Still more MINIs on the way.... Coupe pantent drawings are out.

[MatskiMonk]

Vauxhall Corsa is typically available as a van too over here... quite popular too when I think about it.

 

[MatskiMonk]

From BMWBlog.com

The Mini Paceman leaked before its debut

more.. http://www.bmwblog.com/2012/09/06/mini-paceman-images-leaked/

I don't think it's too bad really.. (runs and hides)

 

[AOS-]

Mini's rear design is changing more drastically than it did back then.

 

[Jondot]

I actually don't mind that. Won't look half as good without the gigantified wheels though.

 

[Katiegan]

The rear looks like it was a Countryman that was spanked violently and lost some doors in the process. Then MINI decided to call it a Paceman.

I'll probably like it soon. I think I'm the only person in my family who likes the new MINIs. 'Cept... they're not exatcly 'mini' anymore.

That blue is nice though.

 

[Brend]

I love the new shape MINIs. Especially the Countryman.

 

[astrosdude91]

Looks like a Countryman with a bit of Range Rover Evoque thrown in.

 

[sumbrownkid]

Looks like a Countryman with a bit of Range Rover Evoque thrown in.

It looks like a cereal toy version of both to me actually.

 

[niky]

So people wanted a bigger MINI, so they made the Countryman. But now people want a smaller Countryman, so they made the Paceman.

The Paceman with three doors, which is only forty four pounds lighter than the 1.3 ton Countryman. Am I missing something here? I love pointless cars, but wouldn't it make more sense to simply redesign the Clubman to look sexier, instead of giving people two mid-range MINIs, one of which is ungainly and one of which is porky as hell?

 

[Joey D]

People loved the concept and MINI has a habit of turning their concepts into production vehicles. I like the Paceman and I think it makes better sense than the Clubman does.

Regardless of how pointless it is, MINI will still sell a ton of them.

 

[Dan_]

I know it sounds unreasonable, but I honestly like it. You look at the pictures, glance at the prices and say you don't like them, but as soon as you get into a Countryman you understand the point of the car.

They are very cool, the fact that it is an extremely competent car is a bonus.

This may have some downsides when it comes to practicality, but nevertheless it is still quite cool. I like it.

 

[niky]

People loved the concept and MINI has a habit of turning their concepts into production vehicles. I like the Paceman and I think it makes better sense than the Clubman does.

Regardless of how pointless it is, MINI will still sell a ton of them.

Too true, but I see it as an unnecessary product overlap. If they produce this, they should dump the Clubman. Sales of the Clubman went in the toilet, anyway, when the Countryman came out. This will just be the final nail in the coffin.

 

[YSSMAN]

I'm of the mindset that the small, all-wheel-drive segment is one that is going to grow exponentially with cars like this. People like Joey and I, stuck in a snowy wasteland for six months out of the year could use the extra traction, but don't need a tractor-size monstrosity to live day-to-day.

This will be an interesting competitor to the Juke, and maybe if we're lucky, Nissan will think about doing a three-door version of that.

 

[niky]

I've been wondering, recently, if they will actually fix the handling of the Countryman platform with the Paceman.

As I've stated here:


...though not in so many words, the ride height makes the car feel unsettled through transitions. Not helping is the extra grip and stiffness of the run-flats. The Countryman, in Cooper S or Cooper S ALL4 trim feels like a tuner special. All grip and no composure.

Others agree with me, apparently the JCW is even worse:

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/12/...n-cooper-works-all4-first-drive-review-video/

I hope they fix this with the Paceman. The Clubman is truly a nice driving car, and it's that one they should use as a benchmark for the Paceman rather than the Countryman. I fear that it will end up as a marginally bigger alternative to the standard MINI that's considerably heavier and which drives and rides a lot worse.

 

[RocZX]

"More MINIs" you says, then there shall be more MINIs......

BMW is mulling a variety of new Mini derivatives that could take the total range to 10 models. Among the versions being considered are a small SUV, a small sports car and a sedan.

Recently appointed Mini brand board member Harald Kreuger says that these models have yet to be decided upon, and that a Mini smaller than the regular hatchback is also a consideration.

Mini sees the sports car as being in the mold of the original Mazda MX-5 Miata - that should mean small, affordable and a blast to drive. The sedan is considered important for markets like China, where Mini sales are growing quickly and could soon outstrip those in the U.S.

An SUV would be a logical extension of the crossover Countryman, which has been a big success despite criticism that its size meant that it could not be considered "mini." It accounts for 30 percent of Mini's global sales, not far behind the 35 percent taken by the regular hatch.

"A lot of customers would like to stay with the brand when they need something bigger," says Kreuger, "and a Volvo or a BMW will not do." All Minis will have "go-kart handling, emotional design, exude Britishness and be profitable," he adds.


The profitability of the Mini brand, and its viability, should be dramatically improved when BMW's first front-wheel-drive model goes into production next year. This new range will share its platform and modular 1.5 liter three-cylinder powertrain with future Minis

Insideline

 

[Eric1512]

Wow glad to see more minis. I love the looks of the newer models.

 

[homeforsummer]

A sports car? Flippin' hell MINI, where does that leave the Roadster then?

Aside from that, I can't help feeling the brand is really being stretched here. On the one hand, you could argue that if it's making a profit then there's no real issue, but it's hard not to argue that in terms of styling, at least 50% - and maybe more - of the current range doesn't really work.

I mean, I've never been as keen on this current generation of MINI as the 01-06 models, as to coin Sniffpetrol it's always looked a bit like a Chinese knock-off of the first BMW MINIs.

