As we mentioned last week, there will be some significant color changes coming down the pipeline for the 2006 model year. We can now confirm (without a doubt) the following changes:
Going away will be: Jet Black, Electric Blue, and Solid Gold
Being introduced will be: Space Blue, Solar Red, and Royal Grey
We hope to have pictures of all new colors in the coming weeks and months. We’ll have further ’06 model year news bright and early tomorrow morning!
<p>No black??? Hopefully Space Blue will be a real dark blue that looks almost black in some light…</p>
<p>no more Jet Black?!?! That’s crazy. but that Space Blue and Royal Grey sound pretty nice.</p>
<p>I wonder what the difference will be between ‘Solar’ and “Chili’ red? The new red sounds like a more “agressive” tone color.</p>
<p>I am not surprised about Solid Gold being axed. It was never a popular choice and Velvet Red was discontinued in its favor.</p>
<p>MINI, now we need Velvet Red. Too many blue paints IMO.</p>
<p>Solar Red…sounds metallic to me. And no black? I think I smell a riot forming.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see how Royal Grey falls between Pure Silver and Dark Silver (or perhaps even darker?).</p>
<p>On the topic of color, I’m thrilled with my choice of Chili Red (which I agonized over for many months), particularly since I didn’t originally like the color as most pics on the web make it look more orange-ish/oxidized. In person it’s about the perfect shade of red you can ask for in a sports car.</p>
<p>At the dealership there was a Chili Red MC sitting next to a “red” Z4. The Z4 looked like tomato soup…or like red paint that had been sitting out in the sun for too many years. Not good.</p>
<p>I’m glad to see Liquid Yellow isn’t going away as rumored.</p>
<p>Hahaha. A German company doing away with non-metallic black? The world is coming to an end.</p>
<p>Well, at least that means my MINI will become that much rarer.</p>
<p>Royal Grey sounds nice. Space Blue, if a dark black/blue like Rodney said, would be sweet.</p>
<p>Speaking to my dealer the other day he let slip that their may well be a Metallic Black on the way ala BMW. Maybe Sapphire Black??? That would look very nice!</p>
<p>TechNet – actually there already is a metallic black in the form of “Astro Black” available on the Cooper.</p>
<p>Metallic Black already exists in the form of “Astro Black”. </p>
<p>You have to see them side-by-side to really appreciate the difference. On MINIUSA, the Astro Black looks a bit darker than Jet Black; but “in-person” that is not the case. To my eyes, Jet Black is a deeper color.</p>
<p>That’s more of a Dark Blue/Black if I recall and it’s not available on the Cooper S.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>On MINIUSA, the Astro Black looks a bit darker than Jet Black; but “in-person” that is not the case. To my eyes, Jet Black is a deeper color.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There can be none more black than Jet Black!</p>
<p>“Royal Grey” sounds like a non-metallic grey to me, ala the TT battleship grey. And Space Blue must be a replacement for Electic Blue? Darn, I wanted all black, too. When to order, when to order…</p>
<blockquote>
<p>That’s more of a Dark Blue/Black if I recall and it’s not available on the Cooper S.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Actually I would say Astro Black is very much what most people would consider black. There is a hint of blue in the metallic flake but nothing more. Regardless, MINI most likely wouldn’t not take the time or money to introduce another, similar metallic black when they already have Astro Black in the line-up. I’m assuming they’ll either let the R53 end it’s production run without a black or make Astro Black available to the MCS as well.</p>
<p>And BTW – Astro Black is quite a nice color in person. However, I’m not sure if I’d prefer it over Jet Black (RIP)</p>
<p>pepper white lives on!!!!!!! also i am very interested in the royal grey. very. and what with astro black, space blue and solar red. its a mini not a UFO!!!!!</p>
<p>i wonder if either the royal grey or space blue will be a deep blueish/greyish color. like the one available for the jeep liberty here in the states. if so i will be ready to trade in. that color would look amazing on a mini.</p>
<p>Well, I do have my Jet Black ’04 MC. I’m really not into metallic paint.</p>
<p>Not having a pure, deep, solid black will cause me some concern when it’s time to replace my MINI with a new one.</p>
<p>ATTN: MINI USA ( I know you read this forum ) …. dropping Jet Black – two words …. BIG MISTAKE.</p>
<p>Cant wait to see Solar Red!</p>
<p>JET BLACK WAS THE BEST!! Big mistake Mini Usa…</p>
<p>So Gabe – did you know Jet Black was going when you <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.motoringfile.com/2005/04/22/step_two_new_mini_ordered">placed your order</a>? Was there some consideration of “<em>bonus rarity</em>“?</p>
<p>If Solar Red is like the red seen in BMW Z4’s, yes it looks like the color of tomatoes. It is a very bright red.</p>
<p>Chili Red is gorgeous.</p>
<p>Jet Black was a nice color.</p>
