So the last mini I had was a 06 "S", loved the car, should have kept it. Lately I have been looking at getting another, but it just seems like Mini is losing its mojo. I test drove a 08, and it seemed pretty slow compared to my 06. The interior doesnt feel as well put together, the outside doesnt look as much like the original as the 06 did, the newest color offerings dont seem to have that fun factor, the clubman - good idea, but the same thing with the front end styling, and now the latest, the 4 door the Countryman, is just hideous. It looks like something that would be offered by Hyundai.

 

I hope you have your fire proof coveralls on.

I feel the same way about the latest MINIs. I hate to say this, but when my 06 is worn out I may have to move on.

 

Yup feel the same way, but the WC50 still does it for me. Prolley wait and get a used one later, but can't believe it has justacooper suspension?

 

I agree & IMHO the car has gotten softer every year since day one

my 2002-S had a suspension that folks tried to copy in later years via bigger sway bars etc etc. Unfortunately the average customer though the suspension was too harsh from day one and as soon as 2003 MINI announced things were being softened (and the gearing changed). Today's sport suspension is still mush as compared to the 02-S IMO. My 2007-S reminds me more of my 75 Olds Cutlass then it does my 79 Mini ...

On the other hand we must remember that the majority of the folks here on NAM are gear heads to one degree or another and MINI needs to sell to the family down the street to remain a viable product...

EXACTLY like the Mini - because while everyone who looks at a Mini today says "cool Cooper" they do so without realizing the Cooper(&S) was only produced for 10 years and represents a tiny number of the 5 million plus Mini produced from 1959 to 2000. Most of those were sold to take mom and the kids to the grocery in an efficient manner. NOT to hit the streets in a road rally. When I take my 79 to car shows I hang a sign that says 79 Mini - NOT a Cooper and that generates many many questions Enthusiasts buy Minis today and turn into hotrods what had been for the previous years, kid haulers. In some ways not unlike turning a model-T into a T-bucket.

 

I hear what your saying, I've had 6 of them over the years, a 94 Mayfair, 96 Cooper, 06 Cooper S, 78 Pickup, 81 City 1000, and a 86 City E 1000. It just seems like they are losing their soul, where they are becoming "just another car". The body styles are going down hill of which I know the 07 was designed to comply with pedestrian protection laws in the event they were hit, but still, it seems with as much as they spend on design, they could have done better. The colors seem so much more bland, the interior feels cheaper, the center dash is uglier, and with the higher body sides, it has less of that go kart feel when driving to me. Not to mention the turbo engine doesnt have the seat of the pants feel that the first gen had.

 

I love my 2002 MCS and plan on keeping it forever. I don't put alot of miles on Fizzgig due to my health, so he'll probably outlast me. The 2002 has just enough of a rough edge that I feel I'm driving it, not riding in it.

Kevin

 

Let's not get carried away... The MINI Cooper will NEVER be "just another car". The design alone dictates that. And what other car can be designed to your exact wants and needs online? What other car when it's coming towards you on the road can NEVER be mistaken for some OTHER car? And why so many copy cats? Other manufacturers continue to try and pull off what the MINI has done and only look cheap in comparison. No - I don't believe MINI has lost their mojo...

And everything changes. No car manufacturer could continue to be successful if they stuck with the original design. Things always have to be tweaked and re-designed. And while I agree that the Gen 1 has some design aspects that are better than the Gen 2 (lower body sides for one), the reverse is also true. I personally think the driving lights fit much better with the new grille - it's a tighter look. Both panes of the sunroof tip on the Gen 2. Fogs and parking lights are consolidated.

Softer? Hasn't the MINI come with more HP and better gas mileage with every new Generation? And not for nothin', but the '04 Justa that I got as a loaner was a sloth compared to my '08 Justa. Granted it was an automatic vs my stick, but still...

And lastly, if you know of another car that draws people together more than a MINI, I'd love to know what it is. I've got a whole new circle of friends, in multiple states that I didn't have 2 years ago.

