MINI goes girly

peasant

or is that "MINI goes pointless and fugly" ?

Laydeees aaaand Gentlemen ...the MINI coupe concept (barf smiley needed)




http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-45755.html

Owen

Pointless? They're debating 250bhp and AWD for this model. I'll be having one straight away. Plus, it harks back to the broadspeed Mini Coupé of the past. And before anyone says it, no there won't be 1.4's, or 1.6's available in this. It's designed for very high performance.

Drummerboy08

Its not a bad looking machine in fairness..

peasant

It can hark back to whatever it likes ...it still is revoltingly ugly

Anan1

Looks like a MINI that's been rolled to me. Why not just give the current car 250bhp and AWD?

Owen

Says the man who drives a wardrobe on wheels Just kidding you Peasant. I really like the shape, the Coupé concept has been thrown around by MINI since 2002, about time they brought it out. Not to mention it'll probably get the new 1.8 turbo they're currently designing which will have S2000 like rpms in it.

smash

oh Jesus that's horrible!

Owen

Anan1 wrote: »

Looks like a MINI that's been rolled to me. Why not just give the current car 250bhp and AWD?

The chassis' not setup for AWD, and their current engines can be retuned heavily to reach that power, whereas the newer motorrad engines will be capable of 250bhp, and then tuning on top of that.

Cookie_Monster

It's terrible

whats with BMW's new found love for turning everything into a coupe. I mean the 5 series one and the x6 are truly horrifically fugly machines too.

Vegeta

If they took off all the Halfords cheap tack it wouldn't be too bad.

Awful looking spoiler, the "racing/go faster" stripes. Colour coded the arches and removed a set of lights from the rear bumper it wouldn't be too bad. In other words a complete overhaul. Colour coded wheels also look like a matching handbag or something.

The title should read, the Mini goes even more girly.

Anan1

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Says the man who drives a wardrobe on wheels Just kidding you Peasant. I really like the shape, the Coupé concept has been thrown around by MINI since 2002, about time they brought it out. Not to mention it'll probably get the new 1.8 turbo they're currently designing which will have S2000 like rpms in it.

I thought that was aimed at me, was just about to retort that you can actually fit stuff in a wardrobe!;)

Owen

Vegeta wrote: »

Awful looking spoiler, the "racing/go faster" stripes. Colour coded the arches and removed a set of lights from the rear bumper it wouldn't be too bad. In other words a complete overhaul. Colour coded wheels also look like a matching handbag or something.

The final car will look nothing like this one. This concept is based on the current R55/56/57 body image, the speedster will be coming on board around the time the new hatchback will be released, so it will have a different bodystyle.

MINI are very aware their product line can be perceived as feminine in Ireland and the UK (Strangely enough, not in other markets), and are working hard on cars like this, to try and dispell that. I can pretty much guarantee the Coupé will be a very evil looking car. Want a clue? The 4x4 being launched next month has a touch of Aston Martin about the front end of it.

peasant

PaintDoctor wrote: »

The 4x4 being launched next month has a touch of Aston Martin about the front end of it.

does it now?



you really need to stay away from those paint fumes, doctor

Owen

peasant wrote: »

does it now?



you really need to stay away from those paint fumes, doctor

And again ... concept car. The real one's being launched next month. And the fumes are loverly thanks

Anan1

PaintDoctor wrote: »

MINI are very aware their product line can be perceived as feminine in Ireland and the UK (Strangely enough, not in other markets), and are working hard on cars like this, to try and dispell that. I can pretty much guarantee the Coupé will be a very evil looking car.

Shame.

EPM

If that car was black it would look so much better. Mouldings and blue bits on the wheels are awful but this thing could be just the thing BMW needs to take the girly bit away if done properly

Vegeta

PaintDoctor wrote: »

MINI are very aware their product line can be perceived as feminine in Ireland and the UK (Strangely enough, not in other markets), and are working hard on cars like this, to try and dispell that.

Yeah tis amazing how they managed to ruin the Mini brand in such a short time. Their car is a good car, don't get me wrong. Handles well, reliable, efficient etc but they are in the same league as the new VW beetle.

