my 02 WRX is one of the worst examples as Subaru did a new fasica
during their mid-term refresh on their 04's. but resale value hasn't
changed that much before and after the refresh...so not sure if it
matters that much for our 02-03 Mini owners. I don't really mind it
unless they put in a major upgrade on the 05's which so far has been
invisible to me.

Back in the early 2001 Mazda put out their MazdaSpeed MP5 which
came with MT and AT trims. The AT on the car was just an ordinary
4sp. Then the following year they re-introduced the wagon called
Protege5 and the AT came with a sequential shift mode. That pissed
off many MP5 AT owners.

 

>>The changes to the MINI are only minor. Some car manufactures make drastic changes every 4 years or so (like Honda and Toyota). Some of these changes improve the looks but many IMO do not, and they change the character of the car. Some cars look great and still the manufacturer changes the looks and sometimes looks worse to me than before. They change just for the sake of change. Not good. They also make them larger, i.e., longer and wider and heavier, then with that extra weight, they need to put bigger engines in them. I hope the MINI stays the same size with the overall same looks. I like more power but don't want the car bigger to get it. Improvements in technology is another matter, and I like those. But let's keep the weight down as I would like to see the car lighter, i.e., use of carbon fiber, and other light materials.

Some major design changes are great, some are painful. I remember loving the mid-60's Pontiac GTO in its old incarnation, w/ the nearly straight fender-to-fender body line. They curved the heck out of the next year's body and I hated it. The new Mercedes CLK Kompressor is a step back in good looks, IMO. Some things go back and forth: the Corvette has been at times ugly as all getout, and then it will return w/ a new design looking better than ever. Same w/ the Mustang. Unlike the Celica, the Nissan Z has seemed to always look better w/ each new design. Like most Porsches, the current MINI looks to have a bit of the timeless in its appeal. All of this remains solidly subjective, of course. I think the changes coming on the '05 MINI's are subtle and doubt very much that they'll "date" the '02-'04 models, but I guess we'll find out when we try to sell 'em, won't we?


_________________

 

>> If your car is already in production (as the MINI is), then the new bumper requirement will only apply to major revisions. So, as long as the MINI's revisions are always minor, then our beloved design should not change.


thank you for this enlightenment, which i wasn't aware of. this ought to ensure no major changes to the mini. hooray!

flyboy2160

 

I really do like those new '05 headlights assemblies. Those big round headlights just got rounder...IMO, an improvement, albeit small.

 

I don't mind the changes. Cars progress... though I'd rather keep the large speedo, it just looks so cool. The new gauges look out of place. Front end on the Cooper is nice... makes it S-like... but then there's S owners like me who chrme everything to make 'em look like coopers...

 

Car manufacturers have got to change and improve their products. If you stand still you will get passed. Sometimes I like the changes and sometimes I don't, but more importantly is how others see the changes and if they are well received and sales increase then great for the manufacturer.

Let’s just hope that BMW remembers the essence of the MINI and changes don't dilute that essence.