OK, I'm giving this way more thought than I should but I'm thinking seriously about getting a second Mini so just give me a little latitude: Perhaps we're all being a little unfair (myself included) when comparing our cars to the new model - maybe we need to ask ourselves the question "Would we buy this car if the earlier version was never produced?" After all, anyone on this forum obviously loves the original version so we're a little biased. Viewed on those terms, the new Mini does in fact remain true to the concept and is a great little car with loads of personality.

Just a thought.

 

Externally the R56 does looks a little bloated in everyway and I am certainly at ease owing the R53 .

 

This reminds me of a previous experience I had with my motorcycle...a suzuki sv650 (for those who are familiar)...where the manufacturers changed the design quite a bit from a more "classic" look to a more modern/angular one. What I had done then (and now with the MINI) was to imagine the newer model as being the earlier one and the older model as being the new one. Would I want to buy the new one? I know bias still factors in but if I had the R56 and the R53 was coming out in '07, I think I would desire the R53 much more than if it were the other way around . Just my humble opinion.

 

This was my point a number of posts back. If the R56 was the car I saw in 2002 at a car show, I know it wouldn't have grabbed me so absolutely, as the current R53 did. It would have been just another small car with significantly less 'personality.' People here keep saying (and rightly so) that it's still a MINI and it's not that much different, but for more than a few of us, those details, (in fact, so many of them that the R56 is literally a _completely_ different car), just because it says 'MINI' on it doesn't automatically make it desirable.

Of course, YMMV.

 

Well said... ..

 

It's like two sisters. One is hot and got all the class.. the other just ho hum. A wax replica to the real thing. Not very good. Looks like the lights are on but nobody's home. The R53 is true art work. It's alive from any angle. Personality. Hard to improve on perfect.

 

A reminder to all the R56 haters: the old style cabrio remains available for another two years. Now start up the complaints that the cabrio is not a "real" MINI...

 

It may have been brought up already in this thread (I just don't want to read all 6 pages...) but it would be interesting to hand a picture of each MINI to people who don't know much, if anything, about MINIs and ask them which one they like the best. I'd be curious to know which design is more likeable without the biases we all have (either for or against). I admit I have a bias toward the first generation but then again maybe its because I just bought an 06...

Then again, if you're asking someone that doesn't know the difference maybe they're too clueless about car design to trust their opinion.

 

In my eyes, there's nothing to trust or not trust about opinions on aesthetics. It's either you like or don't like, that's all. There should be no debate about whether the R56 is a 'real' MINI or not. It is a real MINI. I just don't care for the direction it has gone in.

 

Just one more opinion...this time, not really saying which one looks "better". I think the R53 looks like a bulldog while the R56 looks like a toad. The reason I have for this - it took awhile for me to figure it out - is the difference with the grill. The new one lost the "underbite" that the previous one had .

 

I've also heard it described as looking like a trout.

Be glad we don't have the dramatic changes that car models used to go through. Or maybe not. I can tell the year of any Mustang from 64-1/2 through 72 at a glance.

What I'm more worried about is the nerd factor of getting a 2007 MCS to sit alongside my wife's 2004 MC. Next we'll be wearing the same clothes.

Well, that's already happened. We'll both get dressed separately and then realize we match.

So whatever color I get, it's got to coordinate, but not match, my wife's SG/B. I'm hoping they keep Dark Silver.

-W-

 

Hmm, even a '67 & '68? A '71 & '72? The '73s were different enough.

Yeah, that can be dangerous. My wife and I have already had matching Saturns and Monte Carlos.

 

Good observation. I never liked the "underbite" grill of the R53, but the bulldog is a good analogy. I do like the way the grill cuts into the bumper on the R56, but it seems just a bit too wide now. A similar animal analogy occured to me about the headlights: The R53 has "predator" eyes facing forward, while the R56 has "prey" eyes rotated to the side.

I hope that the new turbo engine can be tweaked to power levels that will make everyone forget about the design quirks of the R56.

BTW, the '68 Mustang is easy to spot because it was the first year for side marker lights. I don't know anything about the '71 & '72...

 

At my office... even between the guys who are automovite enthusiasts (and I work with some hard core gear heads - though, not specifically MINI's)... it took a good few minuts of study for any of them to pick out the differences between the EXTERIOR shots... and even then, they showed no preference for one over the other. I think at a glance, 99% of people will not know the difference (or care).

 

One thing I want to see is has little to do with the cool front fogs or even the cool rear fog (partial to the Cooper here), but what will go in place of these!! Remember the honeycomb inserts seen most recently? Those front fogs are really big...which I like...but there'd better be a good plan for those choosing to do without, and we've not seen that yet.

 

I have a 2001 SV650. I believe they went to the angular shape in '03, did they not? I think it was right about the time they switched from carbs to EFI. Honestly, I like the 2006 SVs better than the 2001 because it's less conservative. I know for a fact that I'd like the EFI and oil cooler, as well as the increase in horsepower!

I've been in love with the Mini since it first came out. When I was in nursing school, I fantasized about getting one with my anticipated larger income...but I've held off. I even took an off-day 'field trip' to test drive one with my (now) ex-girlfriend. She thought the little cars were a bit ridiculous, she being a Chevy fan (did I mention she's an EX-girlfriend?). That is, until she rode in the thing. After our test drive, she said, "That's a SPORTS CAR! You HAVE to buy that car!"

