I have to say that its one of the best replies I have seen on a great number of R60 stories.

A good size portion of what has struck me so deeply with the R60 is the Mini community. The one thing that separates this community is the wholehearted openness to all Mini’s. I honestly believe that the R60 is going to create a us/them community that similar to the Porsche and BMW communities. While I believe the Mini brand is something unique the Mini community is largely responsible for the success of the brand. More Mini’s have been sold by Mini owners that all the dealers combined. The enthusiasm the community has for our brand is something I hold near to my heart. Just really pains me to see the Mini moving away from this.

I believe that Mini is aware of this, but considers the addition of a SUV to be worth the division on their community. I will never be a SUV fan, but you wont find me throwing my dislike onto anybody, just believe that this is a calculated misstep by Mini. Having said that please understand I already know that once Mini began this development they are locked into it. The R60 is coming.

I get your point. I respect your opinion. I really do. Hey, if they didn’t or don’t produce a vehicle like the one being proposed, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. I just think it would be cool to haul the family around MINI style.

If I can justify spending $100,000 on a single automobile, it sure as hell wouldn’t be for a MINI. I am sure, however, that out there among us is a MINI approaching the $100K investment (when you combine performance parts, fancy paint jobs and body kits and audio/video goodies). I almost guarantee it. Yea, there are fanatics in every “community”.

As much as I enjoy certain aspects of my MINI, it is not my favorite car (not even amng the cars & SUVs that I own).

SUV’s aren’t creating all the issues relating to the perceived notion of global warming. They also aren’t causing all the fatalities on our highways. True, a vehicle with a higher center of gravity has to be handled with additional care, but put a bottle of whiskey in a teenagers hand and let him go out and drive the family sedan and he’ll find a way to flip it. I wouldn’t wish that, or any other negative scenario, on anyone who commutes along our streets, roads, motorways, etc. My point is, there are many other factors that create an unsafe driving climate. To point the finger (hopefully not the middle one) in the direction of SUVs is a little narrow-minded.

Does an SAV/SUV fit into the MINI world? Maybe not. But the idea of it sure fits into my family plan. And in my world, that’s more central to my interest than the MINI community.

My question is this, what about the Mini enthusiast with a family with four children. Should Mini develop a third row seating option for them. Should Mini create a $100,000 sports car because there are Mini enthusiast wanting one? Using the same justification they have for the R60 where does it end. There will always be Mini fanatics looking for something that isn’t offered. I just personally feel that a SUV doesn’t fit well into the Mini world.

Rarely is anything good design through complete acceptance and agreement.

I also have to say that I seriously doubt there is anyway to fit this into a R53 short of investing as much money as you would currently to make a R53 AWD aftermarket. This isnt going to be a WRX killer its going to be heavier and slower than the Coupe which is lightyears from being a WRX killer. Adding several hundreds of pounds worth of AWD isn’t going to make this an rally warrior without many thousands of dollars worth of gutting and improvment. Don’t get me wrong, throwing enough money at a car can make it do most anything you want. Just out of the box this is going to be designed for small families.

2)I Personally don’t like the R56, but I love the idea of this car!!! I am finally excited again! Give us a WRX STI killer!!! Make it long enough to enter into rallyes. And fast enough to compete. This is exciting. MINI getting back to it’s racing heritage. Too bad it is a wagon, but that fact alone wouldn’t keep me from buying it.

My only queston is (and I am surprised that no one has asked this yet): Is it retrofitable? :) Could we put this on an R53? Is Getrag making this? Okay that was three questions, but the first was my most serious.

The fact is there are plenty of compact cars on the market, but the MINI stands out. The same thing will happen with the SAV. The person who buys the Infiniti is not the same buyer as the person who buys MINI.

IMO, BMW, Mercedes and particularly Audi are way overpriced from top to bottom. Having said that, I am sure the new SAV will command a high price, as our MINIs are an expensive, premium offering as well. The difference is, MINI has panache, style, character and is singularly fresh, despite its attempt at retro.

Oh, as to that. Mercedes and Audi will both be introducing X3 competitors in the next year . . . and Cadillac may be doing so in 18-24 months. Infinity will also be redesigning the FX35 to be more competitive in this growing (soon to be crowded) segment — and I’ll be surprised if others don’t follow.

I am surely more vocal than most but the concern about this vehicle runs deep in the Mini community. I am not trying to be an alarmist just I believe the Mini community is largely responsible for the feeling for the brand and I personally believe this could cause the first major break in the community at a time were the community is already loosing some of its personalities we all know and enjoy. A large number of my friends that have sold their Mini’s didn’t leave looking for a bigger car as much as a better performance car.

I just don’t believe a Mini should be everything to everybody, if I were in their shoes I would craft a 1 series SUV as it would be a natural step for a family. True if you have one or two kids the R60 should work, how about 3 or 4 kids, maybe the R62 should be a full size. Were does it end???

The coupe might be alright for most people who camp, ski, etc., but it is too small for me to even cart my kids to school in. A longer, wider, less mini MINI is exactly what I need. Is it a departure from the original? Yep? Does it go against tradition and cause a few ripples? Obviously. Will it have more utility value? You betcha! Growth is painful. Progress sucks, right? It is inevitable. More people will be driving MINIs in the near future, for better or worse. One of the reasons I bought my “S” is for the exclusive nature of the brand. I have since come to accept that I see a dozen MINIs daily in my small town of 20,000. Who cares? I smile, wave and know that my car was spec’d by me for me and that MINIme is the coolest MINI in town. I doubt that the MINI SAV will be as common as the Honda CRV or the Ford Escape, but I do expect more consumers to jump on board the MINI bandwagon. I say welcome.

Guess the question is a larger, heavier, longer Mini more Mini? Would have much rather seen them invest the money to figure out how to get the Mini D into the US market at 300+ comments more people have expressed interest in this than have ever mentioned their need of a SUV

I bet the body is no longer than the Clubman. I doubt we’ll even see a 4th door. The wheel arches will be a little bigger to accomodate the larger 5-lug whels. Maybe with a little more flare to them… but thats about it. I think what we’re seeing is what we’re going to get.

The eventual car will be larger than what you see above. This mule is only for testing the new drivetrain.

The R60 is no more than MINI’s version of a Volvo V70XC, Subaru Forrester, Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe AutoX, Saab 9-2x, Audi A3 wagon. Just another AWD wagon.