rocketman substituted the corona for the chrome trim rings altogether instead of trying to retain both. It certainly made for a much simpler and cleaner look. Maybe the integration of body-colored trim rings on the F56 would help but as it is, all of the concentric circles seem to be just a bit too much. A refresher:
I noticed the yellow one has a different wing than the gray one. Yet both are marked "S". Could the yellow one be a JCW?
I think I know where the Aztec designers went when Pontiac closed their doors. :frown2: My eyes are starting to hurt.
I agree. No real turn off to me. I guess you and I may be the only two left here once all the R53's die and they will. :lol: Jim
Not keen on the new front end design either. I think the LED headlights or the mat black bumper alone might be OK. Together though it's off-putting. Yet I'll reserve final judgment until I've seen the car in person. And I agree with others about a Fiat resemblance too.
Wow, i dont like the looks of this at all. Thats why i rushed to get my 2013 order in, and i am glad i did.
If ya stop and think a minute, it is only natural for companies to change their design over the years. The original Mini did not and it is gone. If they only made the R50 and R53, the MINI would be gone or close to it, as well. Jim
The truth will set you free Jim! R53 will be around long long after all those coke'd R56's die :aureola:
:cornut: As long as Shell Blasters and OCC's are around Margi(08 R56 BRG MCS/JCWm) and I will be around. Jason
Its so much fun reading this (and similar) thread. Takes me back to the good old days when I used to read the Harley Davidson forums. Every time Harley came up with a new, improved design (eg. Evo, V-rod, etc) they were "ruining the brand", "ignoring their heritage", etc, etc. Seemed that all the posters longed for a good old rigid Panhead.......you know, the ones that shook your fillings loose, were remarkably unreliable, etc. I'm not overly fond of the front end, myself, but I'm less fond of the fact (at least I believe its a fact) that they'll all be direct injection turbo motors. I'm real happy to not have the carbon buildup issue on my '12 Justa.....but it seems like NOT having that problem will no longer be an option. Time and sales will tell if they made the right decision.
One problem Jim, the original mini was the best selling car EVER in Europe and was named the car of the century. * It was not available in the states.