I can pretty much guarantee the Coupé will be a very evil looking car. Want a clue? The 4x4 being launched next month has a touch of Aston Martin about the front end of it.

Ah come out of it, now I know you're taking the mick. Yeah they've got the Barbie car, above is the Barbie sports car and now the Barbie Jeep (which is hideous) for bringing the kids to school.

Way to distance themselves from feminine connotations associated with the new car.

Biro

I think it looks kak, it better not look like that in final version or they'll struggle for sales. It also sounds like it'll be expensive... BMW are calling it a "pocket Porsche". Looks more like a MINI that melted in your pocket...

Owen

Vegeta wrote: »

Yeah tis amazing how they managed to ruin the Mini brand in such a short time.

I'm not sure how they've ruined the brand? They've shipped 1.5 million cars since 2001, they're one of the few automotive brands that are showing expansion in the recession, and they've got an extremely loyal ownership base (Yes, I'm guilty of that too). Sure the styling isn't to everyone's tastes, but there's no denying they're one of the best handling and performing cars on the market. And in markets other than our own poisioned one, they're showing nearly #1 in residuals year after year.

Weird that we can't discuss a new car coming on the market without descending into a tired old MINI vs Mini argument

Cookie_Monster

It's a girly car because its a small hatchback not because of anything more specific

Sleepy

Hasn't the "Mini" been girly since it was re-launched as a 'not-so-Mini'?

Wouldn't be seen dead in one.

stealthyspeeder

I think that MINI looks brilliant, and with AWD 250bhp, most people will only be looking at the back of it!

To be fair MINI has never really been a "manly" car, but I have had great fun in Cooper S's and if they keep the wieghting of the car right, this could be an epicly fun city car!

And lol at peasents response to the "touch of Aston Martin" comment!:D

unkel

I feel it has potential. The coupe could be made good looking, the roofline looks good. But they need to get rid of the stripes and the colour coded wheels :rolleyes:

The top of the doors into the roof doesn't really work either.

And AWD and 250BHP you say? I'd be happy to drive one even if it was pink

robtri

I was a bit confused with the title of this thread...

I always thought the mini was already a bit girly

peasant

unkel wrote: »

I feel it has potential. The coupe could be made good looking, the roofline looks good. But they need to get rid of the stripes and the colour coded wheels :rolleyes:

The top of the doors into the roof doesn't really work either.

Potential? Well ...everything has some potential

I still think it looks like one of these

put some stripes on and you've got a match

Vegeta

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Weird that we can't discuss a new car coming on the market without descending into a tired old MINI vs Mini argument

I think you're the first person to bring this up, you've confused me now

I haven't mentioned anything bar the image/brand, the MINI is seen as a girly car. You said so yourself and that's what I was referring to.

Myself and my friends believe from casual observation that 90% of MINI drivers are women and 50% of them are hot. So its not all bad cos when you see a MINI coming you'll always check the driver out. That other 10% is quite disappointing.

This new coupe looks terrible, complete skanger me banger. You say its a concept and it will look different, that's cool but you have to agree the car above is really tacky looking. It looks like the outcome of an episode of Pimp My Ride.

I question why a coupe version is needed in the MINI catalogue. The current car is practically a coupe anyway, very little room in the back or boot, 3 doors. The Cooper S has what 190bhp? Minus 10% drivetrain losses is about 170bhp wheel horse power and handles extremely well. The coupe being a 4wd will suffer approx 20% drivetrain losses so has about 200 wheel horse power. It will possibly handle better because of the 4wd (that's not always a guarantee) and has a bit more usable power so I suppose you could argue its merit.

I agree though they couldn't use the current chassis for a 4wd model, not because of power reasons or handling reasons but because of size (there's very little in the wheel horse power). The current MINI is too small inside to allow the engine be rotated through 90 degrees and have the gear box running into the cab.

