Official 2006 MINIUSA Pricing

Sections: MF Feature | Uncategorized Jul 22nd, 2005 90 Comments

We’ve got a load of 2006 pricing scoops for you today. Everything from base prices for the entire model range to info on the new 2006 options and even the highly anticipated factory JCW pricing.

First off it appears as if MINIUSA as held the line on price increases for the start of the 2006 model year on all models except the hardtop Cooper S (which only goes up $200) Let me be the first to say well done MINIUSA. Here are the official numbers for each model:

Cooper = $16,950
Cooper Convertible = $21,450
Cooper S = $20,600 (up $200)
Cooper S Convertible = $24,900

(not including $550 for destination)

That said a few options have increased in price:

Metallic paint goes up $30 to $450
Sport packages go from $1350 to $1400
Premium Packages go from $1350 to $1400
Body Colored Dash gets increased from $0 to $200

Then there’s the Checkmate Package (for 10/05 production). MINI has priced this at a reasonable $2,200 for what really are quite a number of options. No complaints there from us.

The English Leather Seats (Code LNPN) that we mentioned last week will be priced at a very reasonable $1700. Again, a little less that I expected.

With the weakness of the Dollar against the Pound and the Euro it must be hard for BMW AG and MINIUSA to justify not moving the pricing up even more. It’s nice to see that they’ve held their ground so well.

mini

Now for the news many of you have really been waiting for, factory JCW Package pricing. As we mentioned previously this package (code 3AL) will come with limited slip differential ($500), JCW Brake kit ($1056) and of course the JCW Engine Kit ($4775). Now add up those three and you get a surprisingly close idea of what the option costs. The factory JCW kit (including both options just mentioned) will retail for $6300.

MF Analysis: Yeah, a little more than many of us had hoped for. However it would seem MINI had to closely match the dealer installed JCW kits pricing so as to not immediately drop the value of those kits remaining in dealer inventory. They also have a good many customers who would be none too happy suddenly seeing something they paid $6,000+ for being offered for much less straight from the factory. So what MINIUSA has done is essentially cut out the labor costs previously tied to the JCW kit option. While I’m sure a number of you might not be happy with the price, I think it’s actually rather fair all things considered.

We’ll have further info on US specific 2006 model year options and pricing on Monday.

Written By: Gabe

Dave

Gabe,

I have been reading the site for over a year, and went back and checked some of the archives.

If it was any other car, would you have such an “aww shucks” attitude on replacing so many windshields?

There was also some very tepid criticism for running MCO offline by BMW/MINI.

That was about it. I can only imagine if you had a Scion (and you did not have scionfile.com) and you went through 3 windshields, you would be pissed off and would probably call the car a steaming pile.

Like I said, I don’t have a problem with you whitewashing everything MINI does, much like the way radio broadcasters for sports teams pretend to report “objectively.” Just don’t pretend that your experiences with BMW/MINI would be the average person’s (who does not run a gushing website).

Could you point me to some significant criticism of the car/company by you on the site? I have yet to see it, but you wrote off what I said as laughable.
vaper

Hold on a second. Isn’t this an article regarding ’06 pricing? Perhaps you’d be happier if Gabe wrote that the price of (whatever) was going up “200 F’ing dollars”. Yeah that’s it we need venom and anger in the reporting of this unbearablly tragic news. Grow up.
Dave

Wow Vaper,

Did I say venom and anger?

You seem to be the one spewing it. I have used no profanity or vitriol in my comments.

I have seen over and over, Gabe rushing to the defense of the company when a comment is critical of the “company” however.

Perhaps, you need to grow up, and learn some critical thinking.
http://www.gbmini.net/ Ian

Dave … Just don’t pretend that your experiences with BMW/MINI would be the average person’s (who does not run a gushing website) … this is nonsense. You need to define “the average person”. What about GBMINI.net; I am just as enthusiastic as Gabe and I have no “inside links” to MINI/BMW.

You are implying that Gabes opinion is tainted by his inside links – I simply don’t believe it. Now if you want to claim that Gabes opinions are “tainted” by his love of MINI, I will agree – so are mine, and so are most of the enthusiasts reading this site.
Dave

Ian,

Let me ask you this.

If Gabe came out and said something like

“I question the build quality on my MC because of the windshield issues” or when the new interior comes out, he would say something like, “I think the new interior is a mistake” (assuming he feels that way)

that he would get some of the perks from MINI that he does?

Like I have said, and it seems to have been overlooked by some; I think the scoops he gets are great, and I look forward to them, because they turn out to be correct, but in my opinion, he has to sarifice to get them.

Gabe challenged me to go back in the archives. I have, and I still don’t see anything to change my mind.

