To get back on topic, I too would like to hear the bit about the 3,000 weld points. I don't have that fact in my brain.

 

There was a MINI in my parking structure at work that had TWO baby seats in the back. Was it anyone here??

Nothing wrong with MINIs and kids.... besides, kids LOVE MINIs.

 

But a MINI would allow the best use of "parental reach!"

 

I don't think many people here would disagree with you on that. As much as I love my MINI, I can't imagine trying to deal with car seats and strollers and whatnot, although I salute the people here that do. Although it's roughly doubled in size in the past 20 years, the Accord is a dependable, efficient vehicle that actually has much lower emissions than the MINI, and gets similar fuel economy, too.

 

Since I'm guilty of causing the hijack - let me just say, I like Scotch and Soda too, and Corey Corey is #2. Sorry, couldn't resist.

I'm still wondering about the 3000 weld points .... Clover?

 

I have a 4 and a 6 year old, so only one booster seat in the back, but we've managed coolers, soccer gear, beach gear, and my husband's army gear without much hassle.

Like one of the earlier posts, the cabrio makes for easy kid loading and unloading!

 

Great story,

Since we're on the subject of kids and MINI's, I thought I'd share some observations over the past 15months of raising my first child(son).
1.) When he sees the MINI, he goes Vrrrrooooom, Vrrrrrooom
2.) He's immersed with lots of diecast MINI toys everywhere (my precious ones are kept in the boxes)
3.) The day I brought the wife home, I didn't ride home in the MINI--we drove our cushiest car we could to save her some pain!!!
4.) Within 3 weeks, my son was riding in the MINI
5.) By 3 months, he was so accustomed to the rough/noisy ride of the MINI that when he took his first plane trip to Canada, he fell asleep just as the plane began to take off. No crying, fussing, or anything--he just felt right at home with the engine rumbling.
6.) Parents without MINI's don't understand us. So far, a MINI with 1 kid has been just about perfect. No problems going to Costco and buying diapers, no problems with infant seats, strollers, or packing all the things that Lukas like to keep with him. What you do is adapt. You buy only what can fit in the MINI. You buy a stroller that fits in the boot. You take advantage of travel systems so that you spend the least amount of time going in back to put the baby in and out of the car.
7.) With 2 kids--a rear facing infant seat, and forward facing child seat--things will get tough. Not sure how we will manage yet. Wife likes to sit next to child while we drive to comfort if needed. Oldest child will be too young to sit up front---so it'll be tougher.
8.) My cousin sold her new Beetle the day she almost dropped her infant daughter--trying to put her in the back seat--all because the door didn't open wide enough. Our MINI's doors open almost 90 degrees!! No issues there.
9.) I bought a MINI FINI Sport Link so that I can put on a cargo carrier. I plan to use this to bungee large toys and objects that don't fit in the MINI when we go places. Note MINI FINI Cargo Carrier isn't available--thus I'm fashioning up my own.
10.) My son LOVES cars!!!! Much more than I did when I was his age. He's also very observant--pointing out birds, lights, dogs that we pass.
11.) Because of the wonderful MINI culture, he gets exposed to lots of different people all the time! It's great for him, and for us!

Well that about sums up my last 15months of ownership....I mean fatherhood of my son.

Don't worry, the MINI will be fine with your first child and the years after that. Things may get sticky for a bit on #2, but it'll pass.


Richard

 

Hate to disagree but my much roomer chevy cav didn't have such a great rating and yes minis have 6 airbags. If you look on the pillars on either side of the windshield is says airbag, then there is the sterling wheel, passanager side one and the two on the outside of each front seat. If you look on the door side of both seat there is a little tag that says airbag.
Really go look.

 

Awesome

 

Ok I looked it up. On the MINI CA. site you can go on a tour of the Oxford plant, I'm sure MINI USA has the same tour.

Anyway heres what I found out. 230 robots are used to put the bodyshell together, 350 body parts are held together and welded by these robots. The pressure these parts are held together depends on how thick they are. The robots then weld them to a core temp. of 1500C (2732F) for a total of 3800 weld points.

Not bad eh, considering I read this over 2 years ago. Well, ok, I just reread it, but I did remember were I read it

Man that site takes forever to download on dial-up

 

I know how many airbags it has... my point is that airbags are not the only factor in saftey.. The Chevy Cav has a horrible saftey rating.. who is comparing that with the mini? I said a well designed larger car has a better chance of getting a higher saftey rating due to the ability to absorb the impact and displacing the engery before it reaches the cabin... thats why you see many larger cars with 5 stars... and most smaller one can only achieve 4.
try reading the post again

 

Ya gotta factor in the fact that our cars are extremely manueverable even during evasive actions--like avoiding an SUV. While the MINI may be a safe car for it's class, it's tendency to roll is less than say a top heavy SUV or truck, and the ability to steer away from danger is much better, as is the ability to stop on a dime. I mean, just think of our MINI friends in San Diego who suffered a head on collision who were burned beyond recognition in their MINI's. Airbags couldn't help them nor is any safety rating going to matter in such a case.

IMO, the ability of the frame to endure and deflect any energy is the last defense in any collision and staying away from it in the first place is the best course of action.

 

Here is a snippet from an article in the Houston Chronicle:
"A total of 3,800 weld spots are made in a MINI Cooper's construction. MINI reports that its body rigidity is two to three times higher than most other small cars." That's a good start to the 3,000 weld point safety spiel!

 

Or this

 

Good point. I have a 4-year-old that rides in my MCS all the time. When we went to visit my parents for vacation, I got to cart him around in my dad's Toyota Highlander. My son was about twice as far away from me as he is in the MINI.

I can actually reach back and buckle his harness while sitting in the front seat, and I can easily hand him things while driving.

There's no need for an extra set of doors!