No, MINI has not lost it's mojo. It's mojo has changed, but it ain't goin' anywhere!

 

Hey Crashton hi from the North Coast.
Well, we have a nice warmed over '05 S and a '09 Clubman S and I love them both. The '05 S in always a blast to drive, that "rough edge". The '09 Clubman S is more refined, and rides smoother on the 16" wheels and 3" more wheelbase. What a great highway car. Man when that turbo spools up it's a rocket. But I do miss the supercharger's sound. But the '09's blowoff valve sounds pretty cool too...and 36 MPG on the highway. I do prefer the interior on the '05 but the '09 is a better built car...more BMW then Rover. We will keep the '05 forever...never sell it.

 

WOW, very well said!!

 

I had an early build '02 EB/W MCS. It positively breathed FIRE!!!! before they flashed it with that anemic EPA stuff. It was still a screamer afterwards, but it breathed FIRE!!!!! when I first bought it. No cruise, no MFSW, no sunroof, no auto temp/air, no heated seats, no leather, no fluff, no EPA. Rode like a gocart. Stiff, hard, but no rattles. Ah.....what a car.

Did I mention it breathed FIRE!!!!!!

Anyways, when the '07s came out I took it out and parked it next to an '07.

Didn't like the looks of the '07. Test drove it. Didn't like the way it drove.

Eventually got a low mileage '06 BRG/UJ MCS when the '02 needed too much work.

Best MINI made the '06 MCS.

FTW.......Les

 

I thought long and hard about trading my '05 S in on a second gen. After driving one though I changed my mind. I really got the impression that the second gens were being catered to the average driver. I'm sorry, but the R53 is definitely an enthusiast's car. The 1st gens may not be as refined as the 2nd gens, but they have more of enthusiasts feel to them. The first thing that deterred me from the R56 was the toyish looking side scuttles. But, for MINI to branch out, I see why they did what they did. And I personally don't mind all the different models. I just wish they would stop toying up their cars.

 

I have one of those very early "fire breathing" R53 MINIs. I didn't realize how much more refined the newer ones became until I drove a '10 Clubman S this summer. I feel like I'm driving a neo "classic" compared to the newest models. Regardless of the refinement and subtle styling changes, the newest MINIs still have a lot of mojo, but I'm planning on keeping my R53 for the same reason I'd keep a 944 S2 around --classic fun.

 

The MINIs dealerships/stealerships are the things going to ****.

 

Just opened up Yahoo after reading this thread, and to the point of "toying up the cars" See the attached article.
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...-car-features/

 

In order to compete and be a viable company that BMW will actually want to keep you'll have to learn to grin and bear it. Look to Lotus as a good example. They've never offered many cars and the ones they have offered are light, fast, and handle like a dream. Come 2015 they'll offer FIVE vehicles (one's even a sedan) and the lightest car they will sell will be the Elise at 2,400 lbs (400 more than the current iteration).

So the moral of the story is.... get used to it or BMW will shutter the doors or sell them to someone else. In either of those scenarios we'd all be screwed as either parts would dry up or a more inferior company would end up with them. BMW can be just as bad as any major car company and does the same shiesty things but I think we can all admit they do care about the legacy of the Mini. They seem to be doing the best (we could expect) a major corporation can at keeping the Cooper and Cooper S grounded.

 

Something is just not right with where MINI is currently going.

 

+1

 

I'm curious... what would you move on to? In the same price range...

As long as they build a MINI, I can't see me not owning one. I love my Gen 2 and granted, I've never driven a Gen 1, but I have driven the *other* stuff in the same price range as the MINI.

There's just nothing else out there that I would drive. Alright, maybe a GTI.

 

A GTI would be on my list along with a WRX. At this time I haven't given it much thought.

I'm guessing I can squeeze another 2 or 3 years out of my R53. I may hunt for a low mileage garage queen R53. I do love my current MINI after all.

