MINI has been a surprisingly big success for BMW. It started with the improbable R50 being designed and engineered during a time of intense turmoil at Rover and then BMW. It continued with a new engine and vastly updated and improved chassis with the R56. But those changes pale in comparison to what we expect to see with the 3rd generation MINI due in the fall of 2012 as a 2013 model in Europe and potentially a few month later in other markets (i.e. the US).
In this article (the first in a two part series) we’re going to take a look at the chassis development and high level design ideas behind the new MINI. Next week we’ll dive into drivetrain, interior and electronics changes.
Chassis Development
The R50 chassis was designed primarily by a team at Rover in the UK in the mid to late 90′s. The R56, while thoroughly updated, carried over much of the basic architecture of that original design. But for 2012 BMW has big plans to bring the MINI more into the BMW family of products.
Today we’re introducing you to a new contributor to MF, Gregory La Vardera. Greg has the benefit of owning one of the first R56 in the US and thus will be one of the first owners to have a 2nd generation car out of warranty. So to celebrate this, he’s put together a list of warrantee work issues that R56 owners may have encountered since purchasing. The idea is to start the list and let it grow organically within the comment section via other owner’s experiences. From there we’ll take this and create our forthcoming R56 Buyers Guide (a la the R50/R53 Buyers Guide we released a few years ago)
The nature of manufacturing means that what one person sees, others are likely to see as well. I thought if we shared our experiences here and in the comments it could turn up some items that others might have missed, and ensure that owners have a chance to get them tended to under warrantee. My own Cooper S was delivered at the end of February 2007, the first S my dealer handed over. Over the past 3 years I’ve received outstanding service from my dealer who fixed anything I asked them to. So in that spirit here is a list of service work I’ve encountered in the past 3 years.
Note: I will expand the list with relevant items from everybody’s comments (marked From Comments).
A few days back we told you about MINI’s viral campaign in Geneva for the 2010 Motor Show. Today we bring you the real making of the video (as opposed to the faux making of) that shows you how MINI actually did put the words (and questionable ones to English speakers) “MINIWOOD” on the side of a hill overlooking Geneva.
Here are the numbers many of us have been waiting for. Lets start with the most important number to the MINI community; weight. Using the DIN standard the Countryman S weighs in at 2,882 pounds. Using the slightly more conservative EU standard (with average vehicle specification and fuel load – similar the US DOT standard) the number goes up to 3,047. For reference with that same EU standard the stock Cooper S hatchback is 2,651 pounds. The Countryman Cooper squeaks in under the 1.5 ton mark at 2,937 lbs.
So MINI’s first four door crossover isn’t quite as heavy as some had feared. In fact on paper it’s one of the lightest four door crossovers in the world. But will it still handle like a MINI? Only time (and some extended drives) will tell. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime you can see the full rundown on stats below. (After the jump)
Couldn’t make it to Geneva? Due to some last second scheduling issues neither could we. But luckily we have a few friends in the industry there to help us out. So with that said (plus a tip of the cap to Horatiu for the photos) we present you the MINI Countryman at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.
What can we say. They’re in Geneva. They drive a Countryman. They like shenanigans. But lets back up. MINI created a guerilla marketing campaign in Geneva as they have the past few years. This year they projected the word MINIWOOD (double the size of the Hollywood sign) on the side of the hill above Geneva. The video above is a little behind the scenes of the process. (official release after the jump) continued →
MINI Sales are up (barely) for February year over year. The big winner? The MINI Convertible was up over 700% thanks to the new model (and the fact that there technically wasn’t a convertible model last February. Down? Everything else.
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: F56 Hatch, MF Feature Mar 9th, 2010 35 Comments 
