MINI Cooper Forum banner

New MINI Convertible (R57) reviews....

14K views 69 replies 18 participants last post by  dalboyne 
#1 ·
Just as a heads up, anyone eagerly awaiting news and reviews of the new MINI Convertible (R57) wont have to wait long.

:cool:

As stated previously in another thread from the Convertible forum (here) I am lucky enough to be one of the first fortunate few to drive the new MINI Convertible for review at the international media launch.

I will be publishing a full review and report before sunrise on Wednesday on my news and reviews website theSwitchback.

:D

With any luck there could be news up as early as Monday or Tuesday, but technology and stamina have been known to fail me in the past, so I don't want to make any broken promises!

So far as I can tell, all the regular names you'd imagine from the british motoring press will be there, so I'd expect more reviews to surface throughout next week.
 
#40 · (Edited)
HI all, saw the new cab yesterday at a concert MINI were sponsoring and yes it was outside. Horizon Blue Cooper with brown Interior and Brown roof!

Yes HB is like a dark cool blue.....it is like they have put on two coats of cool blue on instead of one!

On a looks perspective, I wasn't impressed. But I wouldn't be would i???? I love my Cabrio to bits!

Brown and Blue ermmmm sometimes I wonder what MINI are thinking.....28th March here too it seems.....we are usually so far behind with launches....and the end of summer too weird.....

Openometer....well yes it wasn't what I was expecting! Anyhow, took some pictures will post asap.
 
#44 ·
Sorry for the delay...lost the camera....:aargh:

Anyhow, here you go.....similar shots to those already posted but outside in the lovely Melbourne Weather!
 

Attachments

#48 ·
I can assure you you don't want it! It is going to be 43 degrees tomorrow......and with the australian sun, what can you do but stay inside.....Can we have some of your snow! We are running low on water too.......argh........

Tomorrow is also going to be the worst day on record for the possibility of Bush Fires.....and that doesn't mean they are 1000'ks away...they can be on the city doorstep!

But yes I can imagine a little bit of warm would be nice........keep warm people's!
 
#50 ·
This is true....and it always has had here too!!!

Unfortunately last week when my car read 47 on the temp gauge, my steering pump fan broke, killing my cooling fan and my air con.......phewy it was hot!

MINI also comes with heating and heated seats (well some do anyhow!) ....so I am sure you'll be warm enough!

Oh yeah and you can't imagine how hot those leather seats get....burn't me backside they do!
 
#53 ·
I feel sorry for you living in Melbourne with those soaring temps last week... I'm in Brisbane... hasn't been too haawwwt here.. been just nice! :D

I can't believe that we will get the R57 MINI in Oz around the same time as everyone else... I remember with the launch of the R56 we waited for months b4 it hit the showrooms here.... Glad to see that "hopefully" we won't have to wait as long to see the R57 in the flesh!
I'm wanting to trade in my MINI hardtop for a soft top this year... I'm wanting a "S" but I don't think my finances somehow could stretch to that of a new one... will have to be a R52!
 
#56 ·
Well, sadly we now discover that a "launch date" of 28th March doesn't actually mean that very many patient (or impatient :() customers will actually be able to drive away in their new cars on that date. Maybe it's something to do with the factory closure this month :)confused:), but it seems that there will be "very few customer deliveries in March"

So good news for those lucky ones - you will certainly be driving in a very rare MINI, at least for the first few weeks! And for the rest of us? :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
#59 ·
Blimey.....I think I would have gone for something else by now......Micra Convertable Anyone......Maybe the Fiat 500 convertable will go through design/testing and production inthe time you are waiting?

Beetle Cabs are pretty cheap ain't they? How about a lotus.....

Or maybe........A lovely dealer delivered R52???? You know they are pretty nice..........
 
#60 ·
You have no idea how much I have been tempted away from MINI, but not by any of the motors you suggest!

