A visual comparison using official press photos past and present...R53 on the left and R56 on the right.



Note...some of the photos have been flipped and rotated for comparison reasons, nothing has been edited within the content of each photo.

 

Great comparison - thanks!

 

THanks for that. The lines are obviously cleaner in the older car.

From the looks of the big lights, bigger plastic black fenders, and the big rear hip, I wouldnt call this design evolution, like MINI is trying to.

It's more like evolution from eating too much junk food. I guess cars get fat too.

 

Outstanding layout. Thanks for your efforts.

 

That is GREAT! Thanks for the easy to view comparison shots!

 

Great work as always. Looks like the hood of the R56 is on steriods.

 

The R53 and R56 look almost the same to me; the R56 looks like a R53 with the aero kit on. I am happy that there is not much exterior changes with the next generation Mini. Which will not make our R53 looks outdate.

 

Oh my G-d. That's the new MINI?! I think I'm gonna hurl. =op

Zip

 

Wow....that is a big help!!! For all practical purposes, appearance-wise it seems essentially the same. The "less-deeply-drawn" bonnet stands out, but it looks good to my eye. I'd love to have seen similar photos released for Cooper so I'll be staying tuned!!

My prediction....we'll quibble over every niggling detail and, in the end, love it to pieces. We do this every time...and one should probably expect no less from MINI-holics.

 

The proportions are just not right on the new car. The plastic on the arches is way too big, and the windows are now too small--they're not as tall as they used to be; the top looks smushed down--same concept as the Chrysler 300. You can really notice it on the head on set of pictures second from the top--look how much smaller the front windshield is compared to the "old" Cooper. The windows/roof look too small for the car now--probably a combination of increasing the hieght of the bonnet, and reducing the height of the windows. It's looking almost SUVish.

 

the new one looks like the Jolly Green Giant pushed down with his thumb on the old one causing the roof to flatten down and everything else to bulge.

 

Must be just me but several people have said the headlights on the 07 look bigger....I don't see that, they look about the same, or maybe even a bit smaller, to me. Of course the tape over the chrome trim makes it hard to tell for sure.

I like the looks of the 07' and it will be a big hit, even with most of the people who now say they hate it.

Time will tell.

 

im disappointed, it doesnt look that good, but the possibility of turbo sounds nice, I'll stick with my 05

 

I still can't get by that ugly rear end ! Especially with the new exhaust/muffler.

 

R56? Not impressive.
I'd pick the old MC styling over the new R56 any day of the week.

But consumers will want something different for the new model year- something they can see. Heck the interior is quite different.

Things I'd do if I was designing the R56
Keep it MINI size
Do a different rear exhaust tip location like one tip on each side or even a dual tip on each side.
Reduce the coeffient of drag (by alot)
Add side view mirror turn indicator lights like Mercedes sedans
Smooth out the lines
Switch to handleless doors operated by remote control
Embed rally lights in the lower front bumper as an option
Make the option to have the front grille body colored or chrome

What is with the front bonnet grille bottom edge being chrome but not the whole outline of the grille in chrome- if that unfinished in the pictures?

 

We're still looking at pre-production cars, so my strong suspicion is that the MCS will actually retain some kind of slatted grille in stock form. Then the mesh upper grille will be an accessory.

 

Thanks for the comparo! Gee, I hadn't noticed that the indentation near the headlights is gone on the R56 before. That's too bad, I really like the various curves and reflections on the bonnet of our car.

 

I decided to order an 06 because I was afraid that the changes to the 07 would not be for the better. And now I am so happy I got my car this year.

What are some things I love about my car that are missing from the 07?
1. The wonderful curves and contours on the front hood
2. The fact that the headlights are attached to the hood--good for signaling UFOs.
3. The fact that my MCS's scoop is actually functional
4. The arches are not as prominent
5. My MINI's rear
6. The upright lights are more reminiscent of the original MINI

 

It amazes me how the reactions range from "It's not that different" to "they've taken absolute perfection and turned it into the ugliest thing on the planet".

The only thing I'm not really liking is the extra plastic on the wheel wells. I still think once the slatted grill is on there and the chrome is revealed and those other camo'd parts are uncamo'd the differences there will be even less perceived difference, but folks will still cry that perfection has been sullied and I will continue to shake my head in disbelief.

Before long those buy 2007s will be seen as apostates.

-W-

 

to all those claiming puke, no thanks, and so forth, I hope you all note the ammount of plastic work that is still on the car, including all thelights that is taking away. I think a true comparison would be the taped up current MINI vs. the 07 MINI with tape, that would be a real comparison, not a taped up car.

 

Imagine (had there been a www) what would have been said when the Mk III Mini lost external door hinges and sliding windows.

 

That's the way it is - people buy something because they like it, when changes are made some like them some don't, no surpise there

 

True, but the comments on the wheel arch plastic, bulkiness of the new bonnet (Of course they had to increase its size, but why did they take the hood off a Beetle and cut a slot in it?), and changes in the size of the windows/loss of the wrap around glass in the back still stand. It will undoubtedly look better once the tape's off, but I don't ever remember this amount of backlash from the previous facelifts...Of course this is a bigger changee, and it's being done by a different design team than the original (I believe the facelifts were all done by the original team), so it's bound to look different to the Miniphile.

Some people will like it; others will get a 2006 (that's what I did) before these changes go into effect. Personally, I believe the car has lost a lot of soul--just getting rid of the supercharger took care of that. I'm not the only one who feels this way; this exact sentiment has been echoed in several preproduction evaluations of the R56.

Oh and thanks to the originator of the thread--that was a very nice job on those pictures!

 

Something that has really been bugging me since the release of the press photos from MINI along with the release of the R56 into the hands of the world press...why show a new model with tape still covering bits of the car?

Is this normal protocol in the automotive industry? Was it rushed and why? I had heard about and was expecting a September unveiling, so what was the hurry?

Oh well, here's an idea of what the R56 would look like without the non-functional hood scoop...



...and I have yet to hear any comments on the loss of the air/pollen vents on the bonnet...more character lost, IMO.

 

In the earlier prototypes, substantial black masks are used to hide the form for obvious reasons...sometimes, foam inserts are used to further disrupt the actual contours. In this case, the body colored tapes are to tell the world that while the product is near production, the fit/finishes are still undergoing development...as such, the public will be less inclined to shed full scrutiny at this time...