New 3rd generation Mini in 2014! Thoughts?

[Coopman]

As i'm sure a lot of people have already noticed pictures of the 2014 mini have started to surface of what the car might potentially look like from images of the car being tested recently. I was just wondering if people are liking what they are hearing and have seen so far? Seemingly this mini may have a BMW'ish interior similar to the 1 series as the new car will run alongside the new BMW 0 series which will use the same chassis. A family member of mine bought a new 1 series this year and as much as i really love the interior it is not something i would like to find in the minis of the furture. Are we going to loose our go-carts for a small family hatch or will BMW pull something fantastic out of the bag? I've been reading a lot that minis have been dropping sales wise since the introduction of cars such as the Audi A1 and Fiat 500 so will they play it safe next time round? My girlfriend also recently bought a 2012 Fiat 500 and she personally wouldnt touch a mini as she finds them too quote "rattley". What do we think? Will mini try and build a car to further suit a wider market next time round because they took a bit of a leap already in 2007 with a more "everyday" mini. I also read somewhere that the design will be completely new. To me that just destroys the second hand market for minis because what i personally like about them is the timeless design and if they move too far away from the basic design concept of the 2001 mini which was only slightly changed in 2007 all of our older minis will decrease in value and may potenitally start to look dated. BMW has some new head guys on board and i really hope they dont turn the mini into a VW Golf. I'm praying that the new new isnt a huge change because its looking like that tradmark front could be turned around on its head come 2014.

Source: Vehicletechnology. http://www.vehicletechnology.org/wp-con ... -Photo.jpg

Source: BMW Blog. http://www.bmwblog.com/wp-content/uploa ... 3-2014.jpg

Source: Vip Custom Parts. http://www.vipcustomparts.com/f56%20mini%20cooper.jpg

[irlmin]

I would not take the press coverage so far too serious , yes there will be commonality of platform etc BUT I am certain MINI will not loose its styling cues , this discussion took place when the R56 was rushed into production because the R50/52/53 sold in much larger numbers than anticipated and tooling / panel presses had higher wear rates due to larger production numbers and people thought the R56 was too big and not as well styled as its predecessor , however the changes were also brought about by safety legislation especially pedestrian impact which needed the frontal changes you see on the R56 , ( why pedestrians just could not be taught to stay off the middle of the road beats me !! ) The Countryman was launched later again to shouts that it was not a MINI and was too big BUT again the answer was that many of MINI customers had outgrown the original 2001 model and needed a 'Family' car and in order to get some customer retention a larger 5 door model was needed hence the Countryman . back to the F56 I have no doubt that it will not please everyone, but remember its all about numbers and profitability and component sharing is the way it is all going now , you mention the Fiat 500 its a Ford Ka with a different set of panels , look at the commonality in Audi /VW with many years and this does not dilute the 'serious' models like the RS4 or RS6 Audis etc etc . I think the F56 will be innovative in design with some of the styling cues we have seen on the 'Rocketman' concept being adapted BUT don't expect it to be too far away visually from a winning formula that has been R50/R56 . the original 2001 MINI was a radical departure from the norm and even today really stands out as something special , I have a 2001 MINi Cooper which was registered the day before launch 06/07/01 and in silver /black it still looks really good .will I buy an F56 probably not , BUT I am really looking forward to the F55 the new Clubman which is promised to be sportier than the current model which btw I think is the best all round model of the current range .
G

[Jonknight]

I think Ger is spot on there. Whatever the new car will end up looking like it will still be very much a MINI. I think BMW would be foolish to bring out anything other than that. They will know their market and the new model will reflect that.

All models of cars should naturally evolve over time. I believe it's something that was taken into consideration when the original new MINI was released in 01. It was supposed to be an idea of what the classic Mini would have been if it too had been allowed to evolve naturally.

As for the earlier cars looking dated, I don't think it's really relevant in the case of the Mini. I feel the R50 shape is timeless and still looks modern. Compare other models from around 01 to their current shape and they will mostly look seriously dated and easily forgettable while the MINI remains a desirable and much recognized car.

[Owen]

They have to keep it MINI. I'm speaking in my experience as a former MINI Sales Manager where we had sessions with the design team at Plant Oxford. They had in 2007 20 years of planned designs ahead, and their tenets of those designs were to have a wheel in each corner, MINI's unique face, the bulldog stance, MINI's handling characteristcs and as much of the original Mini's charm and features as possible.

The F55 definitely interests me, I felt the current R55/56/58 range was a step back in terms of the quality of the materials used to build MINIs, vinyls felt cheaper, plastics were more abrasive, even having exposed screws at the bottom of the cup holders reeked of accountants reigning in the designers original plans. I hope the F series MINIs return to plush materials used in the cabin, and an overall lift in the build quality of the product. But I know it'll still look like the MINI we're used to, and drive just as well as all the models in it's lineage.

[Coopman]

The build quality in the r53 far exceeds the r56 anyway, thats for sure. The 2007 model was a really cheap upgrade! To be honnest i'm most concerned with the front end and how i feel by the time the f56 comes around the mini will have taken too far a leap foward. The new light and grill design is fine on the other mini models but on the standard mini hatch the new design concepts are moving too far away from the traditional mini front end. I seen a 2012 countryman the other day and i have to say its a beautiful car but i just cant picture that front end on a cooper of the future. All the sneak peeks are pointing towards a similar grill design and complete redesign of the traditional mini front circular light design.

[irlmin]

Look to the Rocketman concept headlight design and you won't be too far from the F56 lights when it sees production .
G