But I will still check the site every day. :)
http://miniblog.guapacha.com ukpylot

Getting a little back on topic – someone in the office had a interesting thought. Anyone who buys an 06 S in the new colours are going to have a pretty unique vehicle since the ’07 S will look different. It will be like a one year limited edition production run..
Seth L

Thanks for the information Gabe.

That does make the Checkmate package much more appealing. Hmm.
Robert

I wonder why the majority of posters who complain about the ’06 price increase will mention just about any reason it is wrong to raise the price but never address the currency issue? The USD has been in the toilet for quite a while now, esp. when compared to the UK Pound and the EU Euro. European car makers have to look far ahead to gauge not just where the market is, but where it will be over the next year.

Case in point: Maserati Quattroporte. A pricey car which sells for circa. 100,000 USD. Maserati had agreed to the price well before first deliveries were made. In the interim, the dollar continued to weaken. During the first year of delivery Maserati was eating its shirt and taking losses on every Quattroporte sold b/c the dollar was so weak. Of course Maser adjusted the price after the first year and Maser customers don’t whine about price increases. On a lower margin item like the MINI, this is a huge issue for the manufacturer and the (usually) more income restrained MINI buyer.

Back in 2002, MINIUSA actually underpriced the cars (esp. compared to Europe) because it was thought that a small hatchback wouldn’t sell in the US big truck/SUV mentality market and the fact that hatchbacks have never been great sellers in the States. So even while cutting margins to gain market entry, the dollar keeps falling. In the meantime, MINIs sell like hotcakes while BMW/MINI go back to the drawing boards (read 2007 MINI) to figure out how to make the car more of a profit center.

Yes, the MINI is a pricey small car. Has it had teething problems? Yes. It isn’t perfect. But the car is overbuilt, especially in it’s market segment.

It appears to me that MINIUSA have done a good job holding the price line given the car’s initial price point, inflation, and the weak currency situation.

In the end, the US is a free market economy. There are plenty of other fine choices of automobile if you don’t like where MINI is going on price.

Let’s move (motor) on now.
Joe

Great info on the pricing. Thanks Gabe!
TooLShack

Good post Robert!
Seth L

Off topic, but are there white or silver bonnet stripes/roof in the pictures of the checkmate package mini in this post?

I know they will not be available in white in the US.
marcr

Currency is not really an issue – the dollar has been strengthening for the last 6 months

The Dollar was worth approx 54.5 pence a year ago, today it is worth 57.5 pence – i.e. MINI gets a nice 5-6% boost year over year with no price increase
Jack Wolfe

This site needs to be about the car not Gabe.

jack
rwd

I really appreciate the information that is provided here and how well it is presented (the writing is very clear and clean.) It must be a lot of hard work to keep this board updated. Thanks Gabe!!!
Robert

Marcr,

“Currency is not really an issue”.

I beg to differ. For any multinational corporation, currency fluctuation is a HUGE issue. Are you saying that BMW/MINI is not a multinational corporation?

So the dollar has gained back 3 pence over the last year. And the Euro? Yes the dollar has gained back a couple of cents. But overall, the USD stinks. Can’t deny that fact. Try taking a vacation in Europe with your USD. What about the fact that the car was “under” priced for the U.S. market to begin with? Do you think that the MINI brand in the United States is a cash cow for BMW/MINI? That’s what a 7 Series is for.

Currency is an issue. And yes, this site should be about the car and not Gabe.

Trying to motor on…
BrantV

“Obviously everyone has an opinion, but $1,301 in price increases over 2 model years seems excessive to me.”

That’s less than 2.8% gain per year, which is quite favorable against inflation.

On the JCW kit, although I’d prefer not to be forced to add in the brakes (even though I’d want them), this is a very welcomed addition, in that it makes available the same savings on installation as having JCG install it themselves. Something we can’t currently do here.

Cheers, Brant
Luke

Everyone should check out how much a MINI costs in the UK and then they’d realise what a bargain they are. My ’05 w/ sport pk, cold weather pk, leather, mfsw, obc, and anthracite headliner was 1000 pounds cheaper than what the base ‘S’ costs in the UK.
minimotorin

Gabe, Gabe, GABE! Thanks for the info, but you missed my question baaackkk at like the 3rd post. The $2200 checkmate pkg, does that include the cost of the metalic paint (the new blue color shown in the pics)?
http://motoringfile.com Gabe

Oh boy… a take a day off for some track time and look at all these wonderful comments ;-) Seriously though – thanks for the support guys.

Here’s a couple of questions answered:

The $2200 checkmate pkg, does that include the cost of the metalic paint (the new blue color shown in the pics)?

No. Actually the Checkmate Option will be available on a number of colors including one non-metallic. I’ll have the full run down early next week.

