I just saw an episode of 5th Gear on the Velocity Channel. They tested a Roadster and blasted it every way possible...looks ugly, single layer top, doesn't turn tight enough clutch smells, etc., etc., etc. Well, those guys should go back to driving their Bentleys, MB SLRs, Jags, and whatever else they test and leave the truly cool cars to us. I know everybody is entitled to their opinion. My opinion is that those guys are morons!

 

 

Here's the clip, for anyone interested: http://velocity.discovery.com/tv-sho...i-roadster.htm

Let's go down the list of complaints:

"Who wants a convertible?!" -- Okay, so you can't ever like any other car with a removable top, either.

"more money, less seats" -- Right. So no one should ever charge a premium for a sportier variant of an existing mainstream car. Got it. So far, it's sounding less like they need to go back to Bentleys and Jags and more like they should find a nice, sensible Accord. Would go better with their beige trousers.

"Looks stupid" - Can't argue with this one. I disagree, but you can't argue looks. Too subjective.

"It's going to be bought by girls in Chelsea." -- I'm not up on British cultural stereotypes, so I don't know what Chelseans are known for, but there certainly exists in America the presumption that ANY small car with style is a girls' car. Not a real concern for me, as I'm a big fan of most of the vehicles that get labelled as such. And, let me just check my pants...yep, *********. Two of them.

"This with a hard top, yeah, great chassis; this is completely pointless in so many ways" -- REALLY? Now there's a minority opinion for you. The Coupe has its charm, the Roadster makes SO much more sense to me.

"single skin fabric" -- I actually agree with this complaint. I'd love for MINI to go two-layer and dress things up a bit. Would add weight, but I think it would be worth it.

"you've got a great car, let's put a thin, single skin roof on it" -- Wait, now it's a great car with a crap roof? A minute ago it was a stupid car. Make up your mind.

"That's something Renault would do for, like, 10 grand less than this" -- Fair enough. The luxury of MINI has never kept up with its pricetags.

"they're just diluting the brand" -- How do you dilute the brand of a small, sporty marque by making a small, sporty car? I guess if you don't like the looks of it, this almost makes sense, but since I think the R59 is the best looking car MINI has ever made...

"No denying it's fun to drive" -- So the low scores have almost nothing to do with the execution of the car (single layer top being the sole exception) and everything to do with a philosophical opposition to its mere existence as a 2-seat roadster.

I guess that means that every other two seater in existence, especially convertibles, should expect to receive similarly low scores? Something tells me that hasn't and won't be the case.

 

opinions are like a**holes....everyone has one (those HOSTS suck!!)

 

Sure. It's just weird that their opinions seemed to have so little to do with evaluating the car in front of them, but rather the IDEA of that car.

 

Hey, don't pee on my leg and then tell me it's raining

 

Crap, I should have made myself clear. My earlier post was intended for the HOSTS of that show...most definitely not you.

And I agree with you, pretty obvious they had already made up their mind to bash/blast/dislike the Roadster....even before they even got inside the car.

 

I've had mine for about 72 hours now and think these guys are pretty biased. First off, they complain about the single layer top. Isn't the 2013 a dual-layer? Even if it's not, you don't honestly gain that much from the second layer. You're always going to have road noise.

Part of my commute is about 10 miles of 70MPH freeway that is starting to be a bit weathered and rough. The road noise and ride is much better than I had mentally prepared myself for. It's there, sure, but that's the cost of having a soft top. I'm not sure I'd want a hard top if it was offered, anyways.

 

Judging from this thread, I assume there are some that still watch this show?

 

No, unlike the MINI Convertible, the top is still single layer on the 2013s with no lining or insulation and the mechanism exposed inside the vehicle. MINI said the reason is so the top would be in the traditional roadster style. Others have insinuated that they might have done it for weight reduction reasons. My thoughts are that a lined top would make it difficult for it to fold down flush into the body like it does. Because of the different body design, the Convertible top sticks up above the body when it folds anyway so they could line it. Only a guess on my part.

 

I've pulled up a few episodes on Netflix in the past. Top Gear may barely be about cars (and almost never about cars that I would ever be in a position to own) but at least it's entertaining. 5th Gear...isn't.

When I saw this thread, I googled "Fifth Gear MINI roadster" and found the clip on the Velocity site.

I'm slightly disappointed in myself for being so annoyed with their comments. As a prospective Roadster owner, I'm certainly not unbiased, but no matter how many times I think over it, I just can't see much validity to most of their complaints. At the very least, if they wanted to score it so low, they could have hit the normal things: interior feels cheap, harsh ride because of the run-flats, switchgear unintuitive, chrome bits aren't chrome, Center speedos are silly, Front-wheel drive (ie, the "it's not a Miata" entry)...

Or hey, would it be too much to evaluate it for what it is? How about "surprisingly roomy inside given that it's a 2-seat sports car" or "Wow, this trunk is actually useable?"

 

FWIW, I strongly dislike the tops that bunch up at the back, like those on the MINI Convertible or the VW Beetle Convertible. I call it the "picnic basket" look.

