Uncategorized
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the MINI Cooper Cabrio in “Hot Orange”. We'll be posting much more soon but until then see this article for more information. (click on the photo for a larger view)
|
|
We've taken off most of the photos from this article due to our gallery now being up. That means you can now see all the MINI Cooper Cabrio photos in our gallery located at: motoringfile.com/cabrio
<p>The only distraction on a otherwise beautiful rendition of the MINI ragtop are those God-awful boot latches. What were the designers thinking!!</p>
<p>Wow! Pretty nice. I like the color-coded dashboard.</p>
<p>I'm intrigued by the changes (I think they're changes, anyway) at the base of the console just in front of the shifter. The cupholders look pretty much the same.</p>
<p>Gabe, do you know anything about this?</p>
<p>Yes – I've eluded to that change since this past summer when I first heard about it. I think I mentioned something about it in one of the MINI-Fini posts. Anyway there is now storage down there (finally!)</p>
<p>Beyond all the obvious stuff you may notice the new head lights as well.</p>
<p>Things I've noticed
the obvious:
new front and rear bumpers
new wheels</p>
<p>and the less obvious
new cronos intruments display
new headlamps
new taillights
non-s version with 3-bar grill?</p>
<p>Yeah there really aren't any surprises as it's all <a href="https://www.motoringfile.com/?Y=2004&M=02&D=01&TitleID=The2005MINIRevealed">been covered</a> here and on other sites over the past year. But I think the thing that's so interesting is seeing how it works together. My initial reaction has been surprisingly positive. I have really been won over the new front end treatment specifically.</p>
<p>Red leather, chrome surrounds for the fog lights, body color mirrors all new stuff.</p>
<p>Let me get the puke bucket out for the chronograph display, YUK!</p>
<p>Yeah that's the one thing that hasn't won me over 🙂 Nice that it is just an option!</p>
<p>I see they added decent sun visors.</p>
<p>umm… VW rabbit. I feel sick.</p>
<p>Shawn
04 JCW</p>
<p>Reminds me of college when the sorority girls got VW Cabrio's for their birthday from Daddy…</p>
<p>It will need to be slammed and rolling on 17's with stripes and lights, I'll feel better then.</p>
<p>Oh I'm sure it will be :)</p>
<p>Where does the clock go?</p>
<p>Sorry Folks, I dont like it at all. Like the above folks said, VW Golf Cabrio!</p>
<p>If I were the man in charge at MINI, I would have done a 2 seater roadster or speedster. It could be a modern day MG, for folks like me who wish they could have a British roadster like their dad.</p>
<p>Instead of going this route, they made a car for the hot sorority chicks to run around in. </p>
<p>What a dissapointment.</p>
<p>Too many blindspots with the top up, including view to the rear of the car. Very nice overall but it doesn't ticle my fancy and probably I am the only one that like the gauge package in the center console.</p>
<p>MINIUSA, I want my MINI Countryman wagon!!!!!!</p>
<p>Gabe,</p>
<p>First may I say that you maintain an excellent, informative site. I have been a regular reader for about three quarters of a year now, and I believe bridger.us/mini is unsurpassed in its coverage of all things MINI. As a regular visitor to your site, I have read a long litany of negative posts questioning the direction of MINI's development of the Cooper and Cooper S. Maybe it's just me, but what I see is a well-handled development progression on the part of MINI/BMW. All of the changes this year: JCW package, suspension changes, 3-spoke wheel, '05 body tweaks, headlamps, tail lamps, chrono gauges, 3-piece dash, cabrio with California top, and everything else have created a mature car line that is in no way in conflict with the original concept. As each change has been introduced, someone somewhere has complained. I don't get it. I think it's about time to step back and realize that those folks in Bavaria might know what they’re doing.</p>
<p>THAT CAR IS BEAUTIFUL!</p>
<p>I'm sort of put off by the stick-above-the-windscreen aerial. I was hoping they'd put an embedded aerial in the glass, but I guess that's passe. Interesting, though, that they seem to have … ummm, conveniently removed it for the cockpit shot, no?</p>
<p>Great work Gabe! I love the total look of this car. The folks at MINI have done a great job again. As for the critics who think this is a chick car for soroities,fine. I was the guy whose house they would drive their vw cabrio to;therefore, I have no complains. HA! HA!</p>
<p>The car looks great overall. I'm not really sure about the new speedo layout. The tach and speedo moved above the wheel. Why? It doesn't look like the car has GPS in the center. I hope MINI doesn't try to go Lexus on us with tacky glitz. Is there a quartz movement clock in that center dial. If so…..yuk! Otherwise very charming.</p>
<p>I was worried about some of the bits and pieces of the design changes we've seen over dribbled out over the past couple of weeks but now that I see the whole package, I like it. While I could quibble about a few minor things, the design-work is solid and well-thought out. Overall, a nice looking car.</p>
<p>thanks for the pics. I think I'm in love with the orange!</p>
<p>I'm glad that the speedometer is an option, i think thats an ugly thing.
For the rest, the HOT ORANGE is COOL !</p>
<p>John – I couldn't agree more.</p>
<p>Nice to see the added storage, it looks as if there is a recess just behind the seat heater controls as well, which is great as that area only serves to collect dust in the current design. Also like the visors, which look to be a totally different design due to the convertible top controls and whatnot. I wonder if the hardtop will also get larger visors as well and if so could they possibly be retrofitted to older models.</p>
<p>I'm very pleasantly surprised. I think they pulled it off really well. It looks like they took their time to get it right.</p>
<p>And I find that reassuring for MINI's future.</p>
<p>We've got all 21 high res images at MINI2 with full press information.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mini2.com/news/news217.html" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.mini2.com/news/news217.html</a> is the URL of the main images, but the news section has several stories added today.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I like the color and style. Dont like the chrono display either, but could get used to it.</p>
<p>I promised my wife a convertible when she graduates from college…thats next year..and she goes to Sam Houston State, which colors are orange and white. :)</p>
<p>yes sir, i like it. even the boot hinges. the only part i'm uncomfortable with is the chrono treatment of the guages. i think i want one. i can see it now, top-down hustling through the canyons on Sheridan road in June.</p>
<p>any comment on it's rigidity?</p>
<p>It looks like two graphics are on the rear window defrost button…does the window actually defrost AND is the other graphic for the rumored heated front window?</p>
<p>I don't have a garage and would really love a retro fitted heated windsheild…unless of course the heat would make it even more likely to crack.</p>
<p>FYI I'll be putting up a large photo page of all the convertible pics later today. There are quite a few “action” shots from MINI as well.</p>
<p>Where's the MCS cabrio? With a JCW package and slammed? Oh, yeah, it might blow the doors off that fugly BMW Z-thang…can't have that from that quirky English twice removed cousin, now can we?</p>
<p>They'll be releasing photos in a couple months of the MCS Cabrio.</p>
<p>If you look at the links in the top right of the page you'll find several articles there that mentions more about the MCS Cabrio. The current rumor is that it'll have 170hp to compensate for the added weight.</p>
<p>Hey “Mike O!” Electronically heated front windscreens are available in lots of countries, like Canada, but so far not from Mini USA. I'm working with a service shop to see if they can install a retrofit Canadian one for me. We'll see.</p>
<p>I would have loved for MINI to go with a sportier 2 seat version. Like someone said, this will now become the car all the hot sorority chicks will want to drive.</p>