We’ve said it many times on these pages and now we’re being joined by the experts; the R56 center console is a usability mess. And now the usability experts at usercentric.com have taken the current MINI’s center console to task for being “awkward”. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
…The audio system suffers from an inefficient layout of controls and poor error recovery. The selection dial could be mistaken for the volume control (Figure 3), which actually sits further down below the CD player outside of the main area of interaction. This control is seems disconnected from the rest of the audio system.
Not news to anyone who owns an R56 or R55 but certainly interesting to see it written by usability experts.
Since the recent record breaking cold-snap in much of Northern America (and even some parts of Europe) we’ve heard all sorts of MINI owners experiences with their cars. While the vast majority of them have been quite positive we wanted to reach out to those who have had some issues with the extreme cold. At temperatures as low as -30F we expect some issues, so lets hear about them. What have you experienced with this kind of cold? And if you haven’t had issues let us know that as well.
Roughly six months ago BMW and Fiat signed a memorandum of understanding that seemed as if it would lead to key cooperation in both developing and selling new cars. In it Friedrich Eichiner (member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Corporate and Brand Development) said this:
“We are currently examining with the Fiat Group possibilities for the joint use of components and systems in MINI and Alfa Romeo vehicles in order to achieve economies of scale and thus cost reductions within the framework of our Strategy Number ONEâ€, Eichiner said in Munich.
Additionally Fiat and BMW were in talks to allow Fiat to share showroom space with MINIs in the USA thus giving Fiat a low-cost entry back into the US market.
The aim was to reach something official by the end of 2008. That didn’t happen and now it appears we know why. Today Fiat and Chrysler officially merged with Fiat taking on a 35% stake in the ailing US automaker. In regards to Fiat selling cars at MINI dealers, we now know that is off the table. However what we don’t know for certain is how this impacts the next generation MINI platform and the possible sharing of components (and potentially the entire platform) with Fiats and Alfas.
MINI UK Release: The MINI One Clubman will be unveiled at the International Geneva Motor Show on 03 March 2009. The new entry-level model in the Clubman range gives customers the chance to take advantage of MINI’s renowned low running and ownership costs, and carries a list price of £13,290 OTR.
Powered by the1.4-litre, four cylinder petrol engine found in the Hatch version of the MINI One, the newcomer possesses all the characteristics that make driving every MINI a grin-inducing experience. With an engine producing 95 hp and the same steering and suspension as its sporty Cooper-badged sibling, the MINI One Clubman boasts trademark go-kart handling and razor-sharp cornering capability. continued →
Let the celebration begin. The London Times a closer look at what made the Mini special. Here’s an excerpt:
The car was a design classic almost from birth and, of course, in 1969 became a film star, wriggling in a cheeky convoy through the streets of Turin in The Italian Job – the producers were offered as many free Fiat 500s as they could write off but preferred to pay hard cash for British steel. Hey, that’s showbiz.
Accordingly, the real mystery of the Mini is not how many elephants you can get into one (two in the front and two in the back, according to every joke book published since 1959); it’s how a car so freighted with mythology could still move forwards under its own momentum. The buzz and froth created by the Mini would not have impressed Sir Alec Issigonis, its designer, whose original mission was not to build a snazzy runabout for Mary Quant but to produce a practical, affordable city car for a Britain still finding petrol hard to come by after Suez. In any case, Issigonis frowned on frippery. Aged 53 when the Mini went into production, he couldn’t see why a car needed a radio, and refrained from smoking while at the wheel, believing that driving should occupy a person entirely.
Several sources have mentioned to us that MINI will be introducing a new fully painted side skirts and wheel arches) JCW aero kit later this year. We don’t have much to go on other than that the front of the kit will look more aggressive.
1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Hatch R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Hatch 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: Hatch R57: Convertible R58: Coupe R59: Roadster R60: MINI Crossover R61: MINI Crossover Coupe 3rd Gen MINI F55: Clubman F56: Hatch F57: Convertible F60: MINI Crossover F62: Traveller
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Sections: Best of the Web, R55 (Clubman), R56 (Hatch) Jan 22nd, 2009 70 Comments 
