4 x 4 x 4 x 4 MINI (Official UK Release)

Sections: Official News | R60 (Countryman) Sep 11th, 2008 40 Comments

MINI goes Channel hopping with Crossover Concept debut at Paris Motor Show.

MINI UK Press Release: The MINI Crossover Concept is a design study for a fourth variant in MINIâ€™s current model range. With four doors, four drive wheels, four single seats and at four metres in the length, the Crossover Concept combines versatility and style: its main aim is to tempt new target groups into the world of MINI.

The MINI Crossover Concept is packed with innovative design details and practical solutions. It seeks to retain MINI ownership as a unique prospect as competitors continue to try and replicate the successful MINI recipe.

You know what they say about lengthâ€¦

The MINI Crossover Concept is the first MINI model to measure over four metres in length and almost 1.6 m high, giving it greater practicality and enhanced flexibility. Interior personalisation opportunities are also increased.

Looks matterâ€¦

The MINI Crossover Concept still features many of the typical MINI characteristics, such as the wheels located at four corners to highlight the â€˜go kartâ€™ feeling, the circular design features and the entertaining use of space and functions. More than just an all-wheel drive, however, the MINI Crossover offers fantastic flexibility and meets more specific customer requirements.

With four doors, two on each side, you may think the MINI Crossover Concept has a conventional feel after all. But youâ€™d be wrong. Two conventional doors can be found on the passengerâ€™s side (front and back), with a third for the driver. The fourth door, for the rear passenger on the driverâ€™s side, slides back along the outside of the car for convenient access and loading.

The rear door has a frameless, retractable window and when open, swivels to one side to facilitate the loading of long items, such as skis, snowboards and surfboards. But it doesnâ€™t stop there: the capacity can be increased even further due to the folding roof cover which extends across the whole length of the roof and thereâ€™s even a transport case which can be fitted on to the outside of the rear door.

But itâ€™s whatâ€™s inside that countsâ€¦

With more storage space than ever seen before in a MINI, the MINI Crossover Concept offers additional capacity and uniquely, the opportunity to personalise the layout of the interior.

The four seats are individual, single seats which can be adjusted forwards and backwards by up to thirteen centimetres in the rear â€“ allowing more legroom to the rear passengers.

The front and rear seats are linked visually by the new MINI Centre Rail â€“ a matt-polished aluminium fastening rail which extends from the dashboard through the middle of the car, to the rear. A unique fastening system can be used with the Centre Rail to attach cupholders, storage units and entertainment consoles which can be passed between the front and the rear passengers.

A special collection of dishes and cups have been created by Porzellan Manufaktur, Nymphenburg, specifically for the Crossover Conceptâ€™s Centre Rail.

The MINI Crossover Concept features a new display and control console which hosts all major entertainment, telecommunication and navigation functions: the MINI Centre Globe. This three dimensional globe can be personalised independently by both the driver and passenger as the display is shown in two hemispheres â€“ for example, allowing the passenger to surf the net whilst the driver follows the navigation.

Operated by a touch-sensitive surface, the MINI Centre Globe can also be programmed by a trackball situated on the steering wheel, buttons or slide controls in the lower section of the globe, or even by a keyboard which extends out from the dashboard on the passengerâ€™s side.

The MINI Centre Globe also hosts the stop/start function, whereby the driver inserts a Keyball into the upper edge to start and switch off the engine.

The MINI Crossover Concept previews at the Paris Motor Show and is the basis on which a series production will be developed in the future.

Written By: MF Staff

JonPD

See how proud they are of growing the Mini. Reads like they are say “wow look folks we have made it bigger, its better”. So a 5 meter Mini would be more flexible and practical by this mentality. Just imagine how divine a 8 meter Mini would be.

So since they aren’t handling a family of five when does the third row seating come out?

Some interesting design here and there despite this being a vehicle that should never carry the Mini badge.
Dr Obnxs

Really, what else could they do? A smaller Mini wouldn’t sell as well as a bigger one. While the factory is at capacity, it’s an open question as to whether Mini is very profitable. They’ve had TONS of warranty issues and from what I’ve read the cost to build the cars is pretty high. You had two choices: Cheaper manufacturing or something that will add to profitability, or it all goes away!

You want smaller, get the Fiat 500.

Matt
JonPD

All this talk about brand profitability is rather odd as long as the Rolls division turns our a couple hundred cars a year, maybe they should build a suv or a pick-up to raise their market share, not likely because BMW is concerned about the feeling behind the car.

