Tuesday 13th September 2011

Frankfurt: Mini Coupe

Mini brand extension pt 94: This time it's a coupe...

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The Mini Coupe is one of two things: either a glorious modern-day Mini Broadspeed that celebrates the model's diverse heritage. Or a cynical way of stretching the brand further at minimal cost. The jury is out.

That the bottom half is stock Mini Convertible does not help. The similarities below the windowline are glaringly obvious. The interior is also disappointing, being but a regular Mini with some fancy trim. The boot defies logic though: at 280 litres, it is larger and more practical than a Mini Hatch. Shurely shome mishtake?

The Mini Coupe is odd. We already know an all-new hatch is on the way, yet here's a new version of the current car, to be joined by a Roadster version next year.

Perhaps, by then, we'll have got used to that wacky roofline. Right now, fastest-accelerating Mini ever or not, this new two-seater faces an uphill struggle to convince. Like earlier claims it's not even the world's first two-seat Mini. Works GP anyone? Now that was how to do a show car centrepiece...

[thewheelman]

Kill it with fire!


PH, you do realise the scale only goes down to 0? We'll be needing minus figures for this one.

Edited by thewheelman on Tuesday 13th September 14:37

[ZOLLAR]

I actually like them, also in a good few years a cat d or cheap one stripped out would make a decent track toy.

[thewheelman]

ZOLLAR said:

I actually like them, also in a good few years a cat d or cheap one stripped out would make a decent track toy.

Why? Just buy a Cooper S, but there are plenty better track toys around than that & for less money.

If you like the style of that, youll love this.....


it has even more stripes

Edited by thewheelman on Tuesday 13th September 14:45

[Mini1275]

It looks like a MINI that has been in an accident where the firemen had to cut the roof off and have just balanced the roof back on temporarily.

Not. Nice.

[SSCooperS]

Well, there's plenty of mugs who'll buy it (mainly the same idiots who are buying the godawful Countryman).

I can't stand this barrel scraping that Mini are engaged in. Needless to say, I'm almost embarrassed of my Cooper S these days :-(

[hornetrider]

Sorry... but hideous

[kambites]

I think it's a cunning marketing ploy. Whenever someone calls the 5-series GT or the X6 the ugliest car on the market, BMW now have a pretty good counter argument.

[Fartgalen]

It looks like it's got its baseball cap on backwards.

[ktm301p]

Mini1275 said:

It looks like a MINI that has been in an accident where the firemen had to cut the roof off and have just balanced the roof back on temporarily.

Not. Nice.

+ me and every other person with eyes . . . that work

[angry jock]

ste.

[AdamPT]

did an actual 'car designer' create that? awful awful awful......i think i'd rather walk than drive that

[marcosgt]

Isn't the roof supposed to "resemble a baseball cap worn backwards"?



Cool or what!

M.

[ThunderSpook]

You know how cars often look better when actually out on the road?

I have seen one out on the road a month or so ago. Must have been an early delivery to a dealer or something, it was on mechanics plates.

This doesn't.

[soad]

hornetrider said:

Sorry... but hideous

Sure looks horrible

[The Danimal]

I simply cannot believe this monstrosity made it to production. I still think it's going to turn out to be an elaborate April Fools joke.

[Burnham]

Its just....I....I dont know what to say. Its odd. I hate it. I just dont get it at all.

Still, theres enough idiots on this island, so I'm sure they will sell like hotcakes.

[Big Al.]

Fugly IMHO.

If I was given one as a gift I'd flog it and buy something a little more pleasing to the eye.

[MrGeoff]

Previous person hit the nail on the head. This looks like it's been in an accident and had the roof cut off!

[k-ink]

Burn it alive.

[thirsty]

I will never buy any Mini as long as the speedo is in the middle of the dash.