This will be a direct competitor of the TT I imagine and the new TT is a very good coupe.

bazz26

Hopefully the production version will not follow in the footsteps of this ugly beast:

peasant

Here are some more pics (loaned from this fotostream http://www.welt.de/motor/iaa/article4396677/Das-Mini-Coupe.html)

Quint

I hate those 2 stripes down the front of cars. Seems a lot of cars have them so you'll know it's the sports version. More like the knacker version.
I'm sure this car will appeal to lots of women the same way the last one did. I know the mini is supposed to be great to drive, but of the 5 people (girls) that own them and they have no idea how it handles. They all bought them "cos it's cute"

pburns

'MINI goes girly'?

That's like saying 'TVR goes macho'...:rolleyes:

peasant

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Plus, it harks back to the broadspeed Mini Coupé of the past.

no it doesn't.

The broadspeed coupe sure was no beauty either, but it looked nowhere near as messy as this new attempt

Mr Benevolent

Thread needs title change imo. Should be 'MINI goes ugly'

KTRIC

it looks like the bastard love child of an Audi TT and a Mini to me

Vegeta

Anyone else think the roof looks like a bald spot?

Owen

Vegeta wrote: »

Myself and my friends believe from casual observation that 90% of MINI drivers are women and 50% of them are hot. So its not all bad cos when you see a MINI coming you'll always check the driver out. That other 10% is quite disappointing.

Well, thats you observing the Irish market. Go abroad - very different story.

I question why a coupe version is needed in the MINI catalogue.

Because you're looking at the Irish market again. In the states, there is pheomenal demand for this. The yanks are crying for the 2.0 turbo diesel MINI coming in the shape of the R60 4x4, and they're creaming themselves over this. Likewise the Germans have expressed a very stron interest in this, and the japs, and funnily enough, there are some people on totalMINI.com in the UK who've already been speaking to dealers about pre-ordering the Coupé.

Just because we live on a little island with little ideas about how cars should be used, and who should drive them doesn't mean the rest of the world has to follow our uselesss - let's all drive a focus/yaris/almera - example.

Owen

peasant wrote: »

no it doesn't.

Of course it does. Many motoring sites are making the comparisson. Just because you don't get it, doesn't mean that it's not paying homage to, or leaning towards the Broadspeed.

Owen

Just a final post on this matter, as I'm not online as much as I'd like to be and can't retort everything. I'm amazed at how much negativity and spite there is on this thread. This is supposed to be a motoring forum, for enthusiasts, and here comes a small car, with oodles of horsepower, 4wd, what will be incredible handling, is completely inpractical as all proper sports cars should be, and the thread is full of naysayers, and negativity.

This is the reason I and many others don't post on boards motoring forum so much anymore, it's just dissappointing that everyone has to have a go at everything.

scooby man

lower than youre car anyway drummerboy:D mini is girls car

Drummerboy08

scooby man wrote: »

lower than youre car anyway drummerboy:D mini is girls car

Heh?

Quint

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Just because we live on a little island with little ideas about how cars should be used, and who should drive them doesn't mean the rest of the world has to follow our uselesss - let's all drive a focus/yaris/almera/mini - example.

Fixed your post! There's tonnes of minis around, they're one of the most common cars around town.

Bluefoam

I'd like to see the Mito GTA...

Anan1

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Just a final post on this matter, as I'm not online as much as I'd like to be and can't retort everything. I'm amazed at how much negativity and spite there is on this thread. This is supposed to be a motoring forum, for enthusiasts, and here comes a small car, with oodles of horsepower, 4wd, what will be incredible handling, is completely inpractical as all proper sports cars should be, and the thread is full of naysayers, and negativity.

This is the reason I and many others don't post on boards motoring forum so much anymore, it's just dissappointing that everyone has to have a go at everything.

That's what enthusiasts do, they argue. Don't take it so personally.;) FWIW, i'm all on for the AWD and the 250bhp, I just think it's a shame they felt the need to ruin the lines of a very pretty little car in an attempt to pander to the prejudices of a bunch of beer-bellied and insecure pub car 'enthusiasts'.

Quint

PaintDoctor wrote: »

I'm not sure how they've ruined the brand? They've shipped 1.5 million cars since 2001, they're one of the few automotive brands that are showing expansion in the recession, and they've got an extremely loyal ownership base (Yes, I'm guilty of that too). Sure the styling isn't to everyone's tastes, but there's no denying they're one of the best handling and performing cars on the market. And in markets other than our own poisioned one, they're showing nearly #1 in residuals year after year.