<p>I often wonder who is getting paid to make these color decisions at MINI? Shall we say..clueless?</p>
<p>Glad I have my Electric Blue. That just makes the potential for fewer of us on the roads. :)</p>
<p>How long til we can pick our own color from a 24-bit color palate? :)</p>
<p>Shoot me…
I never was a big fan of either the Electric Blue or Solid Gold. But hey, everyone always complains that the colour I chose, Liquid Yellow, is too watered down (personally I think it is just right), especially for an MCS. A non-metallic black is a bit of a surprise, but if they can upcharge for metallic why not make the only black available, metallic. </p>
<p>I guess the point of my post is that colour is such a personal preference, that I can’t go along with the thought that the colour choices MINI makes are clueless. </p>
<p>I’m a graphic designer, you would not believe some of the colour choices/opinions/changes, etc. that I get offered on a daily basis…kind of boggles the mind.</p>
<p>Has anyone actually seen a Mini in the gold finish? I’ve never seen one firsthand. I’m suprised they didn’t kill the color earlier.</p>
<p>As for the Grey, that sounds nice. The other grey they have is great, but its not available on the Cooper (although I had no problem settling with the British Racing Green)</p>
<p>I see a gold MINI nearly every day…very nice driver, always waves :)</p>
<p>Yeah I have seen many Solid Gold Coopers and Cooper Convertibles. Not a bad color at all in person and looks nice specially in the softop models.</p>
<p>The problem with Gold is most people think it is a cheesy color in a MINI.</p>
<p>I was never a big, big fan of Electric Blue but it never bothered me either. At one time it was the “Flagship” MCS color alongside Dark Silver. It seems that EB orders have dropped significantly over the years to justify its dismise.</p>
<p>My biggest MINI color complaint has always been that the MINI is a car of British heritage (not to mention the Cooper racing heritage) and has no British Royal Green color. It’s adding insult to injury that the color they call BRG is nothing like true BRG. I would have definitely chosen that color had it been available.</p>
<p>As for the colors mentioned, I too am surprised about Jet Black and Electric Blue going away. I see plenty of those colors around Los Angeles, though LA MINI owners seem to prefer the silvers over all else.</p>
<p>If Royal Grey is indeed like the TT’s battleship grey, it could look quite nice, especially on the S.</p>
<p>As an aside, I always thought they should have limited Chili Red as a Cooper S exclusive color and giving the base Cooper another red, due to the history involved with that color on the Mini.</p>
<p>After the auto show pictures of a month ago, I was expecting “Roof White” to become a body color.</p>
<p>I keep doing web searches on “Space Blue” and it turns up swatches of material and paint that are very close in color to Hyper Blue.</p>
<p>I was hoping for a non-metalic bright orange! They could call it “Juice”. Would be very cool with white graphics.</p>
<p>On the day I placed my order for a Dark Silver/White MCS, I test drove an ’02 Electric Blue/White MCS. That color combo was pretty smart-looking. It’s too bad it won’t be around any longer. Unlike most posters here, I hope the new Space Blue ends up somewhere in that EB area (though, due to the name, it probably won’t).</p>
<p>Oh, a co-worker swears that a lime green (non-metallic) color would go over well on the MINI. I beg to differ…</p>
<p>So what’s the other big news tomorrow morning?</p>
<p>It’s always nice to see different colors keeping the blood line fresh. I’m super happy with Indi Blue and happier to know you can’t get it anymore. </p>
<p>I think Mini’s doing a good job…….just my 2 cents.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>So Gabe – did you know Jet Black was going when you placed your order? Was there some consideration of “bonus rarity”?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Well I heard a few “rumblings” of surprising color changes but I never thought Jet Black would be dropped to be honest. </p>
<p>And speaking of my order… it’s loaded onto the MAERSK TEAL for tomorrow’s voyage!!!</p>
<p>I believe Royal Grey is something like the AUDI Atlas Grey or that great older color… Putty.</p>
<p>Sigh… These colors sound exceedingly boring. Mini continues to underwhelm in the color department.</p>
<p>If it IS a putty color that is the Royal Grey… All I can say is…</p>
<p>FINALLY</p>
<p>Picture is here:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.classiccarspecialist.co.uk/KAX493L.htm" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.classiccarspecialist.co.uk/KAX493L.htm</a></p>
<p>That Solar Ray in the ’73 Mini looks sweet! If you can get that with a silver contrasting roof, that would be an awesome combo. I just don’t see how Solar Ray and Chili Red are going to co-exist.</p>
<p>That Solar Red looks hot..emotively and literally. But I agree with you Frank, I think a car should only have one red at a time with which defines its character.</p>
<p>ahhh phuck….
