Autocar - First for car news and reviews

If you’re one of those many lovers of BMW’s new Mini, prepare to have to calm yourself down: these are the first official photographs of the hottest version of the new Mini, which goes on sale this summer, and will be available in both standard three-door hatchback and five-door Clubman bodystyles.
BMW will unveil the new Mini John Cooper Works versions at the Geneva motor show next week. They are the first ...Read the full article

£20500 is plain ridiculous for a MINI! I love Mini's having owned an early 2002 Cooper S and an S convertible, but if I had that money to spend, it'd have to be the Golf GTI or edition 30. Golf's may look a bit steady to some but at least they have a decent drive, hold their value well and can double up as a family car when required.

£20500 is plain ridiculous for a MINI! I love Mini's having owned an early 2002 Cooper S and an S convertible, but if I had that money to spend, it'd have to be the Golf GTI or edition 30. Golf's may look a bit steady to some but at least they have a decent drive, hold their value well and can double up as a family car when required. Also, what options does the JCW come with or do you still have to add air-con to that price?

I'd quite fancy a Mini. Does anyone know if the Clubman adds any real value i.e. is it actually much bigger ? Does the extra length help the ride ?

James Read:

Does the extra length help the ride

 

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Clubman probably not worth the extra it looks a bit stupid imo and the suicde door opens onto the road. I think JCW MCS looks fantastic though, even if it costs the same as a GTI or TDI 170 Golf you can have a lot more fun with the mini and it looks uber cool.

I dunno about anyone else but I'm bored of MINIs, and I speak as an ex owner. The problem with basing an entire brand on a retro design is that there is almost nowhere left to go in the future. BMW seem to be struggling with this problem and the indeciive Clubman is a sign of this. The last I heard, the only solid future expansion of the range was (yawn) a 4x4. Gotta say, though, that they are still huge fun to drive.

 

as an ex-owner i agree with you simon, they are getting a little too common, but that's just the problem with MINI and BMW.  they have become a victim of its own success.

to answer an earlier post, perhaps that is why they have jacked up prices, to cream off the demand.

that said, residuals are very good and the car is a cracking drive.  rubbish practicality though.  if you play golf or go snowboarding, forget it!

 

And how long exactly was the original Mini made for with minimal changes? 40-odd years?

(And yes, I realise the original Mini was far more a triumph of engineering/packaging than the current one, which is a triumph of marketing with a bit of German engineering thrown in and poor packaging).
 

James Read:

I'd quite fancy a Mini. Does anyone know if the Clubman adds any real value i.e. is it actually much bigger ? Does the extra length help the ride ?

The extra that you pay for a Clubman gives you a boot the same size as a Mk1 Skoda Fabia hatch, rear seats that are now suitable for up to age 10 instead of 8, no rear visibility with passengers in the back and rear end styling that looks like a Ssangyong reject.

Oh yeah and some stupid extra doors because a hatchback is just like, so uncool or whatever.

The extra length may help the ride but this'll be offset with the need for bigger wheels to help the back end look less bulky.

Get a Focus ST, Clio 197 or something else more practical and just as much fun.