Weird that we can't discuss a new car coming on the market without descending into a tired old MINI vs Mini argument

You can drive whateeeeevvvvvveeeeeeerrrrrr you like sweetlips:D

ianobrien

I can't wait to see how a short wheelbase will handle 4WD with "spirited" driving. I'm wondering what the lift-off oversteer will be like, and how easy it'll be to 4 wheel drift with such a short wheelbase.....

Vegeta

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Just a final post on this matter, as I'm not online as much as I'd like to be and can't retort everything. I'm amazed at how much negativity and spite there is on this thread. This is supposed to be a motoring forum, for enthusiasts, and here comes a small car, with oodles of horsepower, 4wd, what will be incredible handling, is completely inpractical as all proper sports cars should be, and the thread is full of naysayers, and negativity.

This is the reason I and many others don't post on boards motoring forum so much anymore, it's just dissappointing that everyone has to have a go at everything.

Your persecution complex is hilarious. This car is ugly as sin.

I have personally said that I believe the MINI handles well, is well made, reliable and has some good economic models (you seem to ignore this) but because I think the coupe is ugly and that the brand is very feminine, I am negative and spiteful.

You need a thicker skin

Do you disagree and think the car looks good?

agent_smith

I think it looks savage. Im not gone on the colour scheme... i'd prefer it in black and forget the stripe. I can only imagine how much more fun one of these things would be to drive over a TT.

MorrisCooper

With that sloping roofline, there won't be much room for a decent-szed handbag in the back.

Seriously though, the original hot hatch, the Golf GTI, managed to be developed into the VR6 and the Syncro 4WD without the need for a coupe and the subsequent lack of interior space and practicality. And while it has had many engine sizes small and large, including diesel, it has never picked up a girly image. Let's face it, the MINI is just so cute and cuddly, no matter how you dress it up!

Owen

MorrisCooper wrote: »

Seriously though, the original hot hatch, the Golf GTI, managed to be developed into the VR6 and the Syncro 4WD without the need for a coupe

The Scirocco begs to differ! While the powerplants in the Scirocco at the moment aren't anything to write home about, they're planning some serious power to match the car's enthusiasts' demands. And the Scirocco is pretty much a Golf Coupé afterall.

The interesting thing about this Coupé MINI - which will also be offered in a roadster variant, both being shown as concepts and not the real thing in Frankfurt, is that they're being based on the upcoming R60, which means they're going to have a very wide track, which equals superb handling - even better than the current JCW models.

Love it or hate it, both models are coming to production, and anything we speculate at the moment will be just that, speculation. I'll reserve complete judgement until the motoring press have had a right go at them. But in the mean time people will have great fun calling each other hairdressers, troglodytes, purists, stuck-in-the-past and much more I know at the outset in this thread I was keen to defend the model, and justify it - but the more time I've had to think about it, I think the people who like it will buy it, and the people who don't won't, but it'll still be a fantastic car to drive regardless, and there's no point in one side trying to convince the other of their viewpoint.

And just to liven things up, here's a version in the non blue-non blue wheels that's doing the rounds at the moment. Wouldn't mind this, but I need to buy my classic Mini first to go with the new one.

Absurdum

KTRIC wrote: »

it looks like the bastard love child of an Audi TT and a Mini to me

hmm methinks the postman was an X6

MorrisCooper

I would have to agree on the X6, the rear is hideous and serves no purpose. The Porsche Cayenne is a sporting SUV and doesn't need the coupe treatment. I don't think the MINI needs it either though I'd take a Broadspeed GT any day. I have to admit though, the original MINI ACV30 Coupe concept car was absolutely gorgeous

http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/concept_cars/mini_acv_30.html

Owen

MorrisCooper wrote: »

I don't think the MINI needs it either though I'd take a Broadspeed GT any day

I think I'd give my left nut for a Broadspeed. That or a moke ... I know a guy who has a moke but he won't sell it despite it not being used.

Back OT, the MINI Coupé is going to sell to two huge markets, the UK and the States. Ireland will be a niche market, if it sells 10 units a year here it'll be doing well.