I have always liked dark silver and now they have royal grey! My Mini in pepper white will be here soon, hopefully royal grey isn’t as nice as I picture it to be…</p>
<p>If anyone from MINI is reading this… I’d like to put in a vote for the availability of a beige or taupe convertible top to go with Pepper White. I also think a green much like the Legend Lime metallic offered on the new Mustang would look hot on a MINI. I think just about any retro or old fashioned kind of color would compliment MINI well.</p>
<p>Oooh, just what we need! A third grey. Maybe we could get a “Honda Accord Silver” while they’re taking away electric blue?</p>
<blockquote>And speaking of my order… it’s loaded onto the MAERSK TEAL for tomorrow’s voyage!!!</blockquote>
<p>Congratulations! 16 days from order to shipping is an amazing feat within itself.</p>
<p>Solar Orange… ooh. Can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for tomorrow.</p>
<p>Can’t believe they are getting rid of the electric blue…? that’s a bit of a mystery… i have a pure silver now, and that was going to be my next choice for my next mini… either that or a pepper white… but i’ll have to see what the royal grey looks like… though i have to say, there are HEAPS of grey/silver cars here in aus…!</p>
<p>yah, i’ve had enough grey. Also, I don’t get some of these requests for lime green or really bright colors. I honestly think the MINI should stay with sleek colors, not weird neon colors.</p>
<p>You ever see how many z3 colors were available? I can see a MINI in Fiji Green, Dark Green, Alpine White, Sahara beige, and Imola Red… </p>
<p>no reason to have only one red available, one black or one of any color… the more colors available, the better.</p>
<p>Bring on the Phoenix and Palmetto II!!</p>
<p>I’ve been thinking of a trade in for this new “Special Edition” so as long as they don’t do away with Hyper Blue and white roofs I’ll be peachy.</p>
<p>The Mustang’s Legend Lime is no where near a bright, weird or neon color. It’s actually quite subdued and a classic color — Don’t assume it’s an intense color just because it’s got “lime” in its name. I remember my grandfather’s 1960’s Ford being a shade of green that was very similar. Check out <a href="http://www.fordvehicles.com" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.fordvehicles.com</a> to see Legend Lime.</p>
<p>While all this recent news about upcoming MINIs is exciting, it also has me really depressed. No more Jet Black, rear-link gone, bigger body, Cooper losing the CVT, etc.</p>
<p>Oh man….</p>
<p>…no more supercharger, no more chrysler designed engine… but those are still another year away…</p>
<p>We got a gold 03 MC with a black top. At the time we thought too many other folks would get the same color scheme. Guess we never had to worry about that! We love it – stays clean-looking and is just the right shade of gold – no mustard overtones.</p>
<p>Do these changes necessarily carry through to the new model when it comes out?</p>
<p>took a look at the legend lime… it’s definitely not neon. It has a sort of silk green feel, which I really like, but was unavail at the time of my order. </p>
<p>as for the loses in 2006, Gabe did mention that the handling of the car should be better despite suspension changes. Also, as for the demise of the CVT, although the CVT is an awesome transmission, it’s tough not being able to mod it much. The other two however, are quite site. Bigger body and no non-metallic black. I actually don’t like metallic colors in general, I’m a fan of the more solid colors.</p>
<p>No… more… black?</p>
<p>I can’t even fathom it!</p>
<p>Well, they started the US R53 run with no black (for the MCS at least) so why not end it that way…</p>
<p>If only they offered a satin/matte black… I’d have been ALL over that… or even matte metallics, like some Yamaha R1s… really shake things up…</p>
<p>I’m also for some wilder colors. Yes, blacks and silvers have the best resale value… but this is a MINI! Not supposed to be dull!</p>
<p>wow!</p>
<p>i’m glad i have a jet black 05 then…</p>
<p>i had been considering trading in to get an 06 this fall, but not if there is no jet black…</p>
<p>Lawrence, not everyone considers a black car to be dull.</p>
