...optional deluxe interior? something similar in quality to an audi interior. far less plasticky and more solid than the current mini.

 

Well I have a 1998 Audi A6 and while it's stunning on the inside I really don't think the fit and finish or materials used are of much higher quality then what I find in the MINI, Granted things like leather and wood in the A6. But, that dam chrome Quattro badge on dash is something I just hate. Every night on my way home for work, it would catch the sun and reflect it right into my right eye.

So I guess for me I don't really see much of a need.

 

I disagree. The poor quality of the plastics used in the MINI is my main complaint about the car.

Compare the dash and door that are in the MINI with the material that is in a basic 3 series. They are worlds apart.

I think the dash and the door panels in particular need attention. Better quality door panels would undoubtedly make a difference in the amount of problems reported concerning the speakers and the attendent rattles in the car.

Yeah, I would pay a bit more for a better interior, but I think it should just be better in all the cars, with a little increase in the base price of the car.

I thought that they had said somewher that this was an issue that MINI was looking at during the remodel for 2007 ?

-- Jay

 

My main problem is the use of what feels like 500 different colors and materials all throughout the car. Nothing matches anything else. It's as if the parts designers never realized they were working on the same car.

That said, no, I wouldn't pay more. Offering a better interior would be an admission that they did a half-a** job to start with and I would resent being asked to pay for a proper job.

 

Agree - it should be decent quality anyway, especially on the Cooper S at $25-30k.

 

I had a 2001 Jetta before my 04 MCS. The Jetta had, of course, a very high quality interior, especially for a sub-$20K car. However, the less-deluxe interior in the MCS is one of the things I love about the MINI.

I don't want to sit in a more luxurious car, I don't want leather, I don't want automatic wipers, I don't want auto climate control, I don't want a back-up beeper - I want a MINI!

That being said, I wouldn't care if there were an optional bespoke interior either (heck, I'm not buying one - they could make them all purple faux-lizard skin and it wouldn't make a difference to me!). I doubt it's economically feasible to offer 2 levels of interior, though. Seats and seat-fabric are easy to swap out, but the rest would be quite involved, I think.

 

I asked because I'd like to see the 2007 MINI maintain a low base, but personally would happily pay extra for an optional better quality interior. I am curious to hear how other MINI-philes weigh in on this.

MINI prides itself on its build modularity so I'm going to guess that an optional alternate interior is entirely practical from an engineering and production stand point.

I think the issues would really be :
* does this add to the base cost, which would be undesirable
* does this cannibalize BMW sales

For the first, I certainly don't know the answer. For the second, if rumors are true, then a more deluxe MINI with optional AWD and a high-quality interior would certainly overlap in price with entry-level BMWs. I just don't see cannibalization as a problem because the person who will order a loaded MINI is unlikely to order a bare BMW.

As someon noted previously in this thread the interior is the weakness of the current MINI. I don't mean it's retro quirkiness which is very appealing to me, just the cheap plasticky feel that had me looking at Audi TT 225 as an alternative to MINI. MINI is the better car so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and thought I'd see what others thought about future interiors.

More opinions are greatly welcome ;-0

 

Yah...i dont know if i would pay that much more. I have been slowly trying to narrow the interior down to two colors. Because, like JeffS said, i think a lot of it is based on the massive amounts of different gray and silver hues.

 

Having had a 3, I must say I do not agree. The materials are very similar. What is different is the way they are put together.

On the MINI, there are WAY TOO MANY pieces...particularly in the dash. Too many edges and corners which will make for squeeks and rattles in what should be a very tight (and therefore) silent car.

Any approach to simplifying the dash and cutting our all the edges would probably go a long way towards making it seem more premium.

 

It's much better than my old Geo Metro. Matter of perspective...:smile:

 

a really good insight. too many pieces (and shades). I hope someone at MINI is thinking about this the same way since better design is cheaper than better materials.

 

Getting the anthracite dash (and headliner) goes a long way towards unifying the interior appearance. With the lapis leather the interior looks two tone, the silvertone on the steering wheel and speakers does not stand out as it does when the console and door pieces are also silver vs the dark anthracite.

I also don't think the materials themselves are much different then other BMWs. There is more of the shiny/colored stuff, particularly on the doors, then in the bimmers, and exposed screws etc (which you can cap), but IMHO the big difference is the added insulation and designs to accomodate that in the BMWs that makes them feel so different (the thicker center console, thicker doors, more fuzzy fabric, etc). Since weight and the feeling of contact with the road/outside and plays such a key factor in the Mini I doubt I'd want to add all that padding for an increased denser 'quality' feel (although added insulation/padding would probably provide optimal fit to the pieces and a reduction in squeaks - however there is no guarantee, stiff suspension and fold down rear seats often result in squeaks in cars in spite of insulation and good fit n finish).

I also find that the leather in the Mini is as good, well actually better with a thicker more resiliant feel, then the leather in the regular 3 series. The M cars get Nappa leather,which is higher quality, but requires care like any leather.

 

I like the sportiness of my mini just the way it is. Some of the pictures of the "upgraded" interior that I saw on this site were hideous. Keep your wood grain dash for the BMW's...

My two cents.

 

Yes, I personally would pay extra for better quality interior.

I love the look of Mini's dash and interior. It's uniquely different and is what really won me over to make the purchase. I do feel however that the type of materials used could be of a little better quality. At least I would like to have the option of having an interior upgrade available.

 

I like the idea of an upgraded interior... but the ability to have another option? not so much... the ability to spend more on this car? not so much.

i do agree that there needs to be a way to eliminate the dash rattles... (although i do miss mine at times)

 

I'm with you on that one! I think that the brushed metal effect on the MCS is cool, but I ordered the anthracite (trim and headliner) to bring it all together (that and light grey seems to get dirty too quick).

 

My previous cars were a 96 Civic, 86 Saab 900, and a 1992 VW Fox, so Mini's interior is high-end for me

However, compared to my husband's 02 330, I think it's relatively comparble. As previously said, anthrcite dash and headliner help with the visual aestetics.

 

Personally, the current interior is great and meets my needs.

I certainly can't see linking AWD and an upgraded interior. The former is interesing, the latter isn't.

Saludos

 

the only "linkage" is that if an owner buys enough options the sticker price will over lap low-end BMWs; AWD and a deluxe interior were mentioned only as examples of potential options that would be pricey. Sorry if that was not clear.

 

For its current price point, I'm satisfied with the MINI interior's quality. If you want a high-lux interior, there are plenty of specialty shops that would gladly cater to your desires. As for me, I say screw the luxo-barge market, give me a Hi-Po JCW with optional AWD so that the likes of the Subaru WRX STI, Mitsubishi Evo IX, and Mazdaspeed 6 come within my reach.

 

Does anyone do this anymore? It would seem so affected to me in a 21st century auto whereas in a Jaguar or RR/Bentley made prior to the 70s it seems charming. I can't imagine anyone wanting to do this in a new MINI but then again tastes vary.

 

I think Jaguar in the 60s and Porsche always (and many others) have proved you can have both. I'm not suggesting an interior at these levels -- just something comparable to Audi and others .

 

I am waiting for a decent interior with power seats. Yes, I would pay much more for good quality.

 

Anthracite, brushed metal & wood grain for a MINI are hideous. I would consider those a downgrade. MHO.

As for an upgrade interior I think I'm about maxed out on interior upgrades. This isn't a luxury vehicle.

 

Outside of that I'm with MGCMAN.