How about a high efficiency car, instead while most the world is moving to fuel efficient cars Mini makes a SUV. Look at the large number of Smart cars being sold, why not build a specific city car in the Mini brand? BMW/Mini has some of the most talented designers in the game and I feel they really could have come up with something that doesn’t eviscerate the brand image.

Don’t get me wrong Matt, this car will sell well. I however don’t know if its worth tarnishing the brand image. Add to this that as soon as the X1 comes out we are going to see the same issue that is ongoing between the JCW and the 135i, two cars that are in a common company that directly compete with each other.
Ellis

Other than the “retro” details; it still resembles some of the SUV’s on the road :(
O

will everyone please stop going ape_ over it being 4 meters. I own a Mini and yes treating it as a two seater there is ample enough room for most occasions. But cmon with a child and rear passengers it is NO-GO. A LITTLE extra space is OK no? If you were to extend the Mini line would you make it SMALLER?? You do realize the “original” Mini is much smaller than the current right so please shut up. This is not a Ford Expedition here and I expect this to be quite efficient, especially with a diesel.
C4

Doc, the Fiat 500 is not available in our shores, so that suggestion is pretty much irrelevant.
http://inomis.com iNomis

I think a 2x2x2x3(?) MINI would sell better.
dr

How about a high efficiency car, instead while most the world is moving to fuel efficient cars Mini makes a SUV. Look at the large number of Smart cars being sold, why not build a specific city car in the Mini brand? BMW/Mini has some of the most talented designers in the game and I feel they really could have come up with something that doesnâ€™t eviscerate the brand image.blockquote> We are moving to MORE effeciency, not ultimate effeciency. You are not going to find people selling expeditions to buy a yaris. people are stepping down from huge suvs to smaller suvs, from small suvs to crossovers, from sedans to compacts. people are backing down one step in size not three MINI is making a move to capture the downsizing crowd with a small SUV Secondly, people who buy BRANDS are schmucks, you guys keep talking all this brand crap. Branding is just marketing and marketing changes shape ALL the time. When you buy a label, You get spun and sold, you are talked about like a commodity in sales and marketing meetings. I bought a MINI because of what substance it had, It was and still is the most fun you can have on the road
hardingsan

@ JonPD – furthermore, aren’t the also in the process of making an all electric mini as well? why put all your eggs in one basket?
lavardera

I think its still appropriate for the badge – smallest SUV in the category, no? Mini. I’m not trying to defend this vehicle because its not for me, but the positioning of the product seems damn smart to me. I really don’t get the take that some have on it.

Where is it written that a Mini has to be a small car? I suppose VW should only have ever made bugs? And ford model ts? This just seems like a really weak basis to build an argument on.
Glenn

That is one heavy duty lookin’ hinge on the back door.

I wonder about the asymmetry. Why not make both rear doors the same if you need rear doors?

The headlights could definitely use some sleekening.

It is probably too big for me. (Bring on that Fiat 500!)

It will be interesting to see how much of this stuff actually makes it into production.
rs

I don’t care how big they make it as long as its more efficient then the junk that’s out there now along with it’s more environmentally friendlier. You can make it bigger but it damn well better be more earth friendly.
faster, Tobias!

Nymphenburg? I gotta visit that town….

sigh just trying to bring some levity to this repetitive ‘too-big-to-be-MINI’ non-issue.
SFRedMCc

Does anyone know if there is a comparison “shown in inches” for the increased dimensions of the R60 over the R55?
I personally think an “old-fashioned” bottom hinged tailgate with “roll-down” window would be a much simpler & more functional design. It’s easier to haul the extra long stuff, it protects the bumper, plus you have a place to sit for a “tailgate” party. You may even have a surface long enough to sleep on instead of the ground, which is the way I like to go “camping”.
Mark

Looks like a good start for a fun car! I look at the pictures and I see classic MINI in the breeding.

Sign me up, I might just want one!
Bernie

Above the beltline, Toyota ugly.
gokartride

I just hope they never stop making the coupe!
r56mini

6 seats PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can make The third row fold down flat. Let me have a 6 seater PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nuvolari

