Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) MINI: hopefully things improve

ha,

they ditched (or he retired) the guy directing the MINI-design department,
hopefully the stop making those inflated MINI's and give us back beautifully designed once,
my '91 cooper and '05 MINI Cooper S were nice,
the current range looks like it has a big layer of fat on the original designs
AND that countryman, for me a YETI everytime!!!!!!!!!!!
(even if they would win MonteCarlo)

I like it

But then my ideal everyday car nowadays would be a Smart cabriolet fourtwo four wheel drive (would that make it a fourxfour?) on a raised chassis with a Kevlar cell/shell and a Hans system.

Would be perfect for my commute and help stop all this global warming

You want to help stop global warming? Don't buy a new car... Exhaust emissions are only around 5% of the total environmental cost of a vehicle.

Anyway, how would you get in and out of a Smart??
Hated the only one I ever drove...

Now, a real Mini Cooper or S (I'd probably have the same ingress/egress problems) is a different kettle of fish

Cheers,

and then there's the research which shows that methane from cows world wide contributes far more than motorised transport. Meabh,

and of course the contribution that us humans make .....phutttttttttttt

I'm sorry but IMO the R56 MINI is a much more robust car and nicer ownership proposition. The Cooper S for me is much superior to the previous supercharged effort.

Yes, esepecially the much missed and very underrated 1071 'S'

IMHO a better engine than the 1275- even in the latter's last, thick wall block version

G

Absolutely G!
That 1071 was the DBs

Ungulates Meabh - I believe sheep may actually be worse than cows - all that cud chewing and part regurgitation. Terrible for methane and other gases, far worse than the after end! Save the planet - kill a cow, sheep, any grass muncher!

Peter (Ruby) might be able to answer this one - have you ever smelled a 'roo's breath? No wonder the planet is suffering!!

Cheers,

The 'global warming' comment was Tongue firmly in cheek

As for ingress and egress my fine lithe figure was fine in a Smart? Much easier than a Morgan!

Not really a big fan of Smarts per se but there does come a stage where £400 tax and £105 to fill up starts 'smarting', if you'll excuse the pun, and being one up 95% of the time is a tad wasteful.

If there was a safe two seated, 4WD, high seating position convertible, I'd buy one immediately! First one to mention that stupid horrible Suzuki thing gets shot BTW.

I've owned the first BMW Mini and the second version; both were Cooper S models.

The first version was a lot of fun to drive but the interior rattled terribly (there was a known fault with the frame holding the dash and Mini would fix cars under warranty but even then, it still sounded like a party of mice having a disco under the dash). The engine was great if you kept the RPMs up and pushed it hard; however, the torque steer wasn't enjoyable and made getting off the line smoothly a chore.

The second incarnation is a much better built car - the interior is BMW quality and feels like a larger car. There are zero rattles and while it has lost some of the quirkiness of the original car, it is a nicer place to be.

The engine is a massive improvement and while the car drives like a larger one, it still handles very well.

If I had to choose one, it would be the latest version.