Now that the official unveiling has occured. I say that the 1st gen is definitely the better looking car. This car looks good at some angles and at others it just seems off a bit. Here is my take of what I dont like....What is yours?

1. Fake hood scoop......I HATE FAKE CRAP
2. The plastic trim has gotten bigger!
3. The gap around the hood, where the hood meets the trim is not consistent and looks off, also the headlights should have been left in the hood, it was unique
4. The tail lights do not look in proportion
5. Now it sounds just like every other car on the road, that SC whine was part of the this car distinctive

To sum it up....all the changes took away from the uniquene and distinctive essence of what made this car such a hit world wide. I am disapointed

I do absolutely love the new interior though!!!

 

6. Grievances is spelled wrong. Go directly to the Grammer Thread. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

 

7. The hood is flatter (practically flat). While I don't like having a "fake" hood scoop at least it camouflages the hoods flatness some. The lack of hood scoop camouflage make the non-S look just hideous.
8. The interior looks much cheaper than the current interior mostly due to the nasty looking center stack . I thought it would be impossible to make all that yucky looking interior silver plastic look any cheaper but...they have proven me wrong .
9. Still pisspoor color selections (better than '06 but I expected more)

 

Don't know the proper number... But here goes.

N+1) Hypersensitivity to changes that, other than the motor, really aren't that big a deal!


Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I hadn't posted a just plane obnoxious post in a while....

Matt

 

Ahem, Chows....it is spelled Grammar, not Grammer. And the title has been edited.

 

The only grievence I can think of is that the Bridge Spokes weren't available this year in the states. Though I do look forward to seeing them in the Marketplace soon enough.

 

I agree that the overall motoring package is bound to be better (hard to imagine!) than our current Coopers, I do need to quibble, too!

The center stack looks like a robotic sock monkey from a low budget sci-fi flick.

The rear bumper valance makes the car look higher off the ground, adding to the regrettable 4x4 look.

The S side vents look cheesy.

The mesh grille on the S doesn't look right. It looks like an aftermarket piece that doesn't quite, um, mesh with the rest of the car.

Fake scoops are lame.

(I do like the new interior color schemes and mood lighting, and the new star-shaped wheels for the S, and of course weight loss is always good!)

 

 

I'm through grieving, I want one.

 

I knew that spellcheck dont work in firefox

 

'doesn't'

 

- I think the profile of the new car is a bit odd...it really shows the added bulkiness in the front end.

- The new side vents on the fenders look like crap. I can live with the S vents...but the non S vents look HORRIBLE. I'm assuming they'll look better in person.

Other than that, the new car is an improvement...I really like everything about the interior, despite what I said before. The mules looked pretty tacky, but the final interior came together very nicely. I also like the new front and rear better than the old, even though the new front looks too big when you look at the profile, like I said earlier.

There's nothing that makes me regret going with the '06, but nothing that would stop me from buying another in a few years.

 

overall, I like the car, there are a lot of new features I like, but with the new stuff, there is other stuff that might take some getting used to....

--the front end, just about the same hood curves between the S and non S...more flat across the hood, and it makes the front of the car seem out of proportion compared to what I am used to seeing. I am a HUGE fan of the lines of the current non S...the way the hood slopes down between the headlights.

--the headlights. I do like the idea that they fit "under" the hood and stay in place when the hood goes up, but that makes the engine bay more cramped, etc....and the single lamp design, I like having the split between the lows and highs....it will make it more difficult for aftermarket HID kits and retrofits for those going that route.....I personally have the OEM HIDs that came with the car. I think bi-xenon is a great option, but the lights look funny with the HUGE amber turn signal in the bottom of them. That much orange is distracting from the lines of the car. I can see it now...."DIY clear your headlights" threads popping up all over thet place.

--The integration of the audio into the speedo. The fact that it is totally custom fitment means for those looking for aftermarket systems, they are completely SOL. I still have my stock system in my MINI, but put a complete custom system in my daily driver. If that ability was taken away from me, I would be really upset. My outback XT was like that, no easy way to put in an aftermarket stereo...you needed to replace the center dash section, completely....and that part was in the $100's, just to make a single or double din fit. And the OEM Subaru stereo was crap, crap, crap. With such a "customizable" car, one should be afforded the ability to change things more easily...this really will make things more difficult and MUCH more expensive for those looking for options in ICE.

those are just my first thoughts....but overall, I do like what they have done, just that is is different from mine, and I LOVE mine...and it always takes me a while to adjust to changes in something I thought was already great.