<p>I wonder why mini doesnt setup a POLL on MINIUSA or at the Owners Lounge . . . as active as mini owners seem on the internet i bet they would see huge results. . .</p>
<p>Eric > Actually I don’t think Lawrence was calling black dull. He actually owns one of the nicest all black MCS’ I’ve ever seen.</p>
<p>Gabe&Lawrence, OOPS! My bad! Black MINIs unite! ;-)</p>
<p>It really is a shame Solid Gold is going away. In person it really is an awesome color. It’s just a shame computer screens can’t give you the correct picture of it. I am glad I now have a rare color on my 04MC.</p>
<p>Color changes keep everything fresh. I wonder where the new blues will compare with Indi Blue- the best color on a MINI…in my opinion. The Space Blue will probably be a dark blue since Hyper is somerwhere in between Electric and Indi. The red will probably be metallic and deeper and no clue about Royal Grey? </p>
<p>I remember seeing one Solid Gold MINI on I84 in CT. The lady driving it was smiling and waving with the sunroof open and we drove for about an hour together. That’s my fond Solid Gold memory….</p>
<p>I would love to see a MINI in some of the classic, non metallic colors from the 60’s. If Royal Grey is a non-metallic, audi like grey I am ordering one as soon as I find out. I would like to see a mineral blue or almond green color come back…</p>
<p>Eric – No prob! I actually owned a Dark Silver prior to the all Jet Black… I think black and silver cars always look the business. Plus, they matched my “artists’ uniform” – black and a frown!</p>
<p>But I think a line filled with crazy color options can really help. These cars are fun, and having a good range of fun colors to choose from can be one of the most agonizingly enjoyable parts of ordering a new MINI.</p>
<p>BTW Gabe – Thanks!</p>
<p>Evan – I agree that color does keep everything fresh. The line needs a good balance of neutrals and brights. I like the idea of phasing colors in/out, making certain years and models different. But I hope they keep coming up with crazy variations, instead of just eventually fading into a safe range of grays, silvers and dark metallics…</p>
<p>I’m not a big fan of the current grey, but if they can come up with something like the ‘Dolphin grey’ that Audi does, that would be amazing. IMO no one does grey better than Audi. My ideal would be a convertable S with the Audi grey exterior and a deep tan leather interior. Magnificent!!! Maybe something I’ll have to have customized when I start makin’ some coin. (In that case I’d have them do the baseball stiching like they have in the TT).</p>
<p>My velvet red MC is gorgious when clean and polished but if they come up with the pepper white convertible with a blue top the red is gone.</p>
<p>Wahoo!!! So glad to see Electric Blue go. I was hoping that 04 was its last year! </p>
<p>I love my EB/W MCS and the fact that there will be less and less of them now is A OK by me! </p>
<p>Craig</p>
<p>I would like to second the Tan top comment for the Convertible!</p>
<p>I think Hot Orange Metallic and Cool Blue Metallic should be offered for the non-Convertible MINIs.</p>
<p>Hmmmmmmm………..There’s other colors besides RED? :)</p>
<p><strong>Thank GOD Solid Gold is being dropped!</strong> It was introduced because the US apparently likes gold cars. Solid Gold replaced Silk Green, which was far more pleasant (relatively). Do you guys really buy gold coloured cars?</p>
<p>For people demising the loss of Black, don’t forget they haven’t said metallic black will go (Astro Black, over here), only Jet Black is going.</p>
<p>Glad to see the demise of Electric Blue too, they milked it far too much by allowing it on the 2005 Cooper models, instead of restricting it to the Cooper S models.</p>
<p>Electric Blue always makes me think of that show that used to be on the Playboy channel back in the 80’s…</p>
<p>Ah, my mispent youth!</p>
<p>Its amusing to me that that this article has generated 70+ comments – more than many performance articles get!!! </p>
<p>We might joke about how girls only care about the colour but now we know the truth for sure, colour is the most important thing to all of us! :)</p>
<p>When I was contemplating jet black, I asked my MA about resale. He said that used black ones sell off his lot the quickest of any.
