Personally, I don't see the F56 as either, it's just nice looking -- perhaps cute. Maybe the bottom part of the S's front makes it less attractive than the Justa, but not ugly. It does look a little different from previous Hatchbacks/Hardtops, but I still have to correct my wife when she sees an R56 (or earlier) and thinks it's just like the F56 we're riding in.

To me the LaFerrari is beautiful, some Lamborghinis, the 1st gen CLS, maybe some new Buicks, my old VW CC, but the MINI is just nice looking or maybe cute. The Pontiac Aztek was ugly.

 

Like the power plants and interior. Not a fan of the outside. Nose to long and tail lights to fat. Wish they would have just refined the old body. Every new Gen the Mini becomes less Mini :(

 

Agree, not a fan or a detractor, more concerned about the space I occupy and the performance. Unfortunately, the exterior design of mass market cars today is more engineering than art, therefore we get a design like the current MINI generation. One thing though, the black bumper piece would be less obvious if it was body color. All in all the previous generations would not be considered beautiful as automotive art, maybe not exactly cute, more like styled. Given the length of time the original model was basically unchanged, classic for the original would fit. Time will tell on the recent models.

 

The back end looks like Kim kershadian's butt...fake an unnatural in shape...not enough to make me want it...
Huge gigantic tail lights that are just the wrong scale... Big warts...
The front looks like a person in need of a nose job...first time you see it you say eww..what happened?!...then you get familiar and ignore it a bit..
It does get less stunningly bad every time I see it...but things like a pillars that don't look right, loss of a center speedo and window/lock controls....
I fear many mini folks will get it cause it is what on the menu....
Not cause they love it...
That would be blind brand loyalty....
And when that happens...any brany is on the way out. Simple heard mentality.... The masses stay...early adopters find the next new thing.....
And MINI becomes a footnote in history.....
Sad....I really wanted a new MINI....

 

I applaud the large tail lights and would like them to be larger still.
Cars the size of the MINI can use all the conspicuity they can get when on the road with other vehicles.

 

The proportions of the front end and the lower grill are what make me dislike the looks of the new MINI. I've been a huge MINI fan since they were reengineered by BMW....8 of them over 11 years. Until they fix the front I will not be buying a new one.

 

I dont have any significant hang ups with the way the car looks...it does appear a bit startled, but its really not that bad.

The front overhang...there is more of it than the last hardtop, yes. Is it excessive? No. Better than many other FWD cars, and at the very least, on the same level.

 

I like the new exterior. I've liked the look of all three, but I think the F56 looks the best.

The interior is vastly improved. I think the R56 interior was terrible, way too much empty space above the AC controls and everything just looked cheap. I was also never a fan of the center speedo.

 

Beautiful!!! Inside and out! Awesome personality and character too.

 

Bravo!

 

Ugly but beautiful inside:-)

 

I think the F56 looks more classy than the R56, from the outside. The interior speaks for itself. Miles ahead of previous-gen MINIs.

 

As with most things: "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" "One man's trash is another man's treasure" etc, etc, etc... "live and let live"

 

I love the F56. BMW won me over with the refinement of this car..

 

Agreed,tails too large,front is fine with me.I wont see either when I am rippin through the adirondacks!!As much fun as my 5spd E30.OK more fun..

 

You sure are right!!.
One reason I chose red was for conspicuity. Twenty minutes ago, it wasn't the large tail lights that saved us, it was my cat-like reflexes that did. A big SUV was pulling into a parking lot, hiding me from a car that decided to pull out. I braked hard, swerved and he braked hard and no contact, but it was very close.

 

+1 I love gray, but wanted to be a tad more visible. VO would be the best but I didn't want to be THAT visible. (I like the color a lot, just wasn't sure I'd like it long-term.) I have Blazing Red on order.

 

One interesting aspect of appearance and preferences is how such tastes often change with time: when the R56 came out, I thought OMG how ugly they have made it. I had an R53 from 2003-05, and did not at all like the looks of the R56 back then. Now I own an R56 and quite like it, so it has grown on me. In terms of size I still prefer the R53 (and even more so in terms of handling and steering, esp. lack of torque steer), but in terms of looks I now prefer the R56. The F56? Right now my initial response is like that to the R56 when it came out: OMG, how ugly: too large, too much front overhand, and that awful front soft squishy black thingy, yikes. The interior is definitely a class above the R56, but I miss the central speedo and by comparison like the simplicity of the R56. The F56 is just too much inside, too much stuff and not enough MINI. The handling IMHO is thoroughly mmmeeeh (still some torque steer), soft and lackluster. However, ask me again in a few years and I might say: hhmmmm, nice looking car! Anyway, right now I prefer the R56 of the 3 gens in terms of looks, and the R53 in terms of drives. F56 is bottom of the pile for me right now, but I also fully understand and respect those who like it and the maturity the F56 has gained over it's older sibs.

 

My wife loves the looks and the interior and I love the engine, transmission and amazing torque... Win win oh and the mpg on Justa

 

Good lord!! You want larger taillights?? Larger taillights aren't going to make the MINI any safer! If that was the case maybe we should just have the whole butt end of the car lined with leds!

 

I'm considering the F56 as my first "new" Mini (my first car was an 850 back in 1975) but have liked the look of the brand for years. However up untIl now I have only ever given these cars a casual glance, so now I'm starting to look harder, first at the F56, and then at the earlier generations to compare.
As a newb I actually feel the current design is a bit better balanced overall than the earlier models. When seen side by side, the previous generation demonstrates a sort of snub-nose look that lacks refinement to my eyes. Even looking at the much criticized front bumper on the S model, all I see is a good balanced but sporty design cue. I honestly cannot fault the new car's shape in any way.
I would not describe it as beautiful, but certainly a great design and VERY attractive in a whimsical way.

Again, I'm speaking as a newb. If I'd lived with one of the earlier cars parked in my garage for years, I'm certain I'd be up in arms as well..

 

Well said. I'm pretty much in the exact same boat as you and feel pretty much the exact same way.

I love aspects of the car, like the LED headlights and ring. Other parts I simply like, like the taillights. I love the driving dynamics, the overall look, and also the interior. I don't believe there is a car with much more personality available for any price.

 

I agree! There is NOTHING about my MCS that I don't love. In an hour I'll go out to give Hunter a wash. Then early afternoon an exhilarating cruise to my nephew's 4th of July bash postponed from yesterday. I'll have a silly smile on my face the whole trip down, and the whole trip back.

 

I posted this in the general mini talk a couple of days ago, but for those who hate on the F56, I think it's an improvement over 1978



And I didn't know the Clubman was an old model name, did you?

 

The new F56 is beautiful on the inside. The outside? Not so much and not so "mini" anymore (especially the protruding front end). Too bad.