[Peter Granchelli]

A couple of questions to you folks in Europe lucky enough to be able to drive the new Mini:
I have been unable to determine whether or not the passenger side of the dashboard has a glovebox, or if it is just an airbag cover. All of the great interior shots of the Min do not highlight a glovebox, nor do the UK brochures that I managed to get hold of. Now, I don't think the absence of a glovebox is a show stopper, particularly with those beautifully sculpted and very accomodating deep pockets in the doors, but, can any of you fortunate Mini owners out there answer this question?
Also, a question to you Mini experts out there: There is a wonderful narrated video in the Mini USA site featuring, I believe, the late John Cooper touting the benefits of the this wonderful car. The very end of the video shows John Cooper himself adjusting the mirror and driving off in, of all things, a new Mini. Being that he passed away in 2000, was this trick photography, or was there a Mini mockup back then? It would be comforting to know that John Cooper himself endorsed the new incarnation of the Mini.
Thanks for any input....

 

[MINIAC]

A couple of questions to you folks in Europe lucky enough to be able to drive the new Mini:
I have been unable to determine whether or not the passenger side of the dashboard has a glovebox, or if it is just an airbag cover. All of the great interior shots of the Min do not highlight a glovebox, nor do the UK brochures that I managed to get hold of. Now, I don't think the absence of a glovebox is a show stopper, particularly with those beautifully sculpted and very accomodating deep pockets in the doors, but, can any of you fortunate Mini owners out there answer this question?

There is no glovebox in UK MINIs, but according to the spec sheet at MINI USA a "climate controlled glovebox" will be standard equipment on US models. I'm going to the LA Auto Show next week and hoping to get some pictures.

Also, a question to you Mini experts out there: There is a wonderful narrated video in the Mini USA site featuring, I believe, the late John Cooper touting the benefits of the this wonderful car. The very end of the video shows John Cooper himself adjusting the mirror and driving off in, of all things, a new Mini. Being that he passed away in 2000, was this trick photography, or was there a Mini mockup back then? It would be comforting to know that John Cooper himself endorsed the new incarnation of the Mini.

A prototype of the new MINI appeared way back in 1997 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, so the late John Cooper has indeed given the car his blessing.

 

[Paul]

John Cooper 'stars' in a promotional short film made for the new MINI Cooper which was shown at the MINI 40 event in 1999, along with a glimpse of a prototpye new MINI.... I was there.. it was cool.... but too dark!

 

[BruceK]

A couple of questions to you folks in Europe lucky enough to be able to drive the new Mini:
I have been unable to determine whether or not the passenger side of the dashboard has a glovebox, or if it is just an airbag cover. All of the great interior shots of the Min do not highlight a glovebox, nor do the UK brochures that I managed to get hold of. Now, I don't think the absence of a glovebox is a show stopper, particularly with those beautifully sculpted and very accomodating deep pockets in the doors, but, can any of you fortunate Mini owners out there answer this question?

I don't have a MINI, but I have your answer. On the pictures you've seen that is indeed an airbag cover. The UK and Euro MINIs don't have a glovebox. But the MINIs the US gets will have a refrigeratedr/heated glove box below the airbag cover - basically closing in the shelve that is there below the airbag cover. No photos of this glovebox have been shown yet (but probably will be available later on this week from MINI2 members attending the Los Angeles auto show).

Also, a question to you Mini experts out there: There is a wonderful narrated video in the Mini USA site featuring, I believe, the late John Cooper touting the benefits of the this wonderful car. The very end of the video shows John Cooper himself adjusting the mirror and driving off in, of all things, a new Mini. Being that he passed away in 2000, was this trick photography, or was there a Mini mockup back then? It would be comforting to know that John Cooper himself endorsed the new incarnation of the Mini.
Thanks for any input....

That is indeed John Cooper on the video. The video was made for the classic Mini's 40th Birthday celebration in August 1999. Ten thousand classic Minis and 70,000 people attended, but that is another story.... Anyway, there's no need for trick photography as the MINI design was introduced in September 1997 at the Frankfurt auto show and there were many prototypes made over the years before its launch in July 2000. John Cooper simply drove one of the prototypes in the video. In fact, he and his son Mike Cooper provided input to Rover/BMW as to the driving characteristics the production version of the new MINI should have after driving prototypes.

Yes, John Cooper endorsed it. Just visit the John Cooper website to learn more.

http://cairns.mistral.co.uk/cgi-bin/johncooper/hazel.exe?action=SERVE&item=bmwmini/bmwmini_index.htm


------

Hey I know it looks like I totally the ignored Miniac's and Paul's replies, but I was busy thinking along the same lines, writing my response, and didn't see their responses until I posted my reply. Really.

 

[Basil]

Australia gets the air-conditioned glove box as well on it's Cooper and Cooper S models. Together with a central "Tacho", a picture of which I hope to be able to post soon.

 

[MINZRED]

confused

What on earth do you want a glove box for anyway? Ita A MINI not something to keep your pumpkin pie hot in, or your roo sandwiches cool, come on guys/gals.


Not intended to start an international debate, just something light hearted.

 

[LMB]

Re: confused

What on earth do you want a glove box for anyway? Ita A MINI not something to keep your pumpkin pie hot in, or your roo sandwiches cool, come on guys/gals.


Not intended to start an international debate, just something light hearted.

I would love one of those glove boxes in my Mini. In the summer you could throw away the cool box and stick all the cold ones in the glove box when you go away to concerts and the like.

