Hi Gang,

Just got done looking at the new 2007 MINI, like the new exterior, not sure on the new interior. And how much more are they going to charge? Here is a off the wall idea come out with a new MINI Moke, for those who like SUVs and want someting different. Here is the link to the new MINI pics:

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/08/...k-ii-unveiled/

 

I am DYING to order one... I just can't wait. I think it will be a great car. The new engine will be so exciting to drive. I know some people are torn on the "New" look, but I think it looks pretty close to the same, and the one thing people are in concensus on seems to be the engine should be an improvement. I also like the interior look, a little sci-fi but that's OK. I plan to just get the nicest sound system Mini offers and leave the stereo system alone from there. I'm not looking for thumping bass, just good-quality sound, and that Digital Modul should fit the bill just dandy.

Anyway, it'll be my first Mini, and I'm just waiting to find a local dealer in Florida who will take my deposit money and say, "Yup, we'll have one in for you by mid-April." Then I'll be happy, although probably even MORE anxious about the purchase!

I'm planning to get a MC S auto (non-convertible), with all the packages except cold weather. Probably going to get the NAV system, as it looks great in the speedo, and I plan to get around a lot more once I have such a fun car to do it in.

What's the Moke?

JMelrose

 

I dont think it looks that different from the outside either... the only thing I dislike is the big silver MINI cooper insignia on the center console, I like the more subtle one on the 06 Coopers better

 

I like it but I don't love it. It's definetly Mini but it looks a little bloated. I don't care that much for the back bumper as it seems a bit out of scale. The proportions are just different so it will be a while before I get use to this new Mini, but I am sure I will grow to like it eventually as it still a Mini. I can't wait to actually see it in person see if I change my mind. The interior is alright I like some parts about the shape but I hate how "plasticky" it looks. I like the sweet sound of supercharger so we won't be trading ours for a new one.

Mini moke! great idea

 

I'm EXTREMELY happy I can get an old-skool Mini for '06 in the Cabrio. Don't much care for the 06 changes (other than the keyless start-that's cool). Don't like the exterior, don't like the pie plate massive speedometer with teh CD built in...

Reminds me of Dr. Theopolis from Buck Rodgers...

True, I've not seen one in person, but so far don't care for the 06 MC at all...just my opinion

 

is an open car based on the clasic Austin mini
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_Moke

 

i just wish they woulda left the center stack alone, and left the lights on the bonnet, i love how they go up when i pop the bonnet

 

I didnt know this until right now I remeber when I was trying to get my friend's brother outside, I turned on the high beams and lifted the Bonnet so that the lights would go into into his room, and my friend was shooting his window with his BB gun (he got locked outside and didnt have a key to get back in)

 

yea, :( no more impressing the girls by shining the light on the cat in the tree to help get it down. (in reference to the UnAuthorized Owners Manual)

 

I guess in the new 07, people cant buy those eye decals

 

they can still buy them...but they will look kinda funny on the turbo

 

What do we think? Well I think BMW has pulled off the (essentially new) '07 MINI quite well. There are a lot of improvements....some required by law and circumstances, some based on their experience w/ R50/53. Overall, it's pretty darn good next generation car. Yes, there are design items here and there that I'm not doing hand-springs over...but overall as a composite I think there's much more in the plus column than in the negative.

I should mention that overall I do very much like the appearance of the car, especially as a Cooper watcher. Some of the main features I liked when we saw spy shots many months ago. Of course, it looks even better now. The changes could have been much more extreme...a great deal of restraint was used and I do appreciate that.

If folks rushed out to buy an '06, fine.......great car. But I do think that, in the end the '07, will inspire some envy and by '08 (when the tuners will have had a chance to do their thing) and definitely by '09 (50th anniversary of the Mini) most will be on-board. It's just the way of things, although many will still continue to love (as I will) R50/53...perfectly appropriate and a great tribute to a great car.

Honestly, it doesn't pay to be an '07 hater....especially if we consider ourselves MINI enthusiasts. The '07 is a worth successor (on many levels and for many reasons) and, frankly it's coming ready or not. I just remember some of the very ugly and uncalled-for reactions to the Mini-MINI transition. Sheesh...some folks back then really needed to grow up. Crash standards are a reality and if the new R50 MINI was bigger, it was required to be...it could not be smaller, not in the real world. Same now w/ the pedestrian safety requirements. If the car's contours are changed because of legal requirements, fine, lets get on with it. In light of this, the '07s came out pretty darn good...it's still very much a MINI. Let's not go down the hater route, okay? Let's encourage the good, at least.

 

I like the looks, I like the interior and I think I will probably get one late '07 after the smoke clears.

 

I'd probably be looking at an '08 so I'm in this mode, too. I must confess, I am pretty darn excited for those ordering '07s though.

 

Well, me personaly I like my 06' the new 07' is nice but there wil be a few out there that will be purists. If I had waited unyill now to order my MINI I 'm not soure what i would have got a 06' or a 07'

 

Mini enthusiasts will always have their preferences for features old and new. I had the "purist" beat out of me when the Mini became the MINI. THAT was tramatic and took a big leap to get on-board with. After this, the transition from R50/53 to R56 seems pretty straightforward. To this day, I still prefer Minis, but practical considerations have driven many Mini enthusiasts to embrace (and eventually love) our dear MINI.

