... anyone know why the convertible S didnt get all the S features? Like the Chrome filler cap?

Pretty lame if you ask me.

 

The conventional wisdom is that the recess required presented challenges for packaging the soft top.

 

Can this be addressed aftermarket?

Mike

 

I have a hunch that MINI is slowly narrowing the spectrum of options unique to different models. For example, the 4-slat grill is gone. Maybe the gas cap went the same way. And.......hmmmmmmm......no one realy knows what happened to the anthracite headliner, do they? Sport seats in Coopers are only available in certain trim, or so it seems.

Just speculating.....but could this be part of the dumbing down of MINIs in order to simplify/speed up production? If it is, I think its the kind of dumbing down we can all live with it. (...or go aftermarket.) The car itself is still fantastic. These little tweeks may be annoying but the overall quality is still up there. We have been a little spoiled, haven't we???

 

In the past the MC gas cap area could be modified and a chrome MCS gas cover could be added (there is a how to on NAM). I'm not sure if that part will still fit the cabrio.

Maybe it was omitted to save money?
Maybe to simplify things/options.
Maybe to leave something to get for next model year!

 

:smile: Well, yes! Because many of us dove right in and purchased a "new" MINI, basically on good faith! I think it is fine for MINI to change up the selections...keeps things interesting!

Clo/Wanda

 

Yes, it certainly seems that the MINI options list is being dumbed down, so to speak. Which is a real shame for prospective buyers used to looking at the old configurator. Now they are being presented with a whole new, more limited, option world. Or, am I wrong? I'm still waiting for my early order/production '05 MC to show up, and I'm wondering if it'll show up as ordered. Just a few more weeks to go (ship docks in California on the 16th, I believe), and now the new configurator has got me worried.

Of course, after some time passes, and newer prospective buyers appear on the scene, they won't know about most of what they've lost, and will think they've still got it good, options wise, with a MINI. They will be right. Of course, the MINI is also a great performing little car, with no equal in it's price range. As the years go by, I expect we'll see fewer options, though we may also see some pretty cool options added to that more limited mix, with performance (a key factor with the MINI) slowly improving. I'm saddened to see some things go. I will miss not getting the old style chrome bumper inserts, as they were the second thing that drew my attention to these nifty little cars. (The cars as a whole, visually, are what first drew my attention.)

One strange thing though, is that off-shore MINI buyers still seem to have a much better mix of MINI options to choose from, even now. Am I wrong in that? (The leather/cloth combo comes to mind immediately, even though we do seem to get leatherette, and they don't, but there are still many other options for them than we get.) As regards some new option limitations, such as there being no more S-style steering wheel... Folks in Europe seem to prefer the 3-spoke style, and are mostly happy that the S-style is gone, unlike us here in the USA (where the S-style was KING). The same goes for the new exterior chrome package, and the loss of the old chrome bumper inserts. Thus, since this is a European built car, we are heavily influenced by popular opinion over there on what's cool, even though a larger and larger percentage of MINI sales are in the US.

If you were a US car builder, that also happened to sell many of your vehicles overseas, wouldn't US styling preferences still tend to prevail? I would think so, even though a multi-national corporation should know better. The downsizing of our available options may also be a response to the ongoing supply/demand situation here in the US, which is apparently a somewhat different situation than MINI has to deal with in Europe.

Regardless, I'm not happy about how things are developing options wise. Is MINI (BMW) going down a road that will ultimately end up killing the MINI? Apparently not, based on the MINI's popularity. But, such things can change quickly. The buying populace can be fickle. If it wasn't for the MINI's styling and perfomance, it would just be another not very popular hatchback here in the States. Styling is half of what the MINI is, as is the case with just about any popular vehicle, so if BMW goes to far, despite performance, they WILL likely kill the MINI.

The silver lining to that is...that we will then have a real classic on our hands, that we can be justly proud of, and the envy of all new MINI owners. On the other hand, that'll mean spare parts will become a serious problem, and I'm not thrilled at that prospect. I'm hoping that the MINI will carry on, with relatively few major adjustments, for many years to come, rather like the old classic VW Bug.

 

This issue was brought up on "MotoringFile" a while back. The issue was/is a packaging problem with the new top, if memory serves me.

BB