hs</p>
<p>unfortuatly i dont have a mini. instead i am the disappointed owner of a 2004 mazda6. hopfully ill be able to help out this situation of the new solar red. my 6 is a color mazda calls volcanic red. its difficult to see online but if you stop at a dealer and see it in person. NYPD see me coming from miles.</p>
<p>I was really hoping for a lighter green color. I find the British Green far too dark, and too much like black. Electric Blue was far too light. I’m hoping its just off the Hyper Blue.</p>
<p>i was really hoping that there would be a light pink mini. it would be a gran car</p>
<p>I’m waiting waiting waiting for my hot orange mini convertible arriving mid-July!!!! It’s torture I tell you!</p>
<p>I’m with Sarah on a light pink mini. Wow…that would be so awesome…</p>
<p>any shade of pink will make all girls go crazy~</p>
<p>To throw another solar red theory into the mix – here are a couple of more links to the oldies but goodies in that shade:</p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.gcminis.co.uk/cgi-bin/Jive2.exe?./jive/ForSaleTable.jiv
">Text to link</a></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dghklassikmotorsport.de/Seite08-NeuwagenRU.htm
">Text to link</a></p>
<p>My dealer told me today he had heard it was a pinkish red. And although the pics aren’t great here, these ones looks pretty hot pink to me! </p>
<p>Hmmm???</p>
<p>Text to link?? LOL oops… Oh well, at least the links work…</p>
<p>From a trustworthy in-the-know MA:</p>
<p>Solar Red – BMW’s emola red (nice and dark)
Space Blue – very dark blue
Royal Grey – between the 2 current silvers</p>
<p>Anyone for a petition to keep black?</p>
<p>Here in Canada, we get the Cooper Classic, a slightly stripped down Cooper without the xenon headlights or ASC, and available only in the non-metallics with a fixed roof colour. I wonder if this means there’s one fewer choice with the Classic?</p>
<p>Also, for us, metallic paint is a no-cost option (on the Cooper and S) so the cost of an Astro Black will be the same as that of a Jet Black. I also think that Astro Black is a really, really nice colour.</p>
<p>Gold: good riddance – local dealer didn’t order a single 05 for stock in this colour.</p>
<p>Electric Blue: alright, but has been declining in popularity since its introduction.</p>
<p>The next one that will be deleted, I predict, will be Black-Eye Purple (I think it’s called Purple Haze in the US)</p>
<p>In any case, there are still an awful lot of nice colours to choose from!</p>
<p>Mark</p>
<p>mi ideal mini would b jet black with a pink number 8 on each of the doors, with the newcastle crest on the top – i from newcastle 😛 and black and pink interior with an england flag in ther sumwher :P</p>
<p>Greetings,</p>
<p>I am currently a touch too young to drive but when I am, I am hoping to be purchasing a nice metallic pink mini with black trimmings. The revision mirrors are also hopefully going to have a checkerboard pattern on them as I have seen them on there myself and they looked rather sexy.</p>
<p>I personally love all mini colours but won’t be buying one unless I can buy a nice shade of pink.</p>
<p>Cheerio!</p>
<p>Do something different and bring out a hot pink mini.</p>
<p>We just picked up our ’06 pepper white convertible with blue top and blue leather interior. We purchased from just a description and we are certainly happy we did!!</p>
<p>i say PINK mini’s alll da waaaay!…. come on but how class would that be id buy one stright off! -x- rach -x-</p>
OH MY DEAR GOODNESS!!! I WOULD TOTALLY BUY A HOT-PINK MINI COOPER!! I WANT ONE SOOOOO BADLY!!! IT TOTALLY SCREAMS KARISA!!!!!!!
About the Gold…
I had a 2004 SOLID GOLD mini Cooper. I actually sold it a couple years later to someone who wanted a the mini GOLD colour and was willing to pay extra for it. It was such a sweet colour. At first, I thought – yuk, is that all you have with the options I wanted? Yep. That was it. Well, it grew on me, a lot!
I loved that car. Scratches could hardly be seen. It was a pleasure to polish, and boy did it turn heads!
It is too bad they aren’t making it anymore as I would get another SOLID GOLD mini in a heartbeat. Now I guess I will have to settle for Mellow Yellow. My favourite car colour other than gold is yellow. But it has to have the black bonnet stripes and the black rooftop and mirrors. I think I will name her, “Bumblebee”. Not to copy the Transformers movie – but I think a yellow and black mini would suit the name better than a Yellow and Black “Mustang” – Mustang is a horse not an insect. If the movie makers had a choice I am sure they would have chosen a mini for the character. But then they wouldn’t have gotten so much money from GM for using their cars.