Greetings, Armchair Automotive Executives! You are a very sad lot.
Adina

This concept is simply ugly. It has nothing to do with the stylish look the 3doors Mini has/had and nothing do with at least originality. It looks like a Porsche Cayenne wannabe from the front, like a Lancia Ypsilon from the back and like a design failure from the side. Yes, Mini has a strong brand. Mini has always been about small, cute and agile cars. It should stick to its rather happy market share of people who appreciate those atributes and want them in a car. If you want to fit a baby and a 4th person in a car get any other SUV. Mini should stay Mini.
neuron

want to go small? why stop at a R56 or fiat 500? why not a motor cycle with a sidecar? It’s 3×1, no ugly doors, and small. Or, if you want to do it right, there are planty of families in Asia who fit all five members of the family on their scooter. They are laughing their heads off at all you MINI drivers for driving a behemoth to compensate for your inadequacies. Did the inconsiderate BMW ruin it? for people whome the only thing going on in their lives are their cars? Shame on them.
http://www.motoringfile.com/ O(=^=)O Capn

Ha! picture number 6 looks like a scared fish! Those headlights need to go, Other wise, Pic 6 actually looks alot like a mini of yore.

Murano yes, Infinity no! No! NO!

4×4? what happened to AWD?

I actually like that 2nd to last picture. Started out disappointed, getting to like it more.
Mk1

The argument that BMW needs to keep coming up with varients to be “profitable” is really funny. If they’d slow down and just refine what they have first, and not spend all that money on re-design and retool, they would be profitable, and have less warranty issues. I know many many local MINI owners who the R56 is/was their last MINI, and has been traded for something else for two main reasons – too much model change diluting the Brand, and way too many trips to the Service Dept (free or not).
Robert

Cudos to whomever said “it looks like a baby FJ”, and you know what FJ stands for in Japanese? F’n Joke! This is just a joke, Right?
Dr Obnxs

fiat 500 ain’t here… Yet! I’m hoping it will come. Too bad the MiTo doesn’t look like it will be here.

I just checked out a BMW/Sidecar combo this weekend. While it’s small, the things don’t lean, so you have to turn it by pushing HARD on the handlebar. Sidecar is scary unsafe. Accelerate and the whole thing turns one way cause of the weight of the sidecar, slow down and it turns the other.

Anyway, I’m wondering what high cost to manufacture stuff will be dropped by the time it’s released. I’m happy to have it in the fold, and I’m glad the R56 dash/centerstack seems to have a stake through it’s heart. We’ll see what the final release version is…

And yes, BMW/Minis money SHOULD be spent making the cars with better quality. I’d love to know what the warranty costs are for Mini to fix all the issues that come free with each car!

And now, I can hope for a Mini Pickup, and a Moke, and a Panel Van!

Matt
neuron

I meant this:

http://www.motoprovencale.com/sidecarrentals.php

not sure, but i think it’s Ural.

But I really like this :http://www.motoprovencale.com/2CVtours.php 33hp, 50mpg, smooooth ride

I remember when MINI first came out, the reliability was very poor. I was told it improved to “average” in the 05-06 years. Could R56 reliability suffering from the new model syndrome?
neuron

oops maybe this would work

http://www.channel4.com/4car/media/100-greatest/03-large/26-citroen-2cv.jpg
Craig

This is a joke, Right?

No it’s a concept car. CONCEPT CAR. Not PRODUCTION car. Please note the difference. Remember how different the Traveler concept was from the Clubman production car. Concepts are supposed to be over the top designs.
Dan S

That grill makes this the ugliest car I’ve seen since the Russian ZIL! The designer, who must be a spy from another manufacturer, should be forced to drive Yugos for the rest of his/her life!
Dr Obnxs

In one of the other threads, Gabe wrote that he thought this was closer to a production version (in many ways, not the nav globe) than the initial Clubman design studies. He’s got good contacts, so we’ll see if it’s close to the production version or a design study… Time will surely tell.

Matt
Bilbo Baggins

Any idea about what will be powering this thing?
lavardera

the photo on this entry is also mislabled as the Mini One.
lavardera

actually all the photos before the photo browser are labled Mini One
http://minicooper.ten-15.com Jeffrey

After a couple days to think about it, I think that we are seeing some key details of the production version. The earlier design study for the Clubman had a similar snout and we saw that replaced with the current MINI front end. I expect we will see the same here. Maybe new upper and lower grills with a egg crate feel. I also think that we will see four standard doors on the production version too. It will look like the right side with standard doors. Two reasons why I think this: first, the gas filler is going to be on the same side it is for all current MINIs, the US driver’s side. Second, structural rigidity. Now, regarding the rear door, I hope Gabe is right in saying that we will see a standard hatch similar to the coupe. I’d also be OK with a split hatch: glass hinges up, door hinges down, or a old GM station wagon where the glass lowered into the door (like the 4-runner too). About Toyota, yes, the roof line does look like the FJ Cruiser. I think it is a better implementation here since the FJ had huge pillars blocking visibility. The Honda Element has a similar roof/glass line. So bring up a photo of the right side, imagine the current production front end, paint the thing chocolate brown (or the color of your choice) with a contrasting silver top and I think you will get a better picture of what we will see in the production version. Wouldn’t this be an SAV (as in Sport Activity Vehicle, like BMW) or Cross-over rather than an SUV?
miniman

