New MINI

[kambites]

mon the fish said:

kambites said:

I'm rather otu of touch with MINIs. What is the engine in these; is it an in-house effort or another Peugeot lump?

In house, so depending on how you look at it, either half a 3.0 straight six, or very similar to the i8 engine

Presumably we'll see it in BMW branded products soon then, too - at least the 2GT, if not the longitudinal engined cars.

[ladderino]

Had a 2nd gen Mini before the kids arrived and we loved it. Brilliant to drive and loved the styling; interior was a bit annoying though.

The new one is simply awful to look at. I thought by now it would be starting to sink in, but still makes me shudder every time I see one.

[irish boy]

Agree totally. I just got a new cooper s d diesel courtesy car this morning and couldn't believe how well it drove. 181 bhp the guy was telling me, and every one of them is definitely there. Superb thing. I must be in the minority to think it looks sharp too.

[bodhi]

I've spent the day in a R56 Cooper D, great little car to drive, no problem keeping up with the outside lane of the M5 either. I did like how they even managed to get a little of the quintessential Mini whine into the diesel model as well. Couldn't own one myself, but if the OH decided she wanted one, I would have no objections at all. Would need to be petrol though, as the D didn't quite have the zing of the petrol ones I've driven.

Still I'm amazed how they've managed to make it steer like a go kart, yet still remain absolutely rock solid on the motorway. Like how all the controls feel very similar to those in the 125i as well - probably because they are identical I expect, still good to see in a supermini.

[chryslerben]

rigga said:

As a r56 jcw owner, that's cringe worthy in the extreme.
Totally left cold by the looks of the f56, interior is better I believe, but just can't see me upgrading at any time to the newer version.

Wait till the f56 jcw is released for sale, if you can get past the exterior (which seems to be an issue for some) dynamically it's a leap forward from the r56 in terms of pace and handling. Not that the R56 jcw isn't a useful tool in itself.

[Sir Fergie]

I personally think the 3 door looks great - loving the british racing green in one of the showroom pics on this thread.

The 5 door does look a bit odd though

[rigga]

chryslerben said:

Wait till the f56 jcw is released for sale, if you can get past the exterior (which seems to be an issue for some) dynamically it's a leap forward from the r56 in terms of pace and handling. Not that the R56 jcw isn't a useful tool in itself.

At some stage after the jcw is released I will have to go and have a look, I really do like the way my r56 goes, it's just a fun car to drive even with its short comings, and there are a few, I'd like to think my next car might be another mini, but currently I'd need some convincing from only seeing promo pics and promised performance stats.