There are pros and cons to found with the new ‘revised’ MINI

As a long term MINI follower and owner I, like many, have been very interested to see how BMW could evolve and improve on the fantastic winning formula they have created with the new MINI. This interest was increased further still when the man behind the MINI we all know and regard so highly packed up his pencil case and moved on to Ferrari Maserati. Could the body survive without the head, could a design which seemed so visionary and well conceived continue to flourish without the main man behind that vision. After spending a lot of time getting to know the new revised MINI Cooper it has to be said, I’m not so sure.

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

Despite my concerns regarding Frank Stephenson leaving the team at MINI it has to be said that no man is an island, and no mass produced car today, not even something as iconic as the MINI, is all one person’s work. There’s a team behind the creation of the MINI, and there’s a team who are continuing to work on the MINI, some of whom were there when Frank Stephenson was the main man. However, I can’t shake the feeling that Mr .Stephenson was a real driving force behind some of the unique, some might say quirky, aspects of the design of the new MINI. He once said to me that the day to day work of the designer was often arguing with management and accountants about why certain things should be as they are, and how the cost isn’t the be all and end all of car design and production. Maybe he fought the designer’s corner too well? Reports continue
that BMW are not making enough money out of their small car, despite now selling over 500,000 cars more than two years ahead of schedule, it still seems BMW want more from the MINI. More sales, and more profit.

The reason I can’t shake these thoughts is because as I sit in the new revised hatchback MINI Cooper, I find myself thinking this is far more a car designed by committee, accountants and “consumer focus groups” than the first and original MINI Cooper ever was. It also feels more a car designed to fit in with the current trends than the MINI Cooper once was. Maybe that’s the point. Chiefs at BMW have always wanted the MINI to be far more than a retro car fad, wanting to leave that market to the new Beetle or PT Cruiser, but maybe they’re trying too hard now to please the consumer, and losing a little sight of the special unique thing the MINI is. Or maybe they just hold a different view to myself about the things that make the MINI special.

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

MINI2 regulars will be very familiar with most of the obvious changes to the MINI Cooper by now, we’ve had pictures since the tail end of last year, and official information has been available for several months. Yet it was only once I’d spent some time with the new MINI that the overall impact of these many changes really took a hold on me. Some of the changes are small, so small only a real MINI anorak would spot them, such as the new rear wash wipe mechanism. Some are more glaringly obvious such as the new bumpers and headlights.

Some of these changes like the three piece (instead of five) dash panel construction, and simplified dash top should make for less problems such as rattles and small misalignments through improved consistency in construction. Others however, such as the “coin tray” under the handbrake, just seem to compomise the design and quality feel of the interior just to answer the “more storage space” box some human guinea pigs have ticked on a feedback form somewhere. The new location of the clock too seems a completely backwards step, which wouldn’t be so bad if the new console in the headliner were not so cheap in both look and feel it actually makes me cringe just to think about it.

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

The passenger grab handle, a nice idea, doesn’t look great, but I can understand it. But the new side visor for the driver, I have to ask, ‘What were they thinking?!’. So a sun visor might be useful, but for a start it makes the roof lining look cluttered and busy, quite frankly odd and uncomfortable, but it also is the most useless sun visor I’ve ever used, the front visor turned to the side proved more useful during the hours of sunrise and sunset than the additional few centimetres of cover the new visor provided. That’s after I’ve had to move myself out of it’s way to deploy the thing, being six foot tall there’s no way I’m using that without moving out of the way first. And this gets me thinking, if they wanted to save money, why not just put in some simple blanks on that side, why waste money on a messy looking and largely useless visor?

