http://www.worldcarfans.com/6070606....suv-spy-photos

 

Go check out www.motoringfile.com with the key word "Colorado"

 

Yikes... the Clubman is close enough to "big" for a Mini, imo

 

Yuck. "MINI Cooper SUV" is an oxymoron. There are more than enough SUVs of every size and persuasion on the market. We don't need more.

 

Sure MINI, succumb to the wishes of all Americans to have the biggest because it's safer behemoth stuffed in the garage. Go ahead and grovel for admiration from so many lemmings who have corrupted Porsche and BMW who were traditionally sports sedan and sportscar manufacturers. Why not, made a reputation using the MINI Cooper name, it's established, now let's make 'em Supersize BIG. Americanize the MINI like Suzukis, Kias, Hondas, Datsuns, Toyotas. Leave us with the Smart, and....

IMHO

 

Didn't they have an SUVish thing back in the day? And a Moke? How is this different again?

dan

 

+1.

 

Did they have an SUVish thing? I've never seen anything. And the Moke was an ersatz off-roader, but it was more akin to a Beetle based dune buggy (or a golf cart) than a Toyota Land Cruiser.



If they wanted to build a real R56 based Moke, I'd be all for it. But I'm not going to cheer for them adding a friggin' SUV to the line.

 

(insert thumb down here)

That's pretty much the same artists mockup that's been shown all over. Motor Trend ran it about 6 months ago.

4 door MINI SUV? Sorry - this goes beyond just "I don't like it and I wont be buying it". This dilutes the brand. MINI has been the anti-SUV - this vehicle will be the butt of jokes from every late night talk show, to the pages of the car mags.

Motor Trends comment: "At which point does MINI become MAXI?"

Want to expand the line? 2 seat roadster. Or maybe 2-seat fastback coupe. How about going green with a hybrid or some other alternative fuel vehicle? All of those options fit. An SUV doesn't...

 

Bigger != safer.
The MINI is already Americanized. It has over twice the mass of some of the earlier incarnations of the (original) Mini.

 

No doubt because of regulations.

Ask this woman who was trapped in her SUV for 19 hours if bigger is safer.

 

I'm PERFECTLY ok with this... ya know why?...


Like the Porsche SUV, it can keep the rest of the company profitable, AND (unlike the Porsche) it'll be a philosophical successor to the Mini - cute, economical with both space and fuel, decent performance - and I'm OK with that. No, it's not a Mini, but it's closer to a Mini than an Expedition - and I'm plenty OK with that. It should be a SPORT utility vehicle, not an urban assault vehicle.

...and that's a LOT to say from a guy who's really not an SUV fan. Our MSV is an Odyssey....

(MSV = Mini's Support Vehicle)

 

Yeah, I think I agree with this, but I think I'm afraid to say so.... We do have 4 kids and 3 dogs, so something like this would make sense.

 

I don't see it as any more of a problem than VW having the Vanagon. No one expected the Vanagon to be a big Golf, GTI, beettle, Karmen Ghia, etc. Yeah, the "SUV" would make MINI a multi-vehicle company. So? There were Mini trucks, delivery vans, station wagons, and things I can't quite categorize. Chevy's Vega didn't make its Corvette go any slower.

 

Actually, Corvettes did start going slower in 1971, but I hadn't previously made the connection to the Vega. Hmmmm....

 

I don't get the comparison to VW. Having a van in their lineup goes way back, it's part of their heritage. And their van was economical, using the same motor as the bug. It didn't have 4WD for no good reason like most SUVs do today. Hardly anyone needs 4WD, but that extra powertrain is a big draw on economy.

You have 3 dogs and 4 kids - OK, I get it - you need a bigger vehicle. That doesn't mean you're restricted to an SUV, and it certainly has nothing to do with 4WD. I suspect that you already have something other than the MINI, yes? My folks had 5 kids and never had anything other than a 4 door sedan. And yes, we all rode in it together at times. Of course the big Olds probably got the same MPG as today's SUVs - but gas was under a buck/gal too...

I hear people around here (in stupid NJ) say things like "We have 2 kids, we really NEED our Suburban". Sorry - that's just plain stupid, IMHO. If people want an SUV to impress the neighbors, they should just admit it.

As for MINI, the clubman fits the lineup. Taking the clubman, stretching it more, adding 4WD, raising it up - I just think that's going too far. Isn't all that extra weight and drag going to require a bigger engine too?

But that's just me - there are billions of Americans who will disagree and I'm sure MINI will sell a boatload of these "little trucks"...

 

Its mouth looks like it's sad...sad of becoming a SUV.

It's probably thinking, "What the hell did they do to me? Why did I deserve this?"

 

This just concept art. To me it doesnt look like it could possible be bigger than say a Toyata rav4 or honda CR-V. Then again i would be suprised if it were as as small as say... a GEO Tracker. I mean those things arent that much bigger than the mini to begin with.

 

I think it's kind of funny that the front end bears a striking resemblance to this:

 

Remember, that's not Mini's artwork, but someone's concept of what a Mini SUV would look like. I'd like one, once 2 of my 3 get to college and we don't need the Ody anymore, but then again I'lll probably keep the Ody (paid off!) as a Support Vehicle - given it's age and space, I wouldn't mind Home Depot runs in it!