back to article BMW intros revamped Mini as sporty MG-alike

Has BMW lost the plot? We have to wonder, given what it's been doing to the Mini of late. It's newsest attempt to extend the acme of small cars: a coupé model, introduced today. OK, so it hasn't been as hit as hard with the ugly stick as its stablemate, the Countryman - a vehicle that's just plain wrong - but the Coupé is …

COMMENTS

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  1. Robert E A Harvey

    "no word on pricing yet"

    Don't bother. They could not pay me enough to even stand near one, let alone drive it.

    1. N13L5
      Pint

      BMW seems to have a rule to hire freak designers to destroy a franchise

      BMW seems to have a rule to hire freak designers to rather destroy a franchise before it could age into a slow decline...?

      That thing is so ughh wrong....

      I could think of any number of ways to make a decent coupe to the mini line, without trying to turn it into a 3 dimensional Picasso style piece of visual disturbance.

      Soon, I expect, they'll come out with asymetric cars, using electronic assists to prevent them from driving perpetual spirals on the road.

  2. The BigYin

    False advertising?

    Is it just me or is the "Mini" now actually a "Maxi"?

    Has anyone told Austin?

    1. Scarborough Dave
      Thumb Up

      Ah! Maxi my first car!

      Best car in the world to me at the time.

      Clutch change was a 30minute job,

      with Hydrolastic suspension you could get 2 foot ground clearance,

      and

      seats were straight from a DFS sale!

      1. Efros
        Thumb Up

        5th gear

        You ever have the problem of needing 2 people to change gear 4th to 5th? Apart from that foible I agree the maxi was a much underated car and given its front wheel drive was very capable in hilly snowy country.

        1. Scarborough Dave
          Thumb Up

          Maxi!

          Yes my arms were much stronger in those days, the best experience was on the M1 and the gear stick came off in my hand while changing gear.

          Remember people saying, "what this has 5 gears!" and "what's front wheel drive!"

          With snow tryes on I could go up the hill at the back of Olivers Mount in Scarborough!

          Bring back the Maxi! That's what I say!

  3. Citizen Kaned

    is it me...

    or does it look kinda cool?

    1. Hardcastle the ancient
      Thumb Down

      @Kaned

      No, it's you.

    2. gaz 7
      WTF?

      God, that's bloody ugly

      or does it look kinda cool? - No it doesn't, it's just you!!

      What are BMW smoking these days? the orginal new mini was OK, if not to my taste, but they do seem to be hell bent on trashing the brand

      Also what are El Reg smoking - If I ant read about Cars I will got to Auto Express. Where a car is loaded with cool tech like the new Focus then OK, but this isn't.....

    3. Tim Parker

      @Citizen Kaned

      "is it me...

      or does it look kinda cool?"

      Definitely you.

      :o)

    4. PaddyPower
      FAIL

      wrong.

      its definitely just you... sweet jesus it's foul...

      1. jai

        no, it's not just you

        i frikken love it!!

        my cooper s is great fun to drive. this looks to have a lower centre of gravity, probably going to be even more fun

        can't wait to get one!!

        i'll wave at the rest of you haters as i go past :-)

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I think it looks pretty cool too!

      Not that I would buy one - but tbh I dont think theyre aimed at me.

  4. Fab De Marco

    panic stations!!!!!

    Quick MG are making a comeback, drop an anvil on the existing mini and release it as a coupe, just to through it in their faces that you still own the rights to the mini name!

  5. Kevin Johnston

    On the ugly scale...

    I would put this as about the best looking of all the 'new' mini models. That is starting from a fairly low baseline though.

    At least it gets past how, viewed from the back, they look like someone stuck an old mini into a low-sided trailer, although again to be fair, this seems to be the norm for all re-releases such as the mini, the fiat500 etc etc etc

  6. jason 7
    Thumb Down

    Feeling the pain......

    ...from the Fiat 500 much guys?

    Why would you buy a Mini? Everyone I know thats bought one over the years has gotten rid of it within 18 months.

    In that time the novelty wears off in terms of crap bootspace or staggeringly high parts and servicing.

    The Mini - Filed under "seemed a good idea at the time"

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Pirate

      Hello Kettle? Pot here...colour check...Over....

      I agree with what you say but the 500 is a bit of a pose mobile itself and has most of the same shortcomings.

      In fact it's just a more expensive way of buying a Fiat Panda. Wait till the Twin Air engine 'trickles down' to the Panda and you'll notice a lot more Panda's being sold.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Great

    Not only is it ugly, but I can't see there being any practical purpose to that retractable spoiler. It's a front-wheel-drive car, after all. And even the souped-up "John Cooper Works" is going to be crapped on by a Golf GTi.