The same must happen here eventually. Owners, as the years pass and the marque continues to expand/evolve, will find their own personal favorite year/feature and cling to it with loving affection. No problem...super...but that's no reason to hate all the other MINIs out there. It's a question of diversity really. Can we handle it...are we up to it? I think so. Maybe not quite yet, but we'll get there.

 

Let's face it...the '06's are way better looking than the '07's. The new grille graphic is nicely done, but the car really does look bloated. The headlights are around the side to try and hide the front overhang and the hood has lost all of that sexy, fun-to-wash shape. And that new speedo is ridiculous. The current one is dumb enough, but that is just plain silly. I was seriously considering adding a Traveller to the family (maybe an all-wheel drive 'allroad' version?), but I'd better wait and see.

 

The exterior changes are okay, I prefer the minimalist look of my 2006 to the more modernist look of the 2007. The elimination of the vents at the windshield in particular change the look of the car a great deal, not nearly as a retro looking. Do not care for most of the interior changes either. I like the current center column and smaller speedo much better, also like the current interior design of the doors much better.

But all of that aside, ---and keep in mind I drive an MC and not an MCS--- the new engine for the S sounds like a winner. If it is quieter at low RPM it would be a huge improvement over the current engine (imo), and the elimination of the CVT was also a very good decision as well. It just drove funny, real jerky and not smooth on the acceleration at all. I'm not sure what a 6-speed will buy in performance on the new MC however. Seems to me a 5-speed is just fine the way it is.

 

I'll chime in. Don't own a current MINI.

Sounds like they fixed a few of my gripes on the current one (which is why I never bought one). Main one is the just punishing ride quality. I don't mind tight handling and a firm suspension, but the 06 with sport package and run flats just jarred me to death (and I drive a Miata!). I was looking for something just as fun but a bit more comfy and practical, and the current car just wasn't it.

I do love the supercharged engine though. Just screamed personality. I will hold judgement until I drive the new one, but I'm thinking it won't be as fun.

I didn't like the interior quality or the seats on the current car, so I'm looking forward to this new one. I also hate how the top of the tach is cutoff in the current car. Hope they fix that too.

I could easily end up back at my MINI dealership signing the papers if the ride is much improved. I'm hoping for something more like the BMW magic that somehow combines a creamy ride when you want it with a perfectly firm feeling when you hit the corners. Maybe that's asking too much, but if they can really make a big difference, thats most important to me.

I love my Miata to death, but I may be taking a new job that requires much more driving, and the Miata just isn't gonna cut it. I could get a boring commuter, but if I can get that blend of Miata sport with comfort and quiet for those long days, I'd be in heaven. I may still upgrade to a new power top Miata, but really the only two that catch my eye for keeping the sport are the new MINI and the Mazdaspeed3. I loved the new GTI, but VW's just scare me off.

So we'll see. That's my input

(oh, still not excited that dealers are STILL charging markup, or you can go to some that don't but the wait is 6 months.....grrrrrrrrrr......does the new car fix that problem?! ha!).

 

I asked the finance gal at the local Mini dealership how much the 2007 base price was going-up over the 2006 price and she said she expected around a $500 increase. I wonder how much the fluctuations in the US dollar have on that sort of thing. Not sure when, but one of these days the dollar is going to get trashed rather badly and prices on European imports in particular are going to jump dramatically. We already had a taste of that the past few years. That Mini has been able to hold the line on price increases in spite of it is remarkable.

 

I felt this way, too....until I happened to spend a good deal of time on a classic Mini web site. Staring at classics for a few hours and then going back to R56 was a real eye-opener for me. Yes, R56 is an update/evolution, but it's still very recognizable as a MINI and the flatter bonnet seemed right at place in relation to the classic. Frankly, this little exercise won me over on the interior, too....especially the dash which, to my eye, is even more reminiscent of the classic than R50/53!!

In any case, it's too late for me...once I recognized that the classic Mini genes alive and well in R56 I was on-board. And once I was on-board, the arrival of R56 became a much, much more exciting thing to watch and anticipate.

 

Now someone just needs to make a little machine for the engine bay that reproduces the supercharger whine!!!!

My favorite sound!

 

I think you're onto something!!! Although my car doesn't whine (a Cooper) I can imagine a wave of misty-eyed nostalgia everytime MCS owners watch The Italian Job and listen to Stella's car.

 

I'm with you, GKR. R56 will be a more refined and classier car, esp. the interior and the engine. I can hardly wait (altho I'm going to hold out for an 08 or 09.)

And, despite the fact that I love the SC whine, I will gladly trade it for ALL 175 ft/lb of torque from 1500 to 5500 rpm--and a substantial increase in overall gas mileage. Gladly.

 

The new mini looks bigger.. is it??? If so why even call it a mini if its getting bigger?