I'd rather deal with a single layer top that folds down as sleekly as the Roadster's does, if that's the alternative.

 

I just wish these wanna-be car enthusiasts would do their own testing. I think we would all be better served if some of these less-talented reviewers would do their own 0-60, 60-0, and other such tests instead of worrying about making jokes, critiquing the style, and basically trying to be like Top Gear UK. All we ever see are "Here is what the sticker says". I'd like to know if it outperforms the sticker or comes up short.

 

A few things I have noticed:

Whenever Fifth gear has involved a MINI in a comparison, its NEVER under the right circumstances. When they tested the Cooper SD against a SEAT Ibiza FR TDI, they ran them both on a wet track. The mini was sliding everywhere with oversteer, and Tiff said that it was definitely the more "fun" car, yet the SEAT still won the comparo because it was a more neutral car on a WET TRACK in the rain. No tests were done on dry pavement.

On Top Gear, they do alot of small hot-hatch comparos and almost never include the MINI Cooper S or JCW. This may be because the MINI wears the premium price tag.

 

One of the buff books (Motor Trend, maybe?) did a comparo recently that involved a JCW Coupe and, judging by their remarks, it lost because they like the MINI hardtop better.

Which doesn't make a ton of sense, really.

Veloster vs MINI Coupe vs ...umm, I think it was a GTI. I don't see a regular MINI anywhere in that list; why should it matter if the Hardtop is a better buy?

 

I've actually enjoyed Fifth Gear since it's been on, and would also agree with their rather lame treatment of the Roadster. The comment of the order of "they were more opposed to the idea of the car, versus the car itself" was right on, IMHO, and that seems to occur a lot with current-day reviewers. E.g. I don't *care* that you think a Countryman is not a sympathetic extension of the brand; just tell me, how does it go? Ride? Handle? Perform? etc. Sheesh. Too much to ask, apparently.

I like that they do get cars on the track, a lot, not so many "stunts" and bizarreness that TopGear has been doing of late. I would say, geez, they work in the rain, a LOT, compared to Top Gear; tighter shooting schedule or something?

 

I finally got a chance to watch this. What the heck was that all about? Did Mini forget to leave a check in the glove compartment or something like they're probably used to getting from other makes? That was just weird. They ***** and moan about the car without really giving a single reason as to why other than the roof "looks cheap" (which I disagree with) and "it looks stupid" (which I disagree with, and then they talk about the hard top looking good which is what most critics rag on due to the helmet).

It's also like they don't have a grasp on the concept of a 2 seater convertable. "less seats more money" what? Really guy? You review cars?

 

Their review made me laugh, actually. How this footage made it through the show's editors is kind of amazing.

Any car review that has literally zero driving footage or commentary isn't really a car review any more than a restaurant review of a place where they sat in the seats, ordered, but never ate.

They might as well have been discussing the plane they stood underneath, but never flew.

 

Anyone can do reviews now! I am taking my camera to the dealer and I will walk around a Countryman and just complain about it for say 5 minutes but never drive it. And if you all like that review I could also review some things I am also passionate about, say audio/home theater. I will buy the latest pre-amp/amp/tuner/Blu-ray player, etc but never plug it in. Instead I will sit next to it and tell you why it sucks for 5 minutes. Who actually needs to USE a product they are reviewing anyhow?

Considering most sports car enthusiasts/reviewers have great reviews of the MINI... my guess, as was said earlier, is that these people didn't find their usual check from BMW in the glove box.

 

Hey don't feel bad. Weh I looked up the You Tube video for my current car, Clarkson on Top Gear said mine looked like his dog getting ready to take a dump in the back yard. After he said that the next time I saw m car I realized, he was right

What do you think?

 

haha...that's pretty harsh IMO.

MINI might not like the 'bad press' from reviewers like 5th gear, but maybe it'll keep the car a little more scarce. I'm more than OK with that.

 

Having never driven or ridden in a Miata, I cannot say if they are good or bad. I do like them from an observationn stand point. With that being said, In the parking lot of my office, there are at least 4 Miatas in the lot. Yet there are ZERO MINIs. In an average day I will see numerous Miatas and maybe 2 MINI's or less. I like driving unique cars [which is one reason I went for the Crossfire in a previous post]. I have not seen a Roadster yet on the road in the Cincinnati/Dayton area and only one Coupe'. My wife has a Countryman and we have seen maybe 15 or so in the last 18 months. So point is if you want a unique looking car that is well built and unique get a MINI. If you want a car that has remianed moderateely changes is stuck in the '90's. Go for the Miata,

 

I agree. Saw on another thread that MINI announced something slightly less than 2,100 Roadsters had been sold in the US from day one till the end of November. Can't remember the number of Coupes. On the road, I've seen one Coupe and three Roadsters besides mine. Two of those three Roadsters were at a St. Louis MINI Club event and no Coupes were there. I don't expect any of us will be seeing a lot of them in our parking lots at work.

 

I think if we all drove cars based on car reviews, we would be driving Toyota Corrolas
I love my overpriced, impractical, single layered roof, and uncomfortible Roadster.