So my wife and I are looking around at buying our first Mini. I understand that the Oxford edition is for students and military members but is it really just a discounted Signature edition??? Or are there differences in materials, layout, etc? Can you tell the difference? I've seen loaner minis for sale at dealerships but are some of them the Oxford and therefore be even cheaper?
We found a loaner one for sale at one dealership but then another mini dealership said it was the Oxford edition and should be cheaper trying to stear us back to her dealership.

 

I can't really answer your question, but I've just seen a review of the Oxford on TTAC:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/20...r-millennials/

It's listed for 3 door at $20600 including destination. More importantly it's available with a 6 speed manual. This price makes it significantly cheaper than the standard classic which is $24,250 with destination. I'm not taking too much time to compare specs but the Oxford has 17 inch alloys, the moonroof and heated seats, which I believe the classic does not.

This is what a Mini should be: fun and affordable, but it's only available to students, recent grads, military and retirees - strange, are they selling at a loss? And as someone at TTAC pointed out, where's the marketing?

I've wasted too much time on the Miniusa.com configurator - always end up with a loaded JCW - but at those prices I'd have to have won a big lottery as this would be a whimsical purchase. Something equivalent to my '11 Cooper S prices out to well over $32k now, an awful lot for a wee car. At that price there's too much competition that might really be better. I realize the F series cars have improved in both quality and reliability although one of the car mag's (R&T? C&D?) long term tester rattled itself to bits over the first year. Minis are just too expensive.

cheers
MacMini34

 

I was pricing out the four door signature which comes in at 27500 on mini USA site. This weird student and military only version with the same specs is 20500...so are they selling at a loss?
Is there anything out there that says it's built with cheaper parts? Cheaper contrustion? Cheaper materials? 7500 is a pretty big loss...

I've gotten quotes for a new 2020 for 26400, a 2020 loaner with under 3k miles for 25560... And a dealer willing to sell me their one Oxford in British racing green for the 20500 price (don't know how as I am neither military or student) but I'm leary if it does indeed have cheaper materials and parts than the standard/Signature version .

 

The seats are the biggest difference. No options except the transmission choice. It doesn't have all the options of a Signature model.

 

That's odd the seats while not the sport ones seam to be the standard ones found in the signature line.

 

My wife just got a Oxford to replace her 2012 Justa. We had looked at getting a Signature. The signature had LED headlights and you could get the adaptive cruise option with the driving assistance package which was about the only things on the signature we wanted you couldn't get in the oxford but the Signatures Mini driver assistance package isn't really a proper emergency braking system (we have several Subarus for the kids with the Eyesight and I swear its the best thing since sliced bread- I actually thought it was all a gimmick on our first one, a 13 outback, but its saved the wife and kids hitting the car in front several times- now only if the cars which ran into our back had similar!!). The oxford has 17 in rims (yuck!). Would have been quite happy with even 15s. We also don't have Sirius , but we haven't continued that in our recent cars after the free trial. For the 6-7 grand we saved, the LED headlights and less than comprehensive safety tech package were not a deal breaker. The Oxford was effectively the same car as her 2012 which had sunroof, leather, heated seats.The halogen headlights on the Oxford are far better than those on her 2012 also. I was thinking of doing some upgrade with bulbs or even putting LED bulbs and reprogramming but she says its good enough.
They are selling any available Oxfords to anyone now, the new student /military restrictions we were told by our dealer no longer exist. For 2020, they expect only 2000 to be shipped stateside if any are shipped at all. Our sales person said they came up with this low price entry level version to attract new customers to the brand who normally would not have looked at a Mini, Mini sales in US have been diving in recent years. The dealer said the MSRP price on an Oxford is not negotiable, on orders from Mini, as they are already probably taking a haircut on it! Another dealer would have probably given us 2 grand off the signature.

I also don't understand why anyone needs front or rear parking distance assist in a Mini (Oxford has the rear assist, signature can be optioned to get you both) unless they have no clue how to parallel park!!
And when even Toyota etc has a full suite of useful safety tech in every car now, like emergency braking, adaptive cruise, blind spot etc , why cant Mini put a decent package on every car!

 

The front/rear sensors are most useful when pulling straight into a parking spot or backing in, rather than parallel parking.

I had the front/rear park distance control sensors on my BMW and rear only on my Camaro. I wish my Mini had front and rear. I found the BMW front sensors most useful to keep from hitting curbs. It was pretty good at giving an accurate warning. If you do hit a curb in the front, your splitter is either scratched or cracked. If you have the rear camera then the rear sensors aren't as important, but without the camera (like my F56), I would rather have the sensors than not.

 

All I know is I'm very thankful for the program. Pretty much a Signature edition for 7/8k off the price which puts it well below any discount on a signature edition. For all of its quirks and what it came with and didn't come with we LOVE ours! I to think that in 2020 something as basic as Sirius/xm not being installed is rediculous but then again I just stream it from my phone.

 

Post some pics both interior and exterior, so we can see what one looks like.

 

1

 

Very nice. I have the same wheels. Mine are 17’s . Next year, if they still have it available, I want one. Is it true that there is no sport mode anymore, in the base model?

 

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The Oxford edition is the Oxford edition you get what comes with it, no options or other models. There's only the choice of five colors and whether the rims are silver of black and thats it. It is my understanding that the Oxford edition program is ending and what's stateside is what we get and once it's gone it's gone. Dealership we went to only has one left, 2 door in melting silver.

 

2020 Oxford, leatherette seats. We have the Cravenspeed phone holder on the speedometer( wife has android so Apple car play no help for her) , weathertech floor liners. Sunroof similar to our 2012.

Exterior, I replaced the OEM regular antenna with a Mini short one. The wheels are new from Tirerack with our 16 in winter Conti run flat snowtires from our 2012. We had the 17in black wheels on this Oxford from the factory with Hankook run flat all seasons.

the dual clutch transmission has the sport mode, but you don't get the paddle shifters like on the Cooper S.

The only thing I don't like about the 2020 7 speed dual clutch tranny vs our previous generation 6 speed steptronic one is that when not in sport mode, the DCT seems to keep the gear as high as possible (presumably for better mileage) and there is a slight vibration in the steering wheel like a manual lugging in too high a gear. In sport mode it seems less noticeable. I haven't really been able to figure out if being in the automatic engine cut off mode makes a difference. Or maybe we just have an issue with our car!!

 

Now available to everyone
http://www.motoringfile.com/2020/02/...e-to-everyone/

 

I'm actually glad that this wasn't an option when I bought my MINI. I'd would have been harder to justify buying a MCS when the Oxford starts so low!
But for people who want a Justa, this is a great deal. Like my wife would have been all over it. (Although she would have wanted a 4-door, so maybe not.)