And then, I didn't buy a car. Any car. Heck, the first year of my nursing career, my only vehicle was that SV 650. You think the Mini has limited cargo space? Try grocery shopping on an SV 650 with saddle and tank bags....LOL. Since January, I've been driving a 1990 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale that I bought for (wait for it......) $100!

Then, as I've finally started to get ready to purchase my FIRST NEW CAR EVER, I've held off because I knew the R56 was coming and that it would fix the power issues and that it MIGHT fix some of the other reliability issues. Added fuel economy is just a bonus, if you ask me.

So, am I disappointed in the new version? Meh. It's not quite as unique as the R53, I'll grant you that. But hey, hopefully it's not as 'quirky' either. No 'stumbling' would be great! I'll gladly give up the rattles that give the current design so much 'character'. How about an AC unit that actually works well?

I'm excited by the idea of a turbo because they're easier to tune. I'm excited about an interior that wasn't designed by monkeys on LSD ("Drink-holders? D'oh! And why can't I find ANY of the controls?"). The only thing I really don't like is the faux scoop, but I'm betting that some entrepreneurial folks will come up with something to place there. Depending on engine temperatures, it might be a great location for a stealth radar detector....or not...I don't know.

And what's up with the people saying this car looks like a Neon, or some other run of the mill car? Put down the crack-pipe and back away slowly, sir. Have you actually seen the commodity micro-cars? Yaris? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Scion xB? Okay, it has merit, but it isn't mini-esque in any way shape or form. Honda Fit? Nissan Versa? Chevy Aveo? Mushy, underpowered and uglier than a never-married 30 year-old (straight) Mormon girl.

The new car is more aggressive, less 'cute', and yes, a smidge more vanilla from the outside....but do you really think that ANYONE is going to mistake this car for anything but a Mini? Really?

And if you really like the elitism of having a car that no one else has, take out a second mortgage and buy the Lotus Elise (and a pair of rubber underpants to go with it!) and be done with it. Let us plebs have a practical car with more torque that rides like it's on rails and gets good gas mileage while hauling more than a golf bag.

 

Cheap cars are great. Nothing says "low stress" like a $100 Delta 88. Heck, just the name "Delta 88" is worth something.

I'm counting on the carbon fiber aftermarket to resolve the scoop issue. You're correct about the turbo. I would expect to see a lot more big horsepower being made and discussed next year on this forum.

That begs a question about non-straight Mormon girls, but I'm not going there...

Guilty as charged, sir. Great post and a fun read.

John

 

I like the cleaner front appearance of the R56 Cooper (I'm staunchly in the Cooper camp) and love the bigger fogs. The front profile is just as "Mini" as R53...maybe even moreso. Everything else is a wash, imo...all the other changes are very, very minor to my eye and overall logical and balanced. The front grill is a big improvement.

The interior is impressive to me, too. It is different from R53, but I like it. The dash is even more reminiscent of the classic Mini parcel-shelf look so I'm a big fan. I also like the darker tones overall, as I do the bigger speedo. I like the way it is integrated into the dash, too...nice touch. Thumbs up on other little things, too...door treatment, side AC vents, toggles. Not sure about the AC controls, but I'll adjust.

So overall I'm pretty stoked on R56 appearance. What makes me even more enthusiastic is the promise of somewhat better fuel efficiency. If all that is promised is, in fact, what I find in the showroom, I'll definitely be going in big time.

 

I don't know where this comes from, perhaps the Cooper has had some AC power issues, but both MCSs we've had have had great AC.

As for squeaks, quirks, and reliability issues, well I think that has more to do with the individual car you get and luck of the draw - a new model isn't something to rely on fixing things at all. Even upper end BMWs have been known to be plagued with all of those things, even some of the same issues staying with the car after a redesign.

Best of luck with it though!

 

So question....based on things you've seen w/ BMWs and MINIs. Do you think late '07 is a better time to jump in...or wait til' the '08s? How long can it take to work out issues w/ a new model? Thoughts? I may be looking towards having to get an early '08 so that's why I'm asking.

 

Just get one, It'll be just fine.

 

Thnks a lot for the post! I am now happy to order a 2006 instead of waiting for the 2007. The old one looks much better.

 

Better order pretty soon before it's too late.....and be sure you won't be bothered by the big depreciation that's gonna happen because of the 07'.

 

Big depreciation... interesting. I am biased, but I think most people drive what they like. It just happens MINI's have enjoyed great resale. Not sure how this will effect the new 2007's as early adopters usually are the ones to take greater hits than those who are not. I wonder though over 30+ years which car had the greater depreciation... a 1974 Mustang or a 1966?

 

Not sure when the Mustang II was available, but I'd say that it was a heck of a lot more different from the 66 than the 07 MINI is from the 06. In my opinion the people who still hate the 07's will be reduced to a very small minority by the time the 07's have actually been available for a while. To then sell a lower powered. lower torque, higher gas consuming version of what most people will consider the same car won't happen without a big price reduction between the old new MINI and the new new MINI.