GTP Cool Wall: 2011-2015 MINI Coupe

[andrewsufc91]

WHe and the designer should be firmly slapped in the face. With a Mini. An original Mini.

I would very much like to see that. For me all the new Minis are too big. When the first modern Minis came out I really liked them but now they're just a joke. It's like the Germans are deliberately taunting us by ruining an icon.

 

[Joey D]

I never understood why people think the MINI needs to be the same as the original Mini. Given the safety standards nowadays, especially pedestrian safety in Europe, the likelihood of a car as small as the originally Mini being able to pass regulations to be sold seems like it would be almost impossible.

 

[MatskiMonk]

I like this car actually, it's not cool, but it is cooler than driving the hatch or the convertible, so I'm only going with uncool.

As for the Mini vs MINI debate, if it was the same size as the old one it would be crap, and about as cool as a smart car... Which is about as cool as getting poked in the eye with a soldering iron.... get over it.

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

I never understood why people think the MINI needs to be the same as the original Mini. Given the safety standards nowadays, especially pedestrian safety in Europe, the likelihood of a car as small as the originally Mini being able to pass regulations to be sold seems like it would be almost impossible.

Smart? Those 2-stroke 45 kph microcars?

Oh, and I don't think a Lambo or a Ferrari do a rather good job at pedestrian safety, but they are still no problem in Europe.

 

[Sage Ages]

Smart? Those 2-stroke 45 kph microcars?

It's possible, but it would lack anything resembling decent interior space, which if I'm not mistaken was something the original Mini was known for.

Oh, and I don't think a Lambo or a Ferrari do a rather good job at pedestrian safety, but they are still no problem in Europe.

Just because you think something doesn't mean it's true.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

That roof looks like such a bad bodge job! Uncool.

 

[TheCracker]

Oh, and I don't think a Lambo or a Ferrari do a rather good job at pedestrian safety, but they are still no problem in Europe.

They don't have engines in the front so don't require the same treatment as front engined cars do to fit within pedestrian frontal impact requirements.

 

[Legro]

I never understood why people think the MINI needs to be the same as the original Mini. Given the safety standards nowadays, especially pedestrian safety in Europe, the likelihood of a car as small as the originally Mini being able to pass regulations to be sold seems like it would be almost impossible.

When the MINI was first released in the beginning of the century, it was a small car, it definitely wasn't the smallest small car available at the time, but to be fair, despite being much closer to earning that title, neither was the Mini. The real size problem when talking about MINIs in European market is actually just the huge crossover models, which make caps-locking the name MINI, sound like they were trying to make it stand for 'Maximum (size) Increase No Interior (space)'. The fact almost all of their models since the Clubman look terrible, doesn't help the current state of the brand either, at least in my eyes.

Those 2-stroke 45 kph microcars?

There's a reason why those death traps are limited to 45 km/h, it's because they're death traps even in those speeds.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Cars have grown over time. Whether we like it or not, any nameplate that was around 40 years ago is now attached to a much larger car. The MINI seems like such a huge departure (ha) because we didn't see it evolve for decades. BMW made a smart choice making it the size they did: smaller, and it likely would've sold in lower numbers, as the class below is not where the lion's share of the market lies in all the crucial markets. It would've also made the quasi-premium pricing options and approach that much harder to pull off.

 

[Tyger]

Oddly enough I would love this had the Mini or MINI never existed. As it is, it looks like another unnecessary variation of the same car. I wish BMW had left it at the Clubman (and made a proper RHD version of that too). Meh.

 

[TheCracker]

I think the whole issue of the diversification of the Mini range and how it's strayed from the original concept is now old hat. Manufactures, especially the more premium German ones, will create and fill any niche you can care to imagine. The various different Minis are pretty commen on the roads and I've pretty much accepted them all equally. Doesn't mean that at least half of them still seem pointless in my eyes - but I could say the same about an equal percentage of BMWs, Audi and Mercs.

 

[ImmalovemaGTR]

They don't have engines in the front so don't require the same treatment as front engined cars do to fit within pedestrian frontal impact requirements.

I thought that they were bad at pedestrian safety because of the low front end. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[TheCracker]

I thought that they were bad at pedestrian safety because of the low front end. Correct me if I am wrong.

Don't really suppose it matters how far up or down your legs you get hit. It's where or what your head hits when your legs get taken from under you that matters.

 

[niky]

Don't really suppose it matters how far up or down your legs you get hit. It's where or what your head hits when your legs get taken from under you that matters.

Indeed. A windshield is a much softer target than an engine block.

 

[TexRex]

anus-warbles

Uncool. No mucking about with one variant's virtues over another's--no MINI is cool as far as I'm concerned, regardless of how enjoyable it is to drive.

 

[CTznOfTime]

This is the most irrational like I have in the whole car world. There is literally not a single positive over a normal Mini (though the Roadster was actually good, but this isn't that) and yet this is, or rather was, my favourite of them all.

Seeing your pseudo, i dont think this MINI is the most irrational





For me, i Voted Cool

The fact that most of you think otherwise, i think makes this cool...

Isnt that the definition of cool uncool from TG?

I would totally own this car.

This is a lot cooler than a 5 door MINI,(i am not talking about the Countryman.)

This car is not supposed to be practical,its only for the driving pleasure.

Dont you think?
Cool indeed... Because it doesnt fit in any category.

 

[Legro]

This is a lot cooler than a 5 door MINI,(i am not talking about the Countryman.)

This sounds bit confusing to me, do you think that the Countryman is cooler than this, because there isn't really other reasons to separate the 5-door hatch and it.

 

[SuperLambo570]

Normally it would be uncool since they just took the roof and made it lower, but in the Mini's case it doesn't look half bad. Meh.

 

[CTznOfTime]

This sounds bit confusing to me, do you think that the Countryman is cooler than this, because there isn't really other reasons to separate the 5-door hatch and it.

The whole MINI line up is confusing lol


No, what I was trying to say is:

Normal MINI 3 door > .... > Coupe > countryman > .............. > 5 door hatch Mini

 

[wareric11]

From experience, these things are bloody fantastic to drive.







They also look bloody stupid.

I really have heard such great things about it. Its very hard to get over the look but maybe just maybe the car is worth it?

 

[TheCracker]

Its very hard to get over the look but maybe just maybe the car is worth it?

It's no better to drive than the regular Mini Cooper. Why get rid of most of the practicality and make it uglier?

 

[niky]

I really have heard such great things about it. Its very hard to get over the look but maybe just maybe the car is worth it?

The Coupe is one of the best variants to drive. You can feel the benefits of the extra rigidity and more compact packaging over the hatch on the racetrack.

But only if you drive them back-to-back. Preferably at racing pace.

In every day driving, the hatchback is just as good, and you get a lot of extra cargo space, some of it disguised as "rear seats."

Personally, only the Roadster tickles my fancy. Definitely a compromised package, but the gigantic chassis brace taking up most of the trunk does help it not feel like a complete wet noodle, and I feel it's a better compromise than the convertible, removing those two useless back seats for more trunk space.

The Coupe? Again... great to drive, but seriously uncool.