Jalopnik: Has MINI Lost It's Way?
 

http://jalopnik.com/5926983/has-mini-lost-its-way

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17t7...g/original.jpg

Thoughts on their thoughts?

The writers are upset about the Rocketman concept being canceled (if it really was or just postponed to a later concept).

I wasted time reading both articles because neither was an actual review but just sour grapes.

I don't understand these comments (those made below the article on Jalopnik) any more than those made when Porsche introduced the 911, 914, 924, 928, 944, Cayenne etc etc etc.

Car companies are in business to make cars and money. They can't do that by making the same one model for ever.

Those who get upset or "irked" because MINI made a *gasp* bigger version of itself are not owners, and even if they are - why does it upset them? How are they harmed by it?

Everyone has preferences, and they're free to exercise them by buying what appeals to them, but to castigate a company for expanding it's portfolio in order to continue to stay in business is just silly.

The fact that the Countryman has been so successful tells me they were right to build it, and the fact that it's bigger than any other MINI is what made it successful. You can argue about the looks or the quirky ergonomics, but you can't argue with the sales success. People need 4 doors to haul a family, 4 doors means a bigger physical body. So what? It's not like they built an Escalade!

As to the Rocketman, while there may be a case for an even smaller MINI especially in some countrys, I really doubt it would be much more than niche sales here, much like the Smart car is. On top of that, it truly is ugly, IMHO, with a face like something from "Finding Nemo", and those silly vestigal fins on the back? Please.......

In summation, MINI has not killed it's brand, just expanded it and I say more power to them cause it will insure that the models WE like will continue to be built too.

I think the article is "spot on" and puts into words the downright difficulty I've had of trying hard to like the Countryman......but however hard I try I just have to come to the same conclusion....it's just plain ugly!... but that's just an opinion I understand that!.... having been a diehard fan (and owner) of the new MINI since launch I find myself more and more drawn to the FIAT 500.

Jalopnik is mainly entertainment so I can't fault them for expressing opinions. Hell, even the daily news is tainted with slant and opinion these days.

At least with the classics you could still see the dna in the alternate models such as with the modern Mini and Clubman. With the Countryman I feel you could put almost any badge on it and it would fit.

That being said, I like the looks of it; aggressive front facia ( as most cars have now), sure footed, and a nice fit into the small SUV crowd.

I don't think the brand has lost its way.

Either that, or it lost its way in 2000 when they stopped building the original Mini and started making the much-larger MINI. There's a part of me that says that a car smaller than a sedan should weigh less than a metric ton (~2200 lbs.), but there's another part of me that gets in the ~2500 lb. MINI and just grins.

As long as US car buyers' posteriors continue to expand MINI will have to evolve to meet that "niche" market. Fifty percent of the US population can't fit in anything smaller than a Countryman. If you build it bigger they will come.:lol:

This

Yes, I think MINI has lost it's way. They may continue to sell cars, but this idea will haunt them from here on out.

I think MINI has done a good job transalating their works to expand to other people. MINI has become a great company lately in meeting owners satisfaction, at least at my Dealership and speaking of course of me as well. But each to his own opinion.

Great job MINI, keep up the good work!

The CM isn't for me, but who cares? This means they don't have to keep slowing expanding the size of the hatch.

There's a new GP, so everyone should just relax.

I don't agree with the article. The CM isn't for me but who can blame mini for trying to cash in on America's love of the suv. The original article is critical of the coupe and roadster too which I totally don't get. All you have to do is drive one of those and they scream mini...super fun, great handling, total mini!

I couldn't agree more

MINI isn't really an entity unto itself it is a company owned/controlled by another company so it must and will do what it is told.

Just my meager opinion.

I don't agree with the article. I personally don't care for the CM; however, I think MINI was smart for bringing it to market. I have noticed a huge uptick of the number of other MINIs I see on the road on a daily basis since the CM came out. Only a small number of these other MINIs are CMs, but I believe that by expanding the number of models available, MINI has captured a much larger audience of potential buyers. When I see another MINI on the road, chances are that it is an S hardtop with Justas coming in a close second. But I wonder how many of these new MINI drivers were drawn to the brand by first looking at one of the other models.