Another interior change I again feel is pandering to the requests of the minorities is the new curved arm rests in the door cards. I really think these are a bad move. Sure,
it’s more useful as an armrest, but if I wanted to rest my arms I’d either get another car I didn’t love driving so much, or I’d get a centre armrest. And if I was an armrest kind
of a guy, and I did have a centre armrest, why would I need to rest my other arm as well? I believe the MINI is a car to be driven, and big armrests are not for a drivers car.
Especially (and this is what really gets me here) if it means the already tricky storage compartments in the doors become so extremely fiddley, I came close to stopping using them completely instead of spending the additional time fishing things out at the end of each journey!

You may accuse me of being a little over sensitive, especially on such minor things. To be honest, you may have a point, but for me it all adds up, especially in the the wonderful looking, and wonderfully tactile world of the MINI. And when they go changing things like the once metallic ring on the gear knob for a chromed plastic part, I just think to myself “bad move”. But it could be good for aftermarket suppliers, as it really isn’t anywhere near as nice to handle as the metal version, even if it wont get so cold on the cool winter’s nights!

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

While my view on the interior of the new MINI (did I mention the “Fisher Price” look to the MP3 compatible head unit?) was taken from “not bothered” to “really don’t like this” over the course of a week, my views on the exterior updates mellowed, in fact, I actually likethe new exterior design, quite a lot.

I do feel the less dramatic and chunky chrome line exterior is more run of the mill than the old, and very “Mini”, chrome bumper inserts, but I think it works really well in
context and helps promote the overall short and stout look of the car. I also like the new rolled black trim at the rear, and when illuminated the new rear lights look very nice (I won’t talk about how I think they look when they’re off, I’m trying to be positive here). The new reverse lights provide much better rearward illumination at night in any dark alleyway or country lane, and the new halogen headlights offer a great improvement in looks, and most importantly performance, than the old style halogen lights. And this is where things do really start to look up, when you’re actually driving the car.

As I’ve sat in the new look MINI I’ve started picking and pulling things apart in my mind and really not being happy, but once driving the new revised model it’s a completely different story. The driving experience of this ‘05 MINI Cooper is much better than I became used to in my own ‘02 MINI Cooper. The new gearbox being the main difference that helps transform the experience behind the wheel, the torque is also up slightly, but that’s not as significant as the new Getrag ‘box. The changes feel shorter, and the box also has that positive, slightly notchy and sporty feel to it. It’s not the same feel as the Cooper S box, but I’d describe it as somewhere happily between the old Cooper and the current Cooper S gearshift. Very good, especially when really motoring hard!

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

Bigger version - Much bigger version - Huge Version

The handling of the car felt as good as ever, and the new halogen lights provide greatly improved night vision, which is perfect when you’re on a mission to find as many exciting remote driving locations as possible when enjoying your MINI. The digital speedo on the rev counter is also a good move (although not strictly an ‘05 update) and for some reason these few changes did make the car feel a bit more special to drive than the previous incarnation of the Cooper. All the fun of the old Cooper (which is, lets face it, brilliant) with the added pleasure of a new gearbox that feels great, and will hopefully prove to be more consistently reliable than the old Midlands Gears units, now that can’t be a bad thing!

So I’m torn. I have a list of likes and a list of don’t likes, and from an “upgrade” point of view, the only thing I’m really sold on is the new gearbox. But from a new owners
point of view there’s nothing changed about this car I couldn’t either live with, or change without too much fuss. I like the new puddle lights, the storage cubby hole, having a lock on the glove box, the gearbox, the headlights, the new smooth grill, the new cloth / leather trim patterns, the new bumpers, the new wheels even grew on me, the power fold mirrors, the interior orange lights, but there’s a lot of things I really don’t like. Overall the pros (few but significant) do outweigh the cons for me (many but all quite minor), but I am still concerned for the future of the MINI. I’m worried it will become too dumbed down and diluted in an attempt to pander to as wide an audience as possible, and that special certain something could be lost. But if BMW can pay as close attention to to the overall design and vision of the MINI as they seem to be working on the driving experience, things should be fine. For me, BMWs in general drive great, but feel soulless inside, and the MINI is so much more ’special’, and it should always be that way.