Robert – damn fine post my friend. I couldn’t say it any better.

Is it known whether the other JCW options, i.e., the air box, suspension etc. will be only available as dealer installed options or will they too be factory installed?

At this point it appears to be just the engine and the brake kit (+LSD)

Now onto Dave’s comments:

Like I said, I don’t have a problem with you whitewashing everything MINI does, much like the way radio broadcasters for sports teams pretend to report “objectively.” Just don’t pretend that your experiences with BMW/MINI would be the average person’s (who does not run a gushing website).

Last thing I’m going to say on this. Dave, I respect your opinion and your eagerness to question what little authority I have, seriously. However do you really think I’m a normal guy? Do you think any one of us frequenting auto websites are what most people would consider normal? We’re enthusaits and we have enthusasim for our cars.

I also happen to be what you might call an optimist. I find life a little more enjoyable with that frame of mind. Therefore I’m also optimistic about my car. Yeah I went through four windshields. Yeah i was pissed. Yeah I felt there was something not quite right about the early windshields. However every single one of those cracks was caused by a large rock. How angry could I really be? The angle of the MINI’s glass isn’t exactly what one would call sleek. Things will hit it often and hard. So what should I have done? I had full coverage from my insurance and it was fixed in an hour each time. Not really much to be angry about.

There was also some very tepid criticism for running MCO offline by BMW/MINI.

I’m not sure what you’re getting at here but I had been working with Mark (along with others) to help him with a new name for six months (who do you think designed the NAM logo). I posted everytime there was any news in that little saga and anytime Mark needed something to be said. There were many times I would have liked to have posted everything I knew but out of respect for Mark and the ongoing legal talks, I didn’t. If I wasn’t as critical as you would have liked so be it. That’s why MF has comments.

Dave – if you want to continue to have this conversation I would much rather do it over email then drag this post further off-topic.

This site needs to be about the car not Gabe.

Well said Jack.
http://miniblog.guapacha.com ukpylot

What I like about this site is the news and/or rumours about what is coming our way. No offence to Gabe or anyone else here but if I want opinions I’ll engage my brain and come up with my own. Try it, its a pretty good feeling. Who cares what Gabe’s opinions are based on, he runs the best MINI info site out there, keeps us sated with information; more than that, I’ll come up with myself.
Kevin

I guess I’ll ask again:

In the 2006 Options writeup, Gabe said that the MC will be available with the current 15″ Holey wheels, the 15″ 5-Star Rockets from the MC Convertible or the new 15″ Delta Spoke wheels shown on the MINI One Seven.

Do we know which will be the standard wheel and which will be optional? Will the optional wheels cost more or will the buyer be able to choose which they prefer, like on the current MC Convertible? Thanks
nrkist

Wow, aren’t you a bundle of sunshine. nrkist – why are you compelled to be the most negative person in the world about everything that requires an opinion?. Reading your posts, one would think you are on a crusade to attack the car and the company that sells it every chance you get. Why?

Clearly, it’s a cry for help. I’m deeply depressed and starved for human interaction of any kind.

I kid, of course. Seriously, though… I’m just trying to inject a minor amount of balance into the relentlessly “optimistic” flow of content on this site. I love the information you provide here, and I am completely fanatic about my Works S. I just dislike the pro-BMW spin you apply so liberally in every article. I’ve never been big on sugar-coated information or cereal. Guess that makes me un-American.
chuck

I have a 06 MCSc on order,would like to know if the new space blue is going to be offered and if there any other new options.I dont have my build date yet so I still have time to change some things. I like your site very much, Jason at Northwest Mini told me about it Thanks for all the good information
Omar

So does the addition of the JCW package as a factory option mean that you will no longer be able to get a JCW kit installed at a dealer if you chose to later on?
cct1

Ok, a few questions (which may be answered next week anyway). Is the colored dash part of the checkmate package, or is that (now) a $200 extra?

Is it possible to get the checkmate package without the stripes/checkers I think I read somewhere else stripeless was going to be offered, but how about a checkerless checkmate)? I’m thinking about doing the SB/Silver (Black would probably be better, but that’s a no go on an MCS), putting on some aftermarket “traditional” silver bonnet stripes, but no way I’m getting this car with those damned checkers on the side (Unless they’re vinyl graphics, and can be easily removed).

And finally, to anyone who has seen Space Blue in the flesh…Is there a color that’s comparable to it on any other car? I’m going to have to see it in person at some point, but it looks significantly different from one picture to the next (as well as from one computer monitor to the next).

