MINI “Colorado” SAV Details Emerge

Will there be a Works Rally Team???

“Note: Photo above is simply an artists rendering of what the MINI SAV could look like. Don’t expect the finished product to be close to it in design.”

That is a very GOOD thing!

The rendered picture kinda looks like a squashed FJ cruiser. But I still like it!

Thanks for changing the image to a Moke – it’s unguent for sore sclerotics.

As before, I don’t have an objection to a somewhat-Moke-like “SAV” as long as it conforms to “mini”, which after all is a MINI/Mini heritage word, and should carry some respect for that.

Saw a wee Pinz on the road this weekend, and had a chuckle about a mini-4-by as it passed – wouldn’t it be interesting if the military took an interest in the “Colorado”? That’s how a lot of transport designs get pushed along, is the word. I remember seeing a Moke on a New Zealand or Australian navy frigate some years ago as a shore vehicle. Who knows?

Oh no. Not another boring model to read about daily!

Another SUV, just what America needs! While I would not mind a Moke being produced this is not what we are going to see, we are going to see a 3000lbs luxury based soccer mom special.

Very disapointed in Mini and BMW for this development. The fact is I still firmly believe that with a X1 a SUV Mini is useless. Also the fact that they are picking to enter a market that is flooded with small crossover SUV’s. My two biggest conerns are that this will do serious damage to the Mini community, and that unless this is a stellar hit it will lower the quality on the rest of the brand.

“Bigger is now in charge at the Mini corporate offices”

my gurls lease will be over right when that thing comes out! Sha bang!

Lol drove my 67 S through 10 years in Colorado including many trips over the Rockies over the winter. Front wheel drive cars and chains are one of the very best options for snow.

The shame of this is that we are already losing our community somewhat because of the sheer numbers of Mini’s sold. Developing a SUV is going to bring in a large number of drivers that aren’t a part of the community. Producing a SUV is the biggest betrayal to the brand of anything they have ever done.

I for one will never accept a SUV as being a Mini. Give me a striped down minimalistic Moke and I would cheer, however a bloated 3000 lbs luxury soccer mom suv is an horrible idea.

“Bring back the Moke” – Good news. You can buy a brand new Moke shell from the manufacturers in Australia,Mini and Moke World of Sydney http://www.miniandmokeworld.co.au or Minisport.com where you can buy a rolling chassis for 5,000 pounds.

I can’t see the SUV being a “rally” car as such, more of an “off-roader” that is used for suburban soccer mums.

What is so wrong with making a vehicle that isn’t EXACTLY in line with what was done in the 60s or what’s being done now? Seriously, that’s like saying Ford was wrong for making F-150′s when they started out with only the Model T.

I LOVE my MINI tremendously. But I would love a jacked up Clubman which could be taken offroad for say hiking and camping. When we go to trade in my wife’s car we’re going to give the Clubman serious thought but it would be an easier decision of this SAV were out.

I’m usually anti-SUV unless you truly need an SUV. With the hiking I do and the big dogs we’re planning to get, we’ll need a vehicle with some space and clearance.

All in all I’m tired of second-guessing MINI, who have managed to pull off most everything pretty well with more than adequate attention to proper Mini heritage. Let those smart MINI-designers work things out.

News Flash!! MINI does not make cars based on the desires of the “community” but based on a sound business model. If MINI does not make money, the “community” will not have any new product to complain about/buy. In spite of all the whining about the R56, new sales records continue to be set. Speculating about what might be in the pipeline is a useless exercise. Let’s wait and see what appears before we crap all over it. After all, BMW still make pretty good cars, in spite of the fact that they also make SUVs, and while I would not want a BMW SUV, they still sell lots, which gives them the money they need to develop a great M3 or M5 or whatever.

…i still have trouble with all the negative and repetitive comments toward this new vehicle…

…the MINI community i have been a part of is filled with fun, interesting, open-minded people who are also opinionated, passionate, and enthusiastic in regards to cars and in particular, motoring…

…if the ‘community’ you speak of – jon – is as negative, cynical, and closed minded as your posts suggest, then good riddance to the community…

…i for one am already saving $$$ for this ‘colorado’ as it will supplement my MCS and make us a MINI only family…

…and i never plan on driving to soccer practice…

…’not that there’s anything wrong with that’… :)

I personally think SUV’s are one of the biggest evils ever. They are little more that status symbols of the general belief that bigger is better. There are some people out there that use them for real reasons but Mini devloping this little bloated beast is against everything that Mini was designed for.

I think we all need to take a deep breath here. This is a MINI we’re talking about here not a Suburban or a Hummer. I expect that even as an SUV this MINI will still be smaller than most CARS (let alone SUVs) on the road here in the USA. Come on, how many other SUVs do you see on the road that are 13 feet long?

The trending towards ever increasing sized cars from Mini makes me shudder. I do hear where your coming from Craig. If a Micro SUV is successful why not a full sized SUV, and lets add third row seating. I have no doubts that it will be small but its only one of a great many micro SUV’s on the road. First Mini is entering this market about 5 years to late, secondly there are much more lucrative markets for them to pursue, such as hybrids.

I will start saving money for the MINI SAV. This will definitely be on my list when the time comes to replace my wife’s “small” SUV. We do use that vehicle for things that a car (e.g., MINI) cant do – just to clarify before getting flamed by Jon :)

It will be exciting to follow the development of this little beast.