I've stuck with the R57 because:

# I love my R52 so much, I couldn't see anything else replacing it

# It's more than just a car, it's the entry to the wonderful world of MINI

# A little bit of patriotism - doing my bit for the British car industry

# I felt (naively) that my loyalty and custom was worth something to MINI


Oh well, seems I have deluded myself....
 
#61 ·
I had similar problems at the 2004 convertible launch. Lots and lots of misinformation from MINI UK, region MINI and my dealer. At one point I was told I would have to wait another 3 months despite the fact the car was built and was no doubt sitting in a field somewhere.

Good luck with the new car dalboyne..............
 
#62 ·
Thanks for that, and sorry to hear you had bad experience in 2004! For me it was the complete opposite - lots of accurate information (when I asked for it!), excellent expectation management, and the new car ready and delivered right on the promised date. So I expected that it would be a similar positive and exciting experience this time around..........:eek:

Funny really, other car manufacturers/dealers here are falling over themselves to meet the needs of a cash buyer! I can have a top-spec Mazda MX5 for the same money and delivery guaranteed on the date required. My current Cabrio will be driven away by its new owner a week tomorrow - that's when the frustration will REALLY set in!

I'm far from alone in this unhappy situation. And this makes it seem all the more bizarre that MINI stops production at Plant Oxford for another week this month - does this mean they don't even have enough orders for the R57 to justify keeping going? :eek:
 
#63 ·
I suspect MINI have been caught out big time by the slump. They carried on prooducing cars and hence had a lot of prebuilt cars by the end of 2008 that were unsold hence the temporary reduction in price and deals to be done. I think MINI will match production to demand from now and if that means shutting the factory for a bit they will do that.

In the long run this is GOOD news for owners because it means that fewer upfront discounts will be given and residuals will not suffer as a result. I can't see BMW letting the current situation with big discounts on new cars and 30% + discounts on 6-12 month old cars continue. I know MINI's have got a citroen engine in them but they don't want to get into the mess citroen are in where the OTR prices are a good 20% more than anyone actually pays........

However I cannot see that once the demonstrator cars have been built, they can't just build the preordered cars. This just seems bizarre. Getting the new convertible on the road before summer is free advertising for them and would mean they get orders in for summer builds- it's just madness

The new convertible with the top down is just so much better looking than the old one (ie without the obstructive prominent chrome hoops) it should sell itself. MINI just need to build them........................

And of course they need to look after their enthusiastic, faithful customers without whom there would be no brand...........................

Anyway sorry you're having to wait .................................I know it would make me mad:angry:
 
#64 ·
Thinking back to the R52 launch in 2004 (June 26th here in the UK), there weren't any customer cars handed over on that day. All customer cars were delivered the week after launch.

My order, having been placed 19 months prior to launch was delivered to the dealer on the 14th July handed over on July 17th 2004 (2-3 weeks after launch) and was still only the 8th Convertible hand over at that dealership.
 
#67 ·
I seem to recall that the launch was staggered last time, so the UK was ahead of us here in Europe by a small number of weeks? And then the USA was later still?

This time, there seems to have been a decision to have a simultaneous global launch...but I have no idea what that actually achieves? I assume it means the production line and transportation/delivery system is clogged up with getting all the dealer-build standard cars out. My dealer even implied that having the launch date right at the end of the first quarter would also impact availability of transporters (how far is it from Oxford to London, by the way?)

A final observation on the choice of 28th March for launch date, if no-one is actually getting their cars until a few days later? The Easter holiday fortnight starts just one week later! So, for those still able to take holidays then, you may find your car has been delivered while you are away:rolleyes:. And if, by some chance, you had hoped/planned to enjoy your Easter holiday with your shiny new pride and joy.....oops!

But hey, maybe MINI will pull a nice big surprise out of the hat, and in fact they are right now busy building and shipping customer cars all ready to be delivered on the big day! I can still dream :D:D:D
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top