I don't even own a Roadster yet, but was annoyed. The theme of Satch's article seemed a bit dated and sexist to me (I'm sure you could pull similar articles when the Miata was introduced, for example). Even worse, it wasn't funny. Just curious to see if anyone else had the same reaction. Might explain why there's not much Mini following on it, which otherwise is a very good mag (The Star [similar Mercedes rag] is horrible, with a "do you have any grey poupon?" theme continually running through it).

 

I quit caring what other people thought about my choices a long time ago. Nobody can tell me what I want/need better than me. Helps a bunch when confronted with other people's now meaningless opinions. Satch can espew whatever he wants, but in the end, it's just his opinion.

 

At 46 on Friday, I'd better be over caring too much what people think of me.

I was thinking more of the article itself; it seemed beneath them - they were going for the low-hanging fruit, as it were, for its theme.

 

Yes, I did think that Satch got a little too cute with the Buffy thing throughout the review. Otherwise, it was a very informative review. I've just gotta remember that the coupe (with it's baseball cap on backwards) is for boys, and the roadster is for girls.

 

I didn't even see the article.

 

With the Roadster on the cover, and covering 9 pages (including a lot of photos), it was hard to miss. This is serious magazine space.

 

Apparently, you could pull similar articles written by none other than Satch Carlson about the Z3.

 

link to article?

 

 

http://roundel.imirus.com/Mpowered/book/vrds12/i1/p1

Click the "issues" tab on the left, then May, with the Roadster on the cover. I thought the drive-in approach was a cute way to do the press intro, but especially liked the fact that they were manny-only.

 

not sure if its more insulting to my gender or my car!

 

I'm less annoyed by the article than I am by the pathetic "magazine reader" that they force you to use to read it!

 

The only thing good about the article were the photos. There was more lame, sexist, theme not-funny comedy than real substance in the writing.

 

wow.. i can't believe i wasted my time reading that crap.

 

HAHAHA, nfo, Amen!!

 

Did he get Nm mixed up with lb ft? He states the JCW roadster has 260 lb ft of torque. Pretty bad article all around.

 

Ditto. Does that guy smoke a lot of doob?

 

See the story behind Alaska's "Satch Carlson" law to get a hint of the editor's (cough) respect for young girls.

 

that was an interesting read!

 

I thought it was a good, informative article myself. It really got me thinking about the Roadster S and JCW!

 

I read the article last week, and was immediately annoyed. BMW CCA, and especially Roundel, treat MINI like a redheaded stepchild (appropriate when considering the JCW roof ).

The Roadster article written by the editor is just another example. They obviously have no serious interest in attracting MINI owners to the club, and that is a missed opportunity.

 

I have to agree with most everyone. The writing sucked to say the least. Not sure I can honestly say it was writing.

And your right the reader is really second class low budget garbage. One would think either the writing would be good or the web experience good. In this case neither is good.

 

It is unfortunate, as Satch is actually an excellent writer. It just shows that the way this feature was written was intentional. The magazine editor sets the tone for the publication and it trickes down from there.

 

Well, I guess I am in the minority. I thought the article was excellent and got me excited about the Roadster. I think part of the intention of an article such as this is to get people to read it and discuss it. Looks like Satch achieved that. In addition, getting non-owners such as me interested in the marque - check!

If you are mostly upset by the "girl's car" reference, don't worry about it. I went through that with my Z3. Just enjoy your cars and drive them!

And I am sure they have lots of MINI owners in the club. If you don't want to join due to Satch's article, that would be your loss. There are so many great articles in there monthly. Not to mention the column by a MINI owner.

Enjoy your rides!

 

Dave, I agree with you on the generally very good quality on Roundel. However, in terms of the article, it's like drowning kittens - sure, it will get you attention, but it's probably not the best way to go about doing so.

Yes, the "girlyman" angle has been played up on the Miata, first gen Mini, Boxter, Z3, SLK, and I'm sure other cars that I'm missing. The whole angle has been done to death, and Satch's latest attempt shows no real newness to the approach, especially when it was a lame approach to begin with.

And for those who have not googled "Alaska Satch Carlson Law", it really is a suprising read.

Jack, I agree - I don't really see anything within Roundel that even hints at wanting to cultivate Mini owners to the group.