    Massive fail.

    Also what's the relevance of MG to all this? BMW never really had anything to do with MG, they bought MG-Rover in 1994 and sold it again in 2000 having made no significant impact.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "crapped on by a Golf GTi"

      especially mine. Mwwwwwhahahahahaha.

    2. Matthew 25

      Depends

      The Golf GTi seems fairly comparable on 0-60 and top speed.

      http://www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/golf-gti-vi/which-model/engines/top-speed/

    3. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      On more than one account:

      Quote: "The vanilla Coupé runs from 0-62mph in 9s to reach a top speed of 127mph"

      My Pensioner Utility Vehicle aka Daihatsu Sirion Mk1/2003 hits 62mph in 9s. If it is a sports car it should at least be able to out-accelerate your average OAP cart for crying out loud.

      Massive FAIL.

      1. jai

        sports car

        quote: "Quote: "The vanilla Coupé... If it is a sports car..."

        if you're after a sports car, you're not going to be getting the vanilla option, are you?

        you'll be getting at least the S

        and if your wallet is fat enough, you'll get the JCW version

        and the only time you'll see one of those while sitting in your Daihatsu is while it's disappearing into the distance, leaving you eating it's dust

    4. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Boffin

      RE: Great

      "....it ugly...." Agreed.

      ".....I can't see there being any practical purpose to that retractable spoiler. It's a front-wheel-drive car, after all....." Ermm, actually front- or rear-wheel drive, a spoiler can still benefit the roadholding if it is designed correctly. Whether it needs to be an expensive, likely-to-fail-because-it's-more-electrics retractable one is debateable, but then seeing as the people that buy modern MINIs are more interested in flash than function, they will probably see it as a plus point.

      ".....is going to be crapped on by a Golf GTi....." You mean the new GTi? And how much more does that cost, how much bigger is it, and how much bigger (and thirstier) will the GTi's engine be? I suggest you compare with something in the same class, like maybe the Polo GTi. Then again, maybe not - the Polo GTi is just as fast accellerating as the bigger Golf GTi, which kinda makes you look silly for buying the Golf!

      "......what's the relevance of MG to all this...." The original plan was that the replacement for the Rover 25 would share the same base as the MINI, and an MG version was planned. Which begs the question how much of this is original work and how much is just a rehash of the MG that was planned.

      1. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

        Re: RE: Great

        FWIW, the MG reference is because, to me, it looks like an over-inflated MG Spitfire.

        I could have said Spitfire in the headline, but then some commentard would have complained the car has no wings.

        1. Michael Ross
          FAIL

          Triumph

          Not to quibble, but the Spfire was a Triumph not an MG...

        2. Matt Bryant Silver badge
          Happy

          RE: Re: RE: Great

          ".......but then some commentard would have complained the car has no wings." Or worse, Lewis Page would be posting saying how we should buy F-22s instead!

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Has BMW lost the plot?"

    Or has El Reg. Car reviews? really?

  9. Hardcastle the ancient
    FAIL

    "it hasn't been as hit as hard with the ugly stick as... the Countryman"

    Should have gone to specsavers.

  10. Chris 244
    Coat

    Mixing your units

    CO2 in g/km, speed in mph, torques in Nm but power in hp, acceleration 0-62 mph. Your mixing of Imperial and metric units is confusing me. Please can you use a single unified system of measurement?

    1. Code Monkey

      Good point

      Can torque be measured in elephants per second?

      1. chr0m4t1c

        @Code Monkey

        Why would you want to do that?

        Everyone knows the best units to show torque in are Cats per Square Ironing Board.

        Anything else is meaningless.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          woah there

          Everyone knows the correct unit for torque is torques. I mock thee lb/ft

  11. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Pocket Rocket with Might He Sting Cache

    A post modern Hornet of the Family.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Facepalm

      re: A post modern Hornet of the Family.

      @amanfromMars 1: Pocket Rocket with Might He Sting Cache. A post modern Hornet of the Family.

      What's a "post modern Hornet of the Family", provide full online citations and examples ..

      --

      .. quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur ..

  12. MJI Silver badge

    Where are the mouse buttons?

    It is shaped like a mouse!

    As to BMW coupes - rather have 1 M at least it is proper wheel drive.

    But a good condition M635 would be lovely.

  13. Jonathon Green
    FAIL

    Anyone else hear a whirring noise?