Are we afraid we’re gonna have a “I, am your father!” moment here? Nobody’s going over to some mythical Dark Side – The Sky Is Not Falling. They’ve played their cards close to their vest so far all along, and MINI hasn’t played those hands badly at all – in fact they’ve been brilliant. It won’t be longer, lower, and wider, or have holes in the side for faking speed. Why assume the worst? – there has been no indication of a miss-step here, only a few overactive imaginations – boys, it’s time someone told you – there’s no monsters under the bed.

What will eventuate as a the MINI 4-By is inevitable, with or without fevered extrapolations from essentially nothing, because in the car company jungle, you adapt or die. If MINI is to stay as a viable long-term possibility, BMW must feel they have to have more than one or two platforms to survive, and they’re probably right. The world has changed from the days of making practically un-changed 2CV’s for eons in what was essentially early Industrial Revolution practices and selling it as a viable car well after its expiration date – even the Mini survived mostly on its cachet alone towards the end. I look forward to future MINI offerings – it’s a good sign the heart is still beating.

Again:

think a slightly larger Clubman but rugged, raised and with some attitude.

I SERIOUSLY doubt that you will mistake this vehicle for a Hummer or Suburban, Navigator, or even Element…This is BMW we’re talking about here; They know a thing or two about brand image product placment.

Could it be possible that MINI just might make the neatest little sport-ute ever? We’ll see….

Alas, if you don’t like it, Don’t buy one…

Y’know what? I bet you a steak dinner that most ‘soccer moms’ will find this thing TOO SMALL (“I’ll stick with my Explorer, thank you…”)

Jay9s:”Alas, if you don’t like it, Don’t buy one…”

That’s not the point though is it Jay? The point is that other people will buy them and the people who do are the people you specifically wanted to differentiate yourself from when you chose to buy a Mini. The Mini is not just a car, it’s a lifestyle. And I say this regardless of whether you’re a part of the ‘community’ or not. All these arguments about, “more Mini’s can only be a good thing.” Really? I can think of innumerable scenarios in life where more is indeed less and I’m afraid this is one of them. One of the reasons I’m chosing to buy a Mini is precisely because it says both loudly and subtley, “Here I am, I’m small, fast, economical and hell of a lot of fun to drive. No you can’t fit your set of Louis Vuitton luggage and your golden retriever in the back but if you really need a vehicle that can accommodate such needs then there are several car companies out there who will be only too happy to accommodate you.”

Hmmm. And here I thought I was buying a car and I could make choices. If I signed on for particular lifestyle, where does that leave me with my Bond Bug? Is it “MINIs must be too big, you can actually fit more than two people in those behemoths.” Or my Classic Minis? Is it “Die BMW MINI owners, you have betrayed Issigonis!!!” Or my 325iT? “Only Beemer owners need ring my doorbell.” Or my Vanagon Westy? “Hey, them funny little mini cars ain’t no good, ya can’t pop the top and sleep four.” To say nothing of my other curious vehicle choices – hell, I’m so mis-conscrewed-up I don’t know which lifestyle to wear in the morning. I guess I’ll just throw out the baby with the bathwater, and walk away from all those other cars and MINI, too, ’cause they chose to make new models that appealed to those “other”, less discerning and deserving folks, who won’t appreciate….my lifestyles. Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot?…

Ah, perhaps I am too much a free-thinker…It seems to me that however that there is an opportunity here.

Indeed, MINI may be a lifestyle; I think of it more as an IDEOLOGY…I see no reason why that ideology cannot be applied to a sport-ute.

Just for the record, I too am nervous…just as nervous as I was when they restyled the Cooper.

If the Colorado were available now, I would have bought one instead of my new R56 MCS. I have an R50 Cooper that will be my autocross / track car. Living in northern Vermont and being a skier / mountain biker, an AWD MINI with more ground clearance would be perfect for me.

There’s as much damage to the “community” being done by people thinking it will damage the community as there would be by a MINI SAV.

The New England area MINI folks have more than a few people who have moved on from their MINIs to a different vehicle. And these people are still “in the community”. The “community” is about people, not cars.

Lets consider how many Corvette owners consider a Cobalt, a Silverado or HHR to be part of their community.

I seriously doubt that many Corvette owners consider an HHR owner to be part of their community. On the contrary, the Corvette is a great example of a sub-culture that continues to thrive regardless of what other models the manufacturer spews out.

I think some of you are acting like spoiled children, wanting the entire MINI organization to be dedicated to your small private club. MINI is a corporation and needs to grow, and should enter any market it can successfully compete in. If MINI determines there is a market for MINI bulldozers, yachts and blimps, then why not? A ridiculous example for sure, but the point is that one product line doesn’t necessarily affect another. I don’t believe for an instant that MINI will ever abandon the core values that have given them the phenomenal success of the MINI Cooper, nor do I think that MINI bulldozers or whatever would “corrupt” the MINI Cooper line.

Personally, I think a MINI SAV will be wildly successful because it will have something the other small SUVs don’t have: superior performance, superior handling, superior styling AND off-road capabilities. The market isn’t over-saturated, it’s just very popular, and as a result there are a lot of mundane soulless cookie-cutter SUVs being produced. You won’t be able to lump the MINI SAV in with the RAVs and CRVs and other bland car-based SUVs. This will be a MINI-based vehicle, and it will stand out from the crowd in its price range. I can’t wait to see it, and I’ll be ready to buy one when they hit the streets.

MINI isn’t going to take your toy away, they’re just going to make a new toy for people who don’t want to drive in circles.