ABSOFREAKINGLUTELY!

I guess it's just human nature to succumb to that "mine is better than yours" attitude. That explains it, but doesn't forgive it.

I see it in just about everything in which I'm involved, from Motorcycles to Boats to Skiing or ??? and it's silly every time.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh, that does bode well. Grazie for the info!

+100!!!!

Kev

 

ClubmanS, the show car isn't very good looking. Also, who wants no driver side door pillar with that sliding left rear door? I believe that would take away most of its rigidity for good handling. But that is all just a conceptual show car. The rear deal will have 4 regular doors, AWD, a regular rear hatch, and have a crossover type front end so you don't snow plow with your front air dam like I just did in 3 to 4 inches of snow. The Crossman will be a wonderful vehicle for anywhere in the US, especially up in the high country. I will draw the line as a purist when MINI starts making buses and tow trucks.

 

That sounds perfect for us...

 

Oh, and it will only look similar to an FJ Cruiser because they both have contrasting roofs. I know its a little hard sometimes but have a little faith in MINI.

 

I hope I am proved wrong if MINI insists in getting this turkey out of the bag.

I still think it is an ugly car, anti-MINI and simply a bad idea.

Build a 4 door Clubman and offer AWD for those of you living up in the frozen north.

BMW is full of themselves. Arrogance will eventually bring down the MINI brand. Look what arrogance did to GM and now doing to Toyota.

 

AWD is not just for traction - that's also how you can use a more powerful engine without increasing the bane of FWD platforms - torque steer.

A move like this may be the end of Mini as it exists in your imagination, but, as long as they sell all the cars they make, MINI will still exist. MINI has a lot of competition in the "Small Premium" market in Europe, while they are the only player in the US today. Austin/Morris had diverse offerings on the platform back in the day - I don't think BMW is ruining the brand by diversifying offerings in the modern era (I'll wait and see if this is the right product at the right time tho . . .)

 

I look forward to it so we can make disparaging comments just like the regular Mini owners make about us. Takes the spotlight off us, so to speak.

Terry

 

But earliest reports on specs say it IS basically a 4 door Clubman with AWD...

...but yes, a 4-door Clubman would suit our purpose.

As for the rest of your diatribe comparing Mini to GM or Toyota is ridiculous for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is you're talking about compnaies that sell over 2 MILLION vehicles a year in the US alone as compared with a niche company that sells 54,000 that is trying to increase that number a little bit.

And you're also talking about the "arrogance" of THE ONLY COMPANY WITH ANY REAL SALES INCREASE IN 2008.

Where EVERY SINGLE BRAND IN THE US posted fewer sales in 08 (except Subaru who increased 0.3%), Mini posted a gain of nearly 30%!

My own company should be so "arrogant"

 

I still say it looks like an FJ Cruiser got busy with a Clubman.

The actual shape of the roof at the rear is all FJ.

Of course, I also think the Clubman looks kind of like a Honda Element and a MINI got together...

 

"Of course, I also think the Clubman looks kind of like a Honda Element and a MINI got together..."

I used to own an Element, loved, it but the wife made me ditch it as being too fugly. Wow, now I find out I've bought son of Element.

 

To all of you "purists" who are pitching a fit over the pending "Crossman", have you ever looked at the history of the Mini models that have been built?

There were the Mark I - Saloon/Sedan and Estate/Wagon. (reincarnated as the Cooper and Clubman) Then came the Mark IV - Pickup, Van, Moke, Elf/Hornet and Cabriolet.

Notice that not all of them were extremely popular, but all of them had their niche and NONE OF THEM destroyed the company.

I can't understand why you would be upset about the diversification of models? It will not make your loved models less MINI. You won't be forced to buy any thing you don't like. The Cooper and Cabrio will continue to be the majority of MINI sales. The Clubman and Crossman will be niche players inside of a niche player, which will make them more unique and possibly collector's items in the future.

I am happy that BMW/MINI is working to keep the brand growing and diversifying. A more diverse company with a larger customer base will be stronger and will have a good chance of surviving the world's present economic problems.

 

I've always liked both the FJ and the Element

 

Considering what you said, I wonder, has anyone with a modern MINI been asked to leave a classic MINI gathering? I've read online about one owner who put up a blog. He was kicked out of a MINI gathering because they don't think the newer models are real MINIs!

 

i would buy one to replace my audi s4 avant

 

--This is pretty comical because I remember the same hissy fits happening when the turbo MINI's came out. Everyone said oh it has less curves and this is ugly or that is ugly. Then there was a lot of stink over the clubmans, with people saying, "it isn't MINI anymore!"

But yet look how many fans each iterations has garnered!

I think only time will tell with new models. If it's well designed and still makes people smile or giggle like little kids then MINI is still doing a good job and keeping the MINI spirit alive.

Not to mention MINI was one of the few car companies in the world to turn a profit after last year's economic explosions.

All the naysayers can bmw all they want. I welcome more variants. I dont' think it will dilute the breed.

In fact I'm still waiting for my awd hybrid MINI Cooper to come out. What would they call it? MCX?

Everybody should just relax.

~p

 

I would like to sincerely apologize for having an opinion on the subject and expressing my feelings about not liking the new MINI or the Clubman. From now on I will blindly follow everyone else. Is it too late for me to vote for Mr. Obama too?

 

NO ONE suggested that anyone should not have or express an opinion, just that there is no reason to do it like a tool... ya know, like say, making a sarcastic and unfelt apology.

 

IMHO, it's got a long way to go. I'm not a huge fan of the lines of the pic, above, but it's got a place in the possible cars for the American automotive public. I don't need that kind of ground clearance or AWD for 99% of my driving, so I'll stick with my R53 for now.

PS: The clubman-like door handles on the rear of the hatch are too 2-dimensional... they are stickers made to disguise the fact that it's a hatch. Also, if the doors were truely Clubman style barn doors, they would crash into the spoiler... another hint that it is a rear hatch that has been disguised to look like the back end of a Clubman.

 

Looks like a Hyundai Santa Fe....ugh! Doesn't look anyhting like the vehicle at the Paris auto show.....and whats's witht he 4 door scheme? I thought this one was coming out with 2 traditional doors on passenger side and one door on the drivers side, like the old suburbans of the late 60s. Can't wait to see "what" actually hist our showroom floors in 2 years......

 

new stuff

http://jalopnik.com/5139970/mini-cro...yline=true&s=i

Clubman like rear doors with one wiper? ... wonder how that will work

 

I have trouble looking at anything in that horrible camo!!!

 

Thank God Mr. McCain and Mrs. Palin did not make it

 

The latest issue of motor trend looked very favorably on the mini crossman or traveler. Check out the photos in this months issue. They showed the white and green one without the camo.

 

Or consider a less myopic view...that always works for me!!

I'm not a fan of bigger MINIs either, but a four-door MINI will sell, I'll bet....even moreso if 4WD is an option.

In any case the mighty Internet is the land of opinion...silly, uninformed, insightful, discerning...all of that. If someone does not like an opinion they can always counter w/ their opinion and visa versa. It constitutes a unique form of madness I think. At least we aren't as cranky as the commenters on MotoringFile.

 

Art Ed, those are the AWD testbed Clubman. The Crossman will completely different.