    That's the sound of Alec Issigonis spinning up to 24K RPM in his grave that is....

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Apart from the silly red roof,

    It's rather a nice-looking car!

    And... re The-Reg stuff....

    Maybe cars could be under "Hardware" amd games reviews could be, errr ...on some other site?

    1. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Apart from the silly red roof,

      Hardware covers personal tech, so for now that's the best place for games.

      Unless you like mixing games reviews and SAP news, of course...

    2. James Gosling

      I agree...

      I quite like the look of it!

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      silly red roof

      but being a mini, you'll be able to choose from a whole range of colours and choice of decals

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    MGs were pretty

    That BMW thing isn't.

  16. James Hughes 1

    Since when has...

    having a retractable spoiler made you an MG?

    More like Porche I would have thought.

    Although that's a comparison that really doesn't work.

    1. Code Monkey

      Comparisons aside

      A retractable spoiler on a front wheel drive car makes it heavier and less fuel-efficient for no reason whatsoever.

      The rest of the car's shite as well. I rather liked the old new Mini* but the new new Minis are awful.

      * not enough to own one, mind

  17. Peter Storm
    Thumb Up

    However...

    It would be a good car to have if you wanted to save money on fuel, as it's so pig ugly, you wouldn't want to get near enough to it to drive it.

  18. andy gibson
    Happy

    I'd rather have an MGF

    for a tenth of the cost and just stick a grand in the bank for if it gets the head gasket failure (although I've had an F and a TF and never had a problem).

    A great fun drivers car, sadly spoilt by the "hairdresser" stigma. Same with the Suzuki SJ or Vitara - take one off road and rally it to the limit and you'll agree!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re I'd rather have an MGF

      I'd rather have about any other car!

      Btw, head gasket failure shouldn't happen if you keep the revs between 2k and 3k until the oil reaches operating temperature. I've learnt that after the first (and last) HGF - just two days before warrenty ran out.

  19. Chunky Lafunga
    WTF?

    BMW Plonkers

    The once classic Mini turned into franchised production line of bland Euro cars. The name MINI is meaningless on these cars.

  20. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Holmes

    GTM

    Surely if you want a mini powered coupe, you want a GTM - with all the added benefits of recycling!

    p.s. It ran over the ugly stick, it seems...

  21. tanj666
    Thumb Down

    Poor thing

    Ye godz! That thing us UGLY.

    This would be something to be driven at night when people can't see who's in it.

  22. Stuart Tomlinson
    FAIL

    really?

    erm...

    Its got a nice boot i guess!!

  23. TeeCee Gold badge
    Flame

    <Puke>

    FFS, somebody find the bastard who designed the window lines aft of the doors and beat him to death with an old crankshaft before he draws anything else!

    That really is an ugly POS, but those windows are the squirt of putrid diarrhoea on the steaming turd....

  24. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    German technology

    The superiority of German technology coupled with advances in automotive research and development have resulted in BMW finally being able to put a high sheen on a turd.

    Furthermore they are able to sell them at a premium price to people with iPads.

    I have a friend with a Countryman. I haven't had the heart to tell him that it's a fat f$ckin ugly mutant offspring of a Mini and a ford Fusion.

    Engine is nice though.

    1. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: German technology

      I was staggered by the Countryman - some lass in my street has one. It is the first car that's more ugly than the Fiat Multipla.

    2. darklord
      Trollface

      Fail German technology

      The new engine and transmissions are putrid Peugeot units which have been tinkered with. The mark 1 bmw mini was an old yank 4 cylinder single camshaft buick engine with a peugeot gear box.

      This is gonna be too pricey for what it is. I agree everyone I know whos had a mini got rid after 18months.

      TRoll cause this is

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Small, ugly, slow

    But enough about me, the car sounds pretty awful too.

  26. Zog The Undeniable
    Paris Hilton

    Is it just me

    Or are all MINIs driven by cretins? It's one of those cars, like the Audi A3, to which you give a very wide berth. Junior management types with more testosterone than concentration, airhead secretaries and Foxtons estate agents.

    Paris, because she's probably have one if it were pimped up a bit with diamonds and a fur interior.

    1. Geoffrey W
      Happy

      @Or are all MINIs driven by cretins?

      I've noticed that pretty much any car driven by someone who looks on them as something more than just personal transport, and treats cars as a lifestyle choice, and who follows all the latest trends and models in cars, and thinks Top Gear is cool, appears to be driven by a cretin.

      Heck. If you're the type that thinks all cars of a particular model or make are driven by cretins and to be avoided, then there is a good chance that your own car, whatever it is, will at times appear to be driven by a cretin as you swerve around other cars or slam on the brakes for no readily apparent reason.