 

here is a quick side by side comparo I just threw together....makes the differences in the arches more visible, and the obvious front end differences. From what I can see, the new Cooper gets the same side sills as the S...I had to change mine to S sills because I thought the standard cooper ones were too boring...same with the gas cap cover, I changed that as well.

 

after really chewing this over for the last few days, there are only aa few things that bother me ...

- the wider black trim around the wheel arches

- the wing shaped AC controls

the rest is OK ....

I think the Interior will end up looking either classy or like a freaking toy depending on the materials and colors chosen when you build the car ... but that will be the owners choice anyway.

 

Wow, that really makes the current model look much nicer IMO... Oh well, it had to change at some point!

 

I know your point was just to show the arches but there's a lot going on in those pictures that ends up making the R56 look much worse than it really is. Plus the current Mini, yours I take, looks better than average, especially at that angle.

 

Instead of a large clear Zip Lock bag to protect it...The 2007 looks like it needs a NON see through no name baggie made of thinner plastic for it's garage!

Bet the 07 will not have as many nose prints on the windows as my 04 does! (yes, it probably will)

It's the American way....make more...make it cheaper....or LIKE THE MGB...MAYBE CHINA WILL COME TO PASS! God, what garbage comes out of there these days! I actually found a sweater made in Ireland the other day...almost fell over! (NICE TOO!)

I fear the day of the "THROW AWAY MINI" is not that far off!

No this is not progress....but perhaps RETRO progress!

Of course different people will have different takes on this...just my 2 cents!

Damn, my 04 MCS is looking good these days! BMW...KEEP YOUR HANDS off the MINI!!!! Engineering is where the R&D $$ should go. After all, you need Petrol to make all that plastic junk.....we need it to Motor!!!!

It's not as though Mini has an excess of autos to sell either or is having trouble marketing them. How many cars today are this tough to get????

 

So true. But The pillars will still probably be dark and the components will still be silver, and I think it draws too much attention to itself.

The two exterior problems I see are the blunt nose and the rear glass.

The blunter nose wouldn't be so much of an aesthetic problem if they'd kept the angle of the headlights, which gives the current model something of sly look. The glass on the current model is a nice touch.

However, the blunter nose and more foreward headlights do give the car a slightly more aggressive look, and frankly is more in line with the car's roots, IMO. The original Mini was functional, not elegant.

The current model is more along the lines of a classic Mini with the design influence of a Studebaker Starliner (ca 1953) with a bit of generic Jaguar thrown in. (Yes, I know the Starliner has more forward headlights, but do a Google Image search for Studebaker Starliner and you'll see what I mean about the general look of the front end.

The 2007 is more along the lines of the current model with a bit of Nash Metropolitan thrown in.

So I concede a bit and say "Yes, the current design is prettier on the exterior and doesn't have the goofy center stack."

But I'm still planning on getting one.

-W-

 

Note to Mini....get rid of the black plastic trim! Body colored molding would look so much better.

 

actually, it was to show the difference between the front ends, but what really stood out to me was the arches and the thickness of the plastic trim...and the side vent, and the bulbous rear deck below the window.....

That is my mini for the comparo...and thanks for the compliment.

 

In regards to the '07 MINI and the original mini... what is functional about the fake hood scoop? That does not seem to be more in line with the car's roots. More flash, less function in my opinion.

 

I'm not sure what the big deal is? Its a key design feature of the Cooper S, why would they possibly get rid of it. Its a small scoop to help differentiate the S models...its not a form over function issue imo.

 

Exactly, if you want a ton of heatsoak put on a new hood. Why would I want a car I payed more for, to look like something that's cheaper and no where near as fast?

Mikey

 

Good point, as an 03' MC owner the last thing I would want on my car is an ugly, unnecessary hood scoop. If you're gonna be slow and cheap you might as well look the part.:impatient