I am no longer a "Wagonwife", but had the Countryman been out when I had car pools and grocery shopping for 5, I may have been a Mini owner sooner. I love my hatchback, it was on my bucket list (the countryman was never on that list), but I can understand the need for an expanded Mini line. It allows for the real life situations most families have.
More power to Mini for filling the gap.

My wife and I live in Manhattan and are looking to buy a car after not having one since we moved here long ago. We've driven plenty of MINIs with Zipcar and really enjoy them. As much as we'd love to get a regular MINI convertible or hardtop it's just too far from practical. We can't really see buying a car that we can't go pick people up from the airport in. Or if a third adult is involved, etc.

Enter the Countryman. Now we have a practical way of getting a car from a brand that we enjoy, and if you've taken the time to test drive one it's still a fun ride. We're used to driving non-S MINIs, so the S Countryman is plenty for us.

Essentially, it's perfect for our situation. They're also not THAT big. It's still a car that thinks it's bigger than it really is, which is what I think is the core of the MINI brand.

Don't have one yet, but we very well could be placing an order in a week or two!

It is sad for me to see that a car branded "MINI" has no A-segment car at all (while others do) and that while BMW/MINI was busy getting bigger, they were totally out-gunned in the art of getting smaller. Aside from some packaging and tricks with fancy gadgets, the car has been trapped in a kind of retro-designed coffin that has not allowed the freedom of innovation that I see others undertaking. MINI should have been more (even if perhaps not exclusively) engaged in this, but maybe BMW's pocket are just not deep enough. I think the corporate gravity-well is pulling the MINI to become more and more a little BMW. I do not think this is what the Mini stands for and, as I said earlier, even though they will still sell cars, the whole thing is seen as a bit of a joke. They could perhaps pull out of a nose dive in this regard with the Rocketman, but I am not optimistic that this will actually get built. It's an odd corner BMW/MINI has painted themselves into.

Welcome to NAM!
What an interesting perspective.
I never thought about but it makes sense that when a Manhattan dweller needs a car, you need a CAR!
The CM isn't that big.
Next to an SUV it looks positively tiny.

I agree with the original article 100% :)

You are going to put any credence at all into the opinions of a site called "Jalopnik"? Where the members pride themselves on being called "Jalops"? It's like being threatened by a country called Clownistan. Or listening to your toddler when it comes to buying a water heater. Consider the source; has anyone ever visited that site? Juvenille does not begin to describe it.

MINI has not lost its way; they still sell far more "small" vehicles than they do CMs and I have to admit that since the CM came out, I have seen maybe two of them on the open road.

Now, if MINI introduced an H2 sized vehicle and lauded its "bulldog stance" while discontinuing the Justa, then I would believe that they have lost their way.

I certainly agree...only rarely do they feature something worth glancing at.

I do think this article captures something, though...a sentiment that consistently seems to re-appear over and over, here and elsewhere. MINI would do well to pay attention, not that they necessarily need to (or will, or can) do anything about it. Bottom line: they (MINI/BMW) really need to take a long, hard, souful look at building the Rocketman.

I can't really decide on whether they've lost their way because on one hand, they are MINI... meaning small. But on the other, they need to stay fresh and broaden their offerings to stay competitive.

I am kind of curious, @nigelthecooper and @gokartride, can you recommend some alternative car blogs? I find most of Jalopnik's articles somewhat interesting, but I find the comments and subsequent discussions to be most compelling.

I don't know of any that cover as broad a spectrum. Most (like MotoringFile and a variety of make-specific forums) have a more limited perspective....approriately so.

The original (new) MINI was a slightly smaller, lower, sportier version of the hatches and econoboxes that were already on the market. The Countryman is a slightly smaller, lower, sportier version of a compact crossover. I don't really see the problem. Is the Countryman bigger than the hatch? Of course. But all the things that differentiated the MINI hatch from other hatches seem to be present in differentiating the Countryman from other CUVs.

Though the Countryman is larger then say the Hardtop it is hardly a big car. It was based off the Moke, correct? Well compare the original Mini to the Moke and yeah the moke is a lot bigger. Meh there is hate and if they weren't hating on the Countryman they would be hating on the brand as a whole saying that it doesn't offer enough. Haters gonna hate.