 

reminds me of the talk when the newest lancer evolution/mazda miata's come out. Honestly i think mini's best days are yet to come.

 

I once felt like most of you when I had my modded R53. The R56 just didn't light my fire the way the R53 did. But when it came down to the constant expensive repair bills I could no longer afford, The R55 started to look more attractive. And once I customized it to my liking, much like how we did with the R53, I really don't miss my R53 at all. The R55 is a different beast, but with coilovers, stiffer sway bar, adjustable control arms, and an intake..even moving to an Automatic but driven in manual mode gives me all the pleasure I had of my R53 with the stop and go convenience of clutchless driving. Maybe it's just because I turned 40 that I appreciate more of the conveniences..either way...going from an R53 to an R55 was a definite upgrade for me and I love it.

Ver. 1 R53


Ver 2. R55

 

I have to agree and disagree with this comment.

I agree with the car becoming what you call "softer", I call more refined. EVERY make does that.... look at Jeeps, the old CJ5's, then the next generation and the generation after that.

Look at Corvettes, every generation the cars become more smooth, more refined, almost to the point it takes the driving fun out of it. The C4 was a cockpit with squeeks, rattles and more like a bull in a china shop. The new C6's ride like a Cadillac but handle like a Ferrari.

Look at Miatas. The first generation NA's, you could feel the road, the car was noisy and you could feel every groove in the road. Have you driven a new Miata lately? It's like driving my father's buick...lol.

So yes, I agree they are becoming more refined.

However, I disagree though that Mini is losing it's direction. Yes, they are stepping out in a more marketable direction with the addition of new models like the Clubman and Countryman (which I think is cool looking) striving to reach out to a larger population but as long as Mini makes the Cooper, I think they are still on the mark in retaining the authenticity and original feel of the first coopers. (I am referring to the second generation available first in the US)

Having owned 2 second generation minis and 2 third generation minis, I hardly think the R56 has deviated that much from the older ones. It has almost the exact same look (to someone outside the mini world, they would be hard pressed to tell the difference), they handle almost the same and power wise, they are the same'ish (in a stock format)

A few mods later and the R56 is a beast, much like it's older brother, the R53.

I personally commend Mini for keeping their true heritage and not deviating too far from the older R53's.

Mark

PS. And just for the record, I loved my R53's but wouldn't trade my R56's for them, I like the improved creature comforts.

 

Just another post that isn't going to change anybodys minds. If you don't like the way MINI is going then don't buy one. I love my R56 and having the time of my life driving it. It is fast and furious when you want it to be and easy as pie when my wife wants to run to town in it.

And there is not much difference at all in looks. As a matter of fact, 99 percent of the people can't tell the difference. As an above post stated, you have to change and refine to stay ahead of the curve and the competition. And about the countryman, have you seen the videos of the prodrive rally countryman!! All I can say is if I wanted a SUV, I would buy one in a second.

 

Just a couple of points I'd like to add ...

As for the 1st gen to 2nd gen bloat, you can thank the EU for that. MINI was forced to add more crumple zone to protect pedestrians that are dumb enough to stand too long in front of one that's moving. (I just love how on one hand you have the EPA demanding better fuel economy, while on the other hand you have the European equivalent of the NTSA insisting that small cars must be bigger.) Considering the constraints they had to work within, I think they did a pretty nice job, and it's pretty difficult to tell one from the other if they're not side-by-side.

As for the 'hideous' Countryman, have any of you detractors actually seen one up close yet? They are NOT that big, and they actually look pretty sharp. The one they had at the local MTTS event a few months back had quite a crowd of onlookers surrounding it, and all the feedback I heard was decidedly complimentary. Sitting in it is very comfortable and still unquestionably 'mini-esque'. When it's time to replace my MCS, I know I'll be giving the Countryman a serious look.

 

The one thing that really struck me about the Countryman was that it looked better in person than in photos and even when I took my own photos, it didn't look as good, lol.

Course then I saw this version last night and thought..ok, I want it.