But that model aside (and the cabrio, which is camp but that doesn't really bother me), which at least does look MINI-ish...

I quite like the Clubman but the asymmetric thing is idiotic. Lose the "Club door", please. The Clubvan I quite like, but then I've always said the Clubman would be better as a van anyway... The Countryman still looks hugely ungainly and by most accounts is fairly average to drive.

The Coupe looks like two separate cars grafted together - the roof on its own is okay, and the body on its own is just a MINI, but they don't really work. The Roadster looks like a slightly mis-proportioned Convertible, but you have to leave two friends at home and still put up with a small, poorly-accessible boot.

And the Paceman is slowly starting to appeal. In terms of utility, it covers pretty much all my bases - decent interior space, bit more ground clearance, presumably decent to drive, not too huge, bit of brand cachet - but I can't help feeling that it'd be even better if they'd not tried to make it look like a MINI.

And that's the issue. BMW owns several old British Leyland brand names, and I'm sure some of them would be better applied to MINI's more niche-market products, and then given styling to differentiate themselves from the MINI itself? Hell, why not badge them all Morris, and then have MINI and MINOR brands? MINI covers the Cooper, Clubman and a future mini-MINI, and the Clubman and Paceman could become MINOR variants, with less-contrived, non-MINI styling that's more suitable for their larger shapes?

I'm almost certain BMW still owns the Austin and Healey brands too, so there's another - MINI Coupe, Roadster and in-planning sports car all become Austin-Healeys. It's not like that brand doesn't have heritage anyway, and in America, where only three people have heard of the original Mini (and MINI has been buggered about with to the point where "MINI Cooper" is some sort of brand, rather than it being a "MINI" with a "Cooper" trim level...), it's pretty obvious that the MINI brand was able to start from scratch. As long as the product is decent, people will buy.

tl;dr - Seriously MINI, change the record.

 

[MatskiMonk]

I've got no problem with BMW turning Mini in to a Brand, rather than it just being a car with a couple of different body styles... and I like all the current variations, I really like the Coupe actually, and since going to WRC last year, the Countryman has really grown on me too... but, there's only so much you can do in a limited price range, with almost pre-dictated styling, built on the same(ish) platforms - before it starts to get silly, and that may be the point they are about to reach.

The ridiculous thing to me is not building something like the rocketman concept.

 

[niky]

i think they missed a beat by not making the Countryman the Moke.

The Paceman is probably a good idea, but again, makes the Clubman redundant.

The Rocketman would be awesome. Give it a turbocharged one liter motor, make it really mini... about 800-900 kilograms, make it so the front seats can be moved all the way into the rea squabs to satisfy the need for "legroom", and it should sell like hotcakes.

 

[homeforsummer]

I've got no problem with BMW turning Mini in to a Brand, rather than it just being a car with a couple of different body styles... and I like all the current variations, I really like the Coupe actually, and since going to WRC last year, the Countryman has really grown on me too... but, there's only so much you can do in a limited price range, with almost pre-dictated styling, built on the same(ish) platforms - before it starts to get silly, and that may be the point they are about to reach.

The ridiculous thing to me is not building something like the rocketman concept.

I don't mind MINI being a brand, but to my eyes at least it's a mistake trying to make everything "MINI-ish". There's undoubtedly some design talent knocking about at MINI, and it seems like the designers are unnaturally forced into trying to make all the cars look like an original MINI despite incredibly diverse body shapes.

The Coupe is perhaps the most annoying. The roof actually looks great I reckon, and would be brilliant on something properly sleek... but all they've done is plonked it on top of a virtually standard MINI body, like you'd find on the hatchback. There's potential, but it's incredibly poorly executed.

And yeah, MINI needs to stop fannying about creating new niches and make the Rocketman, which would be a crazy seller. Supermini manufacturers would have to pull something pretty special out of the bag to compete with a truly small MINI.

i think they missed a beat by not making the Countryman the Moke.

The Paceman is probably a good idea, but again, makes the Clubman redundant.

I did a check for an article I wrote on the Paceman, and it turns out that the Paceman has the larger boot. So yeah, it makes the Clubman a bit redundant. Which is a pity, because I quite like the Clubman - those twin rear doors are one of my favourite details on a car at the moment, and it sounds silly to say so, but they're also great to use. Really satisfying shutting those big, chunky, chrome-handled rear doors. One of motoring's underrated pleasures

 

[sumbrownkid]

If Mini ends up making a MINIvan (pun?) then I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

 

[niky]

That sentiment is a few months too late.

 

[sumbrownkid]

I'm talking about in the sense like a Odyssey or Sienna.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

There's nothing Mini in a huge SUV/MPV like Odyssey..

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, I expect that would be pushing the brand's values, somewhat. I don't see MINI making an MPV anyway. There are plenty of niches left to exploit in the small car market...

 

[Slash]

They need to change the styling up a bit. It's been the same for well over 10 years now.

 

[Dennisch]

The original Mini was build for 41 years. I think this one still has some life left in it.

 

[Slash]

The original Mini was build for 41 years. I think this one still has some life left in it.

Haha I can't argue with that.

 

[niky]

Having one iconic little car that's quirky and unique soldier on for 41 years is one thing.

Having an entire brand identity built upon looking exactly like that quirky and unique little car when they don't really have anything in common is another. It's never going to work.




-

Okay, it might work, but that doesn't mean I have to like it, damnit!

 

[Joey D]

They need to change the styling up a bit. It's been the same for well over 10 years now.

It's a corporate face, every auto maker is guilty of it.