I did't know it could be heated as well WOW...you could stick you keebabs in on the way home; keep nice and warm

LMB

 

[RedShift42]

Re: confused

...not something to keep your pumpkin pie hot in, or your roo sandwiches cool, come on guys/gals.

Not intended to start an international debate, just something light hearted.

I have a feeling this is an instance where marketing is capitalizing on an unintended engineering consequence.

My guess: MINI never had "air conditioned glovebox" as a design spec, but due to the car's tight packaging, it was discovered the glovebox was affected by the HVAC.
While the engineers probably just shrugged, light bulbs flickered on over the heads of the copy writers.

"Its not a quirk, it's a ...feature...yeah!"

 

[BruceK]

Re: Re: confused

I have a feeling this is an instance where marketing is capitalizing on an unintended engineering consequence.

My guess: MINI never had "air conditioned glovebox" as a design spec, but due to the car's tight packaging, it was discovered the glovebox was affected by the HVAC.
While the engineers probably just shrugged, light bulbs flickered on over the heads of the copy writers.

"Its not a quirk, it's a ...feature...yeah!"

I think you must be right.

The only way the glovebox is going to be cooled is if you have the a/c on full blast, and the same for having the glovebox heated - the heater must really be running to make it so. In other words, don't plan on bring home hot curry in the glovebox when the a/c is on. Of course, we don't eat curry in the US, and you don't have the glovebox in the UK, but you catch my drift (not to the left)

For some climates, like here in Texas, the a/c is always on, everytime the car is being driven, for at least 6 months of every year, so the glovebox will function as nice feature to keep Cokes and sandwiches cool. And in parts of Canada, during the 9 months of the year or so when the heater is used, the glovebox will serve as a nice heated area on the car.

 

[JonBlakeburn]

Re: Re: Re: confused

The only way the glovebox is going to be cooled is if you have the a/c on full blast, and the same for having the glovebox heated - the heater must really be running to make it so.

I've owned a Vauxhall Vectra (Not sure what its called in the US of A) and that did have a air conditioned glove box. Simply cooled the box all the time whether the A/C for the rest of the car was on or not.

 

[BruceK]

Re: Re: Re: Re: confused

I've owned a Vauxhall Vectra (Not sure what its called in the US of A) and that did have a air conditioned glove box. Simply cooled the box all the time whether the A/C for the rest of the car was on or not.

That's pretty cool (pun intended) - I hope MINIs with gloveboxes work that way.

None of Luton's finest make it to these shores -- although I think the US-made Saturn LS is very loosely based on the Vetra - but it doesn't have the magical glovebox.

 

[BruceK]

Re: Re: confused

I have a feeling this is an instance where marketing is capitalizing on an unintended engineering consequence.

My guess: MINI never had "air conditioned glovebox" as a design spec, but due to the car's tight packaging, it was discovered the glovebox was affected by the HVAC.
While the engineers probably just shrugged, light bulbs flickered on over the heads of the copy writers.

"Its not a quirk, it's a ...feature...yeah!"

You know, on reflection, from looking at the miniusa site it's a little hard to determine exactly how it will work:

 

[rich]

I agree it's not clear yet how the glove box will work - It may well just reflect the cabin temperature, but this will be a real con, as in effect it will be the same as any other part of the interior, in which case Marketing should be claiming "air conditioned boot/cup holders/coin tray/etc." - However there are many vehicles now on sale here in Aus featuring insependently controlled cool-boxes of one sort or another. These tend to be mainly MPVs & 4WDs, and I think it's a no-brainer for any warm climate country

Overall, it's relatively trivial of course, but BMW will look rather foolish if we don't get the real McCoy on this now they've shouted about it

 

[Peter Granchelli]

Thank you all for your insight regarding the Mini's climate controlled glovebox. It should come in quite handy when I run for a quart of ice cream on a scorching hot August afternoon. And thanks also for the responses about the John Cooper video.
I have always found it difficult to forgive myself for not purchasing a new Mini back in 1967, the final year that the original design was available here in the States. I could almost shoot myself for not doing so. But then, I was just a 12 year old sprout back then with barely enough scratch to add a few cars to my matchbox collection.
Now that I am quite a bit older, with the new Mini coming, I must admit that I find myself driving several times a week to the BMW dealership near us in Hartford, watching the flurry of building activity across the street where I believe they will be selling the Cooper. I always drive around the showroom area, visually scouring the far corners of the parking lot where they store the BMWs and Range Rovers, searching every corner, like a game warden searching for a rare albino tiger in the wilds of Africa. And I know full well that someday my Mini-starved eyes will gaze upon one of the very first Coopers in Connecticut...

 

[Basil]

Re: confused

What on earth do you want a glove box for anyway? Ita A MINI not something to keep your pumpkin pie hot in, or your roo sandwiches cool, come on guys/gals.


Not intended to start an international debate, just something light hearted.

42 degrees celcius......."anything" thats air-conditioned gets my thumbs up of approval.....

 

[PigLick1]

As to the glovebox, I too got the feeling that it will somewhat reflect the cabin temp. I just assumed they stuck an AC vent on the inside of the glove box somewhere. However, since the glove box is a small enclosed space, and tends to be better insulated than the rest of the cabin, the temperatures in there would tend to get much more "extreme" than the rest of the car. I would be very, very surprised if the glove boxes actually have their own temperature control separate from the rest of the car, but I suppose anything's possible...

PigLick