MINI Factory Tours - worth it?
Discussion
I did the tour back in 2005 and again in 2017 - before getting my JCWs
I thought it was well worth it although you see a lot less now than back in 2005. You still get to see the body being put together by the robots which was mind blowing to me - the genius of the people who designed it was just beyond me.
You also get to see some sub assembly and final bits of the line. No access to the paint spray plant for contamination reasons.
The visitor centre they have is basic but ok and does sell some of the usual merchandise. The tour guides seemed enthusiastic
If you are interested in Mini I’d do it and I’ll go again before my next one even though it is a 4 hour journey for me.
I thought it was well worth it although you see a lot less now than back in 2005. You still get to see the body being put together by the robots which was mind blowing to me - the genius of the people who designed it was just beyond me.
You also get to see some sub assembly and final bits of the line. No access to the paint spray plant for contamination reasons.
The visitor centre they have is basic but ok and does sell some of the usual merchandise. The tour guides seemed enthusiastic
If you are interested in Mini I’d do it and I’ll go again before my next one even though it is a 4 hour journey for me.
Thought I'd follow this up with a quick update, we did the tour last week and have to say I was very impressed.
The factory was fairly easy to get to and no issues parking outside by the visitor centre. We arrived about 40 minutes early (as we didn't want to risk getting delayed on the A34) but the visitor centre was reasonably interesting with a bit of history of the brand and the site. Nice to see a selection of cars over the years (the original clubman on display took me back to the days when we'd squeeze 6 of us into my neighbour's and get a lift to school - looking at how small it looks these days I find it hard to believe it was possible!). There was just enough to keep us busy until our tour was ready.
Have to say the guide was really impressive. Very fun and enthusiastic and attempted to engage with everyone in our group (of about 10), even the ones who didn't speak much English. Plus there was no doubt he knew what he was talking about, very much a fountain of knowledge and could answer every question thrown at him. After a short introduction video we donned the obligatory hi-viz and also headphones and were driven down to the factory. Fascinating to see how they assemble the body, and even though I'd seen the programme James May hosted from the factory a few years ago, it still amazed me at how few people there actually were working there. Long gone are the days of 27,000 people building them by hand.
As already said by the poster above, you don't get to see the paint shop but our guide spent a bit of time talking us through the process, and then we went on to final assembly. Again, very impressive how every car is different yet the supply of components to the line is seamless.
At the end of the tour we returned to the visitor centre, but the guide stuck around for quite a while to answer any questions. There's the usual gift shop stuff and surprisingly Mrs ZS didn't spend any money. All in all it's not a bad way to spend 2-3 hours, so if anyone is interested then I'd definitely recommend going.
The factory was fairly easy to get to and no issues parking outside by the visitor centre. We arrived about 40 minutes early (as we didn't want to risk getting delayed on the A34) but the visitor centre was reasonably interesting with a bit of history of the brand and the site. Nice to see a selection of cars over the years (the original clubman on display took me back to the days when we'd squeeze 6 of us into my neighbour's and get a lift to school - looking at how small it looks these days I find it hard to believe it was possible!). There was just enough to keep us busy until our tour was ready.
Have to say the guide was really impressive. Very fun and enthusiastic and attempted to engage with everyone in our group (of about 10), even the ones who didn't speak much English. Plus there was no doubt he knew what he was talking about, very much a fountain of knowledge and could answer every question thrown at him. After a short introduction video we donned the obligatory hi-viz and also headphones and were driven down to the factory. Fascinating to see how they assemble the body, and even though I'd seen the programme James May hosted from the factory a few years ago, it still amazed me at how few people there actually were working there. Long gone are the days of 27,000 people building them by hand.
As already said by the poster above, you don't get to see the paint shop but our guide spent a bit of time talking us through the process, and then we went on to final assembly. Again, very impressive how every car is different yet the supply of components to the line is seamless.
At the end of the tour we returned to the visitor centre, but the guide stuck around for quite a while to answer any questions. There's the usual gift shop stuff and surprisingly Mrs ZS didn't spend any money. All in all it's not a bad way to spend 2-3 hours, so if anyone is interested then I'd definitely recommend going.
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