I just came across this article today. Looks like it was posted yesterday. It looks like the Toyota BMW partnership might be working on a smaller platform and give us a smaller MINI! They are calling it the MINI Minor for now.

Here's the link: http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...ive-core-cars/

So, how much faith do we put into this report? If its true, will there be a sport variant much like the Fiesta/Fiesta ST is? If so this would very possibly be my next car!

 

great to hear.. but i don't believe the price, and it's prob 5 years away

 

Articles on the MINI Minor are popping up all over the place now. What is encouraging in that MINI has been really trying to redefine it's line and this smaller MINI is part of that larger problem/equation. I think this may actually happen!!

 

If BMW can trim off about 12" from the OAL and 300lbs, I'd certainly be interested if the price is right.

 

I'd that would be good for me. Perhaps make a Minor 'S' that uses the 3 cylinder turbo. I think that would be plenty for people to play with

 

I'd be satisfied with the standard justa engine; in a smaller car it would surely result in better performance.

 

The new Turbo 3 engine is the Justa engine. They won't carry over the N16. But with Toyota involved, I'm sure they won't use the Justa engine anyway. Its only hopes and dreams right now.

 

Well Guys, i certainly don't want to see a down turn in the quality of the craftsmanship and the quality of the parts we now see coming BMW engineered parts. If BMW is actually going to entertain partnership with Toyota, i hope BMW Keeps a good hold on the rains !!

 

I'll believe it when I see it. Toyota has a habit of saying much and doing little (the Celica GT now maybe F1).


BMW has done nothing but ruin the great look of the first gen MINI starting in 2007.


I suggest they get back to the original, simple design and keep it a fun car that will always turn heads.


Right now, I turn my head to look away, as nothing in the last 7 years is worth a look.

 

Look at the way BMW have orchestrated a complete line redesign over the last few years, and that movement has spilled over into the MINI camp...

I thought the idea was to make it better each year... like the original MINI, 1959 to 2000...
If BMW had focused on the improvement of the model that long think how bullet proof it would be today.

Just a thought.

Motor on!

 

"Toyota and BMW are looking into an all-new bargain basement effort" (quoted from the automobilemag.com article).

I view MINI as a premium brand. Something of this description is befitting of a Toyota emblem, not MINI.

 

I really wish BMW would just come up with a rock-solid design and just improve upon it like the Classic.

It's a shame that they let the Classic Mini die. I would trade my R56 in a heartbeat if they had a 2015 Classic Mini available with modern tech...

 

I don't think MINI has trouble building a great car, but they sure have trouble building a small car ('cause it keeps getting bigger). I think Toyota might be able to help them with that. With the iQ being discontinued globally, maybe some of that tech can go into the MINI Minor while MINI ensures it is still a great car to drive. The "six innovations" that helped make the iQ so small would overlap very little with the components that make MINIs perform so well. They seem mostly repackaging exercises.

 

MINI has no problem buulding a small car. Relative to most other cars, MINIs are, well, mini. The idea that a classic-sized MINI should still exist is ridiculous. Crash and other safety standards are more stringent than they used to be. Plus, add in all of the electronics, airbags, etc. and that leads to an increase in size. The incremental increases in size are mostly due to changes in safety standards. European pedestrian safety standards, for instance, are what led to the longer/higher nose on the F56.

 

I know, that's what MINI always says but I don't I buy it. Others seem to be able to build smaller cars and pass all of the safety standards.

 

You're spot on! I will keep my R53. I've seen nothing better. The roadster is nice, but not enough for me to part with my R53.

 

And I bet you all think the E30 was the last good BMW...
You need to get over yourselves. BMW/MINI is in the business of selling cars. More and more cars. They build what the market dictates, given the rules and regulations at the time. It's stupid to say "I don't buy it". Just like the people that think evolution is just a theory, or man didn't walk on the moon. Car get bigger because that's what actually sells. The new 3 series is just a hairs breath smaller than a 7 series was 10 years ago...


In EVERY measurable way the R56 is a better car than the R50. The F56 is better than the R56. Just like the E36 was better than the E30 and the F20 is better still.
That is not to say that you have to approve or like it. But it is a fact.


Personally, I don't really want to drive a smaller car (at least smaller than my R56) everyday. With all the behemoth SUV's and trucks driven by brain dead putzs, it's right dangerous.

 

My biggest concern is that, even if MINI builds the MINI Minor, and in spite of general enthusiasm for the idea among MINI enthusiasts, there just isn't a large overall demand in the U.S. for very small cars. While it's a nostalgic no brainer for MINI enthusiasts, does that translate into robust sales for MINI?

I can understand if they proceed with caution.

 

Perhaps. Very small City cars have not done well in the US. Is that because they're not fun to drive? Poorly made? Overall cheap feel? All points could be argued I'm sure. But, if they do produce the Minor, and if there is an 'S' variant, you can count on me being one of the first to run out and get one of these guys. Of course thats assuming its not and ugly beast like most other City Cars...

 

 

Thank you for saying this! I just got my first MINI a few months ago and I was kind of insulted to read some of these posts. And it seems like this is what these same guys are asking for: a smaller, lighter MINI.

 

evo 9 is better than evo 10. lol

 

Thats for sure! That X got fat and numb. But I guess it really depends on what you want. Because the IX was pretty cheap on the inside compared to the X. Personally I liked IX better, a little more ray, quite a bit less weight. But I'm sure these new cars vs old cars could be argued over and over and over and over and over... you get the idea

 

This is not a fact. This is an opinion. Just because something is new, it does not automatically mean that it's better.

Keeping with the spirit of the thread, lets compare a 2000 Mini Cooper with an R56 (I chose R56 because I own one and don't know much about the Gen1 Minis). Yes the R56 has more power, more tech, a modern drivetrain, and is bigger... but is it better? I really don't think so.

IN MY OPINION, having a car that is easily maintained and modded while also having that head-turning appeal is key. I also want a car with great fuel economy and reliability as a daily driver. The R56 hits many of these, but this thing is a ***** to mod and is expensive to maintain. The classic Mini on the other hand hits all of these points.

So no, the F56 is not better in EVERY measurable way. It is the next iteration in a series of cars that has made some taken steps forward in some areas, and some steps back in others. Just as every other car has done when it is updated.

 

Exactly right!!!