As for Gabe’s usually positive spin on the Mini–as it’s been pointed out, this is a mini enthusiast site; the overwhelming majority of people who frequent this site are mini enthusiasts–it’s not just Gabe who’s “tainted”, but virtually everyone else (including myself) who posts here frequently. That’s not to say that I haven’t read posts/stories that are critical here, but heck, almost everyone here is a mini fan/addict (and anyone who has this strange, incurable, obsession knows exactly what I’m talking about), so gratuitous mini bashing isn’t going to be the number one priority (There are other sites that do that quite well), and yes, things are going to be more toward the positive. That doesn’t make this site any less useful (at least for me); I have yet to find a site that posts the latest as quickly and succinctly as this one.
dgszweda

Everyone has to remember that Mini does two price increases every year. One for the model year and one for the calendar year. So expect a few more increases on January 1st.
http://nemini.org gmini

Just went down the delaware river with an MA who swore up and down that there would be no price increase whatsoever on the S. only in the packages. Add that to the MA in Hartford that argued adamantly the indefinite US availability of the factory installed JCW, and I wonder what’s going on????
http://motoringfile.com Gabe

Just went down the delaware river with an MA who swore up and down that there would be no price increase whatsoever on the S

I’m guessing that this MA may change his mind tomorrow morning ;-)

Seriously though I’ve rarely been more sure of any info I’ve ever reported here on MotoringFile. All I can say is that what is written above will be happening for 2006.
http://www.CarNutGarage.com CarNut

On the pricing of factory JCW engine package, I suspect the pricing is at least in part a result of the sourcing. The price Gabe quoted is about what I expected and I don’t see how it could be much less.

Complete engines are built by Tritec in Brazil and shipped to Oxford for assembly into the car. JCW parts, at least the heads, injectors and supercharger will have to be added after the fact. Unless MINI has made some arrangement for Tritec to add the JCW parts at the engine plant or to ship partially completed engines, they have to either contract with someone (JCW?) to remove parts from completed engines and add the JCW parts or add a facility at the Oxford plant to do it themselves. Either way it is an additional step in the build process and it adds labor cost to the process.

This is more efficient than dealer installs, but it isn’t as simple as just putting different parts on during assembly. Even if it is done at the Tritec plant, the JCW parts have to be shipped to Brazil.

Maybe there is some savings by making use of the parts taken off, but I’m not sure how these parts could be used or returned to the manufacturing process. The exhaust system is about the only piece of the package that can just be substituted on the manufactuing line in Oxford.

The whole package price of $6300, including brakes and LSD, is still about 10% less than some dealers are currently charging for the engine kit alone.
The Blue Canary

I have a question about the bonnet stripe. Will you be able to get it in white? I think it looks slick, but BRG/W is the way I want to go.
Jac Cottrell

THank you for the hot news on the price increases gabe! I think we are going to go quickly and get our 05 order in, the package & dash adjustments would really affect us!

great site, great news, great job!!!

-jac
Rednwhitecooper

Gabe, I still havent seen any comments on when we will be able to configure one of these babys on MINIUSA.com. Any idea on a timeframe for that?
http://stlmini.com mike

for all of you complaining about the price increases, here’s something to chew on… i went into the dealership earlier today to spec my 06. My 06 will be $34,100. i just spec’d the same car on the MINIUSA congfigurator and the 05 was $33,300. but wait… then you add installation for JCW and other accessories and now am up to over $36k.

just some food for thought.
Bruce

Any ideas on when MINIUSA will update their “Build Your Own” web site to the 2006 model year?
Mike DiStefano

I just ordered the ’06 MINI and I was wondering if it is going to be possible to now have both the ipod connector and the bluetooth in the car.

Also, I really wanted navigation in the car but I was not willing to sacrifice the awesome large speedometer. Does anyone have the navigation here and what are your thoughts on it?
Kurt

Gabe, I’m a little confused about the “Enlish Leather” seat option. I read that it’s only black w/ grey piping – OK by me. But what exactly is the difference – the style of the seat looks somewhat different, but can you provide a bit more detail? Also, is the quality of the leather better/different than that currently offered.

thanks,

K
gadgeTT

Mike,

My ’06 MCS is on-order with the Nav system and to my understanding, the integrated Bluetooth system is not yet avialable. Therefore, we have to get the dealer-installed non-integrated unit (separate controller and not the steering wheel controls) or order a different 3rd-party unit like the one from http://www.newministuff.com which is the one I’m leaning toward for about 1/2-price of the Mini dealer one.

I’m also planning on adding in integrated XM, too. woohoo!

-Scott
Chris

The dealer had a sample of the English leather, there are two leather materials and a gray piping. It feels like crap (hard, smooth, very thin), though I’m sure it feels better on the seat. Doesn’t feel like a premium material at all, just different colors (slightly two toned) and design.
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