who da hell thought this up, i have been a fan of the mini, old and new, for many years now and i think that bmw are ruining all the mini name stands for. Their recent clubdoor thing on the clubman has shown bmw only wants to concentrate on doing things weirdly to make the mini practical, yes the door works well on the continent but in britain the rear passengers exit through the clubdoor into oncoming traffic because bmw can’t be bodged with changing it over to the left for the uk. the croosover is just as mad, why make a mini suv, why not spend money on rerfining eco friendly engines and increasing space in the current coupe, getting rid of the stupid clubdoor and making mini models that people want and will warrant the minis heritage, not making yankee gas guzzlers. BMW shove this concept somewhere where the sun don’t shine and try again!!!!!!!!!
http://Bimmerfile.com Michael

WOW! All I have to comment is that I just showed this “concept” to my wife …. she responded “I don’t know what that it is, but I hate it and it is not miny; isn’t MINI supposed to be miny?” That pretty much sums it up. I am still trying to figure out what they are trying to do with this thing. It looks like MINI has followed BMWs footsteps and trying to build something for every niche market on the planet, no matter how small it is. The price point between this and the new X1 I would imagine is going to be not all that much (since they over engineered all those gimmicky doors). The X1 is going to equate to the size of a Rav 4 and seat 5….. this is a 4 seater a la X6.

I guess the market will dictate how much of a success this is…

I will say that BMW is usually ahead of the curve so this may in the end be genius since CAFE will soon limit other SUVs so there may be a market for it after all.
Aaron

I’m sure that by the time this gets to production, the control globe will be gone, the center rail concept will be gone, and I really hope the PT Cruiser-like back end and the armored car sides with narrow windows (can you tell I hate this recent design trend?) will be gone too. I’m waiting for the day one of the current window-hating designers will design a car with no windows and with LCD projections of the exterior scene on the interior surfaces. I’m sure we’ll see infrared night-vision assist projections onto the windshield before that, but I digress…

The front end is actually the only thing I like, except for that it’s too big. The style reminds me of the stance of the classic Minis with the grill, headlights and eager, slight forward lean (or what seems to be one). Sliding door is cool but why not on both sides? The seam below the A beam is awful. MINI seems to be progressively screwing up that design element. It was good in the R50-53s, sort of a cheap looking scab on the R56, and this concept makes it an eyesore to me.

Will be interesting to see how the production model settles…
JonPD

Michael have to say your wife’s reaction was the same as mine. My wife’s comment was baffled at the idea of this Mini and why BMW made this choice.

Also glad I am not the only one that wonders how the price point between the R60 and the X1 will work out. I think we are going to see the same issue we are seeing between the JCW Mini and the 135i. There are more than a few people out there that have already faced this and sure more are to follow with the R60 and the X1. I also believe the automotive press is going to have a field day with the R60. No matter how good this car may or may not be there will be a change in the perception of the Mini brand. I am no fortune teller so this could be a good or bad thing, I just feel this is quite a gamble for what is one of the most successful brands out there right now.
SFRedMCc

Here are some excerts form an article just came up on AutoExpress.com:

“New MINI Crossman muscles in………The adventure continues… with a jacked-up 4×4 five-door set to head for the hills. We have all the details prior to the newcomerâ€™s Paris Motor Show debut……But itâ€™s not without controversy, as the machineâ€™s new face will no doubt spark debate among MINI enthusiasts…….This is a very politically correct 4×4………That appears to be the message from parent firm BMW, too â€“ as Auto Express has learned that the Crossman will form the basis of a new blue propeller model. This is expected to wear the X1 badge, and offer the blend of rugged ability and desirability found on the X3, X5 and `X6 in a far smaller package. However, the BMWâ€™s design will be much more conservative than the new MINIâ€™s.”

Here’s the link to the article: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/227685/new_mini_crossman_muscles_in.html
SFRedMCc

On “www.topspeed.com” I found a 6-28-08 concept rendering for the Crossman that I think looks much better than these “monstrosities”. Here’s the link: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/-bmw-x1-and-mini-suv-concepts-to-be-revealed-in-paris-ar58399.html

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