Well, i headed for home during my christmas break, and manage to get a quick sneak peek at the 07, here's a few quick pictures i took, ill post more as they are uploaded...


07 MC

07 MCS interior, exterior is the new medium blue color

Outside does appear bigger, i like the new front end... it might be more mainstream than the outgoing model but it still retains all the proper mini charms.... the black plastic on the cooper S seems more aggressive like the aero kit, but somehow i can see alot of faded plastic grilles eventually down the line... if its shiny its great... if its not... well

the biggest thing i noticed is the remarkable difference in the wheel arch... the new ones appear almost vertical, with a small bulge out, unlike the R50/R52/R53s where the wheel arch are more pronounced... even though they are bigger (as in taller), they aren't as aggressive

i stand by my regard that the lower rear grille looks very ugly... while it does echo the front well, i feel its out of place and it just too dam big!

overall, proper grow up lines, proper new design makes this unmistakeably mini.... while it does appear larger.... i dont feel its large by any standards... unless of course you compare to those japanese k-cars

inside, the car's quality and build improvements are there... the closing door clunk sounds much better than the 03 i got... the gear shifter feel is just like the current car... closer to the 05 feel, clunky, well defined... clutch is lighter than the current car, which should make inner city driving much better on the left foot... button placement seems to be a common complaint in lots of automotive press and i did not find that there.... nifty storage places also make the interior feel bigger.... the biggest change though is the huge speedo that seems like double the original size! very big, and takes center stage...

the seats are also better... i always hated the stock mini seats, they were hard, and not very supportive, the new ones arent better in supportive-ness, but at least the seat feels firm but more comfortable.... ergonomically it also allows a better driving position

interior room also seems to improved.. but this isn't a practical hatchback to carry 4 anyways... the rear is still tiny, but better.. the boot also got a bit more space than before

Overall... i couldn't verify the one claim that many automotive mags ive read complained, which is that the mini lost the old car's go kart feel... as that's for a test drive to verify...

is it a better car? yes, build quality, interior finish, everything oozes and values the car as a premium car, rather than a small hatchback... but is it a proper sucessor of the MK1 new MINI? i'd say no.. but it is difficult to judge... as it is very difficult to make improvements to a car that's already as great as the mk1 MINI... only a proper test drive will verify whether or not the mk2 is a proper sucessor.... but so far, MINI is heading in the right direction of stepping up quality...

finally, would it make me trade my 03, or better yet, my mk1 for a mk2? the test drive will decide this, but so far i like what i see... to explain for those who aren't too aware, in hong kong, one cannot walk into the dealership and expect a test drive, you have to arrange it, and seeing i am leaving for toronto tomorrow i couldn't possibly squeeze it in... as well, the sales people aren't the most excited bunch here in hong kong... in proper terms, they are a bunch of idiots!

 

Nice overview on your trip over there. Nice how you got to see the new MC/MCS.

I think most of the reviews about steering haven't really been very negative, most I've heard/read said it felt the same. A select few have said it feels a bit worse but nothing like losing its go-kart feel. The 06's I have test driven like 80x felt great, so I have high expectations for the 07's.

Thanks for the writeup/pics

 

thanks for the pics and review

 

Nice review and pics. Thanks

 

Thanks for the nice picts and review. I am looking forward to seeing the real thing in Detroit next week!