      If you assume that all cars, including your own, (and my own) are driven by cretins then you may get home in one piece.

  27. Antony Shepherd
    Thumb Down

    Transversely, of course...

    That whirring noise you hear is Sir Alec Issigonis spinning in his grave...

  28. Stuart 22
    FAIL

    What's good for Foxtons is ... ?

    I am assuming that new Mini Moke will look like where Hummer left off ...

    This is beyond sacrilege.

    Feast your eyes here: http://www.london-to-brighton.co.uk/

    1. Geoffrey W
      Happy

      Sacrilege?

      You're using religious terminology for a car? If you think those original minis were less ugly than the new one then you're wearing nostalgia goggles. I remember a work colleague in the late 1970's buying one new because everyone said how wonderful they were. It was a basic shell of a car with zero frills. You could see the disappointment in his face, though he would never admit it. Its a fantasy that doesn't live up to its reputation. He drove it 6 months before buying a Ford Fiesta. I'd rather drive a Sports Ka.

  29. Peter Gathercole Silver badge

    MG alike?

    It's not even mid-engined!

  30. Systems

    Why?

    But... but.. why not just get a 1-series?

  31. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    MG alike??

    Nor was the B or Midget I owned back in the day!

  32. Conrad Longmore
    FAIL

    Dear BMW

    This is how you turn a mini into a roadster:

    http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/210892/triumph.html

  33. Leona A
    Thumb Down

    Dear BMW

    I can understand its difficult for German's to grasp the English language, so let me help you, Mini means Small, Tiny, Little, klein.

    Go back and look at pictures of the 'Mini' from 1959 and have a guess where you went wrong? Oh and sack your designer!

  34. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Deep Plung Pool Testing for Heavy Lift Facilities with Unknown Assets in Universal Interventions

    Would you turn one down as a gracious gift of gratitude? That is the Beauty in ITs Phorm.

    Ok, that just getting far too way out cryptic for most even cool dudes. The savvier, heavier, headier squads charged with action, though, should be alive and immaculately responsive to a changed environment in which All is Known about Everything.

    Thus are Ends Known before Journeys are ever Beginning ........ Life and LOVE Keys which open all doors are in those Few Choice Words.

    Wow... Top Gear this aint, is it? Oh dear, was that that kiss of death thingie whereby if you mention Clarkson, the madness descends on communities looking for a feast ... or prey.:-)

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    what a mess

    I pity the fool who admits to liking this in the pub one day and then accidentally goes down to his nearest dealer and drops his hard-earned on one, before getting home and realising the catastrophic error he has just committed. What is that mess of lines, windows, roof and lord knows what else around the back?

    It looks like they saw an old Honda Beat and thought they could make one out of a Mini, an angle grinder and whatever else they could find in the shed in the 45 minutes it took them.

  36. Eponymous Bastard
    Coat

    Mini milf

    Come on guys; yes I am guessing that most of the Reg readers are of the bollock encumbered sex. The German Mini is almost always driven by milf. Well they sometimes look like milf but invariably when they pop their calves out of the door in graceful fashion you realise that they are in fact a 1664. BTW for the uninitiated it's a VIZ thing.

  37. MJI Silver badge

    MINI they are not anymore

    I have an Omega - quite a large car.

    Recently I was near a new MINI (think it was either parked or behind at traffic lights).

    Similar width, not sure on length, but the MINI was a lot taller than my large car. I reckon it was getting on for Freelander height!

    Then I have also seen a 5 door one, 2 on drivers side 1 on passsenger side (stupid) , 2 a back.

  38. Henny
    FAIL

    Turbo?

    "The S adds a twin-scroll turbo"

    Erm, that'd be a SUPER-CHARGER then, not a turbo...

  39. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    .. but it will sell.

    The Cooper S version is a real blast to drive fast for a FWD, as long as nobody sees you in it. Though I am not fond of the cabrio, looks too much like a picnic basket.

    All the other hideous variants, such as the Clubman (hearse for hobbits), Countryman (brick with a mini badge) etc, are style accessories and a good indication what you can sell to fools with the correct badge.

    Strangely I kinda like the 1M, with its big wheel arches, long bonnet and all. Right size for a coupe, the 3 series look too big and grown-up. And designwise I really like the new Z4, it appears BMW forgot to make it fugly.

    But no matter- this new Mini will sell like hotcakes. They will be everywhere. Even if it's uglier and more expensive than its Peugeot sibling, the RCZ.

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