[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by AidenL

Don't panic - see S Speccin'

seen it, now I'm totally puzzled, but oh well, I have a slot, doesn't mean I have to take it, so I will hang out for the first price list and spec details in a couple of weeks time

[Hickster]

I have to say I'm not at all keen on the 07. I'm glad I have my supercharged S with a scoop that actually does something I'll be keeping this one for some time it appears.

[LMB]

As soon as I heard Mini were ditching the SC, I made the decision to get one of the last SC Mini's.

[LMB]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rakey

maybe I should have taken my GP instead, my head is spinning

Of course.

[Tonyt3]

I think the new car looks 'goofy'....

[MarkW19]

lol, isn't that one of those fish that blows up?

[oldtrojan66]

Just part way through this thread, but it seems like there are many more "works" minis in UK than I ever saw in the US. Is this true? Are they less expensive there? Just curious. david

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by oldtrojan66

Just part way through this thread, but it seems like there are many more "works" minis in UK than I ever saw in the US. Is this true? Are they less expensive there? Just curious. david

last time I heard a conversion rate was before factory fit option, then it was 1 in 9 MCS had the JCW conversion carried out if I remember right, I expect that has increased when it became a factory option.

Maybe someone could confirm this?

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Having now seen four of the new Cooper S in real life (on the M4 yesterday), I was shocked by the panel gap above the black wheel arch I wasn't that impressed with the rest of it either. Come to think of it, when they remove all the tape, there will be similar gaping panel gaps around the headlamps and above the radiator. You would think that, when designing a car, a designer would want to minimise external joins; just like Frank Stephenson did with the bonnet on the original

Tigger.

[Jon Chalk]

Waiting to see about the new Cooper - really want lighter, quicker, smoother-engined, more economical version of what I've got now + JCW Soundkit & other options.

Suspect that I might have to compromise on looks / impact to get this.

[WhiteNoiseMaker]

Going off the photos I’ve seen so far, there's no way on earth I’d be willing to trade my 05 MCS in for the new version. I'm reserving my final judgment until I’ve actually had a look at them in the flesh. Right now my future car will not be a new MINI.

[russ.mackay]

I'll probably be going for the new model in 2 years time when I'm due to change, unless I haven't got over the fact that I don't like the new exterior. I like the interior, apart from the integrated stereo. Maybe in two years time they will have a facelifted R56 that will address everything that people don't like about the impending one!

Improved fuel economy and better suspension for runflats is a good selling point though.

Also wanna see how the R56 JCW turns out when it is released, as that woudl be the natural progession for my next car.

[minicabrio]

I'm actually not surprised by the lukewarm reception to the R56. People don't like change.

Looking at it from a business point of view, the people who say "I like it now" are referred to as inovators. They are in general a minority of around 5-10%.

Then come the early adopters. These make up around 30% of every market. They purchase the new product, but a few months after the inovators.

Then come everyone else, making up around 50% of the market. These are people that will adopt the new model, but maybe a couple of years down the line.

The final 10% are those that don't change.


In other words, what will happen is a few people will buy one straight away. Then the problems get rectified and a few more options become available so a load more people make the change. Then all the other people see all the new cars and make the switch some time later.

Its all logical

Me... I'm an inovator

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

Hi Jon,

Could this same arguement be used by any manufacturer if a replacement model isn't as well thought out as the original?

I really wanted to like the R56, I was ready for change, but describing the results of BMW's work as disappointing would be the understatement of the year.

I was looking for radical new ideas and things that wouldn't have been attempted before. What we got was a dull facelift with lots of the interesting bits deleted for no other reason, that I can see, other than cost saving.

Tigger.

[minicabrio]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tigger, Eeyore & Roo

Jon,

Could this same arguement be used by any manufacturer if a replacement model isn't as well thought out as the original?

I really wanted to like the R56, I was ready for change, but describing the results of BMW's work as disappointing would be the understatement of the year.

Tigger.

I guess I just can't see past that HUGE exhaust

Seriously though, any R56 cars are no where near complete still. All exterior plastics have yet to be finalised so I'd reserve comment on panel gaps etc until a genuine production model is shown to the world.

Other than that, I actually think BMW have made some major improvents. The soft seat backs will be so much more practical than the current hard ones. I like the interior features, again the plastics look as bit iffy but we can't pass judgement till the final thing is shown.

[Jon Chalk]

As an example of "how to do it", perhaps, have a look at the new Audi TT - universally praised so far in the press as a genuine & noticeable improvement over the previous model, both dynamically & aesthetically (both overall & in some of the details - have you seen the rear light clusters? fantastic!)

And there was a company with even more at stake, given that the old one really only ever sold on looks alone.

[Tigger, Eeyore & Roo]

I was lucky enough to be in the middle of a convoy of four new blue Cooper S's on the M4 for about 3 miles yesterday!! As we passed each other I was able to get a really good look.

I took a few photos, here's one taken as it passed me. They looked so production ready, even down to the protective stuff that they use in transit (edges of doors, sides of sills etc).



I will be really surprised (but extremely relieved) if the details are significantly different from these cars.

Tigger.

[minicabrio]

I'd hope different levels of care will go into customer cars to these ones. If you look at the cars from Pauls report, the bonnet shut lines in particular are all over the place.

This picture shows how bad they are:




I'm sure that for customer cars, more care will be taken to line the bonnet up correctly, and proper tolerances will be put in place for panel gaps. At the end of the day, we're still 4 months off any customer cars and lots can change in that time!

[mikeythemini]

Good point about the TT
Remember the Imprezza? A really popular car that was totally ruined when they changed the shape - sales dropped very quickly & they have been facelifting it ever since to win people back

[Rakey]

I have been discussing it today with our head of design at work, and showed him the comparision shots of it against the current model.

His intial comment was I thought it was a new MINI, not just a facelift.

I pointed out the differences, he acknowledge them, but said as an outside that doesn't know the MINI inside out it doesn't look all that different to the current model, and that if he passed one in the street it probably wouldn't stand out as been any different to him.

I must show him some interior shots to see what he thinks of that