As we reported this last spring, the upcoming extended wheelbase MINI (aka the R55) will indeed have a 3rd, suicide like door. This is in contrast to the four door rumor that many publications (including the latest Road & Track) are reporting and in stark contrast to the lack of rear doors on the recent Traveller concept cars. Apparently the issues of more added weight and a required redesign of the fuel filler area helped with the decision.
But having a 3rd door rather than four brings up an interesting issue that will no doubt be talked about in the MINI community for years to come. When there’s only one rear door, position is critical. And as you’d expect MINI will be opting to put the third door (or the coach door as it’s known internally) on the passenger side. Simple right? Well not really. This gets tricky when you consider markets such as the UK and Japan where cars are right-hand drive. And considering BMW is keen to keep costs down on the new long wheelbase R55, there will be no variation on placement of this door. So yes, that means right-hand drive markets will be getting their coach door right behind the driver’s side door.
Increased prototype production will start in the coming months and we should start seeing a great deal more spy photos late this year and early next.
*Notice the taped up left-side on the above photo – this is reportedly to mask the lack of a 4th door.
Well that sucks. I love the Mini, but having 2 small children, I simply can’t put up with a 2 door car. A 3 door solution just seems odd – not enough doors to please the crowd (like me) wanting a 4-door, but too many doors for the crowd that likes the current car. How many people are out there waiting for a car with ONE extra door ?
Just seems like an odd decision to me – if it doesn’t have 4 doors, I’ll never buy it.
With respect to WHERE the 3rd door is – it has to be on the drivers side – otherwise with kids you would need to walk around to the passenger side, open both doors there, let the kids in, and then walk around to the drivers side to let yourself in. A 3rd door on the passenger side only is really goofy…
Wouldn’t the door on the driver’s side mean children stepping out into the road rather than onto the pavement/sidewalk?
Probably the thinking behind the placement (if there was any thinking)
Sounds Odd and I certainly would not buy one. 2 or 4 yes but 3!!!….definitely not!
It may be odd and even quirky, but why not? It’s a MINI.
This arrangement is vaguely similar to the AMC Pacer. The Pacer was a 2-door car, but the curbside door (i.e. the right door) was four inches longer than the driver’s door. Since four doors (or even three) were out of the question given the size of the car, AMC lengthened one door to aid easy entry and exit and to encourage passengers to use the curbside door.
I guess that safety strategy works in the U.K. and Japan (where left is curbside), and the U.K. is the largest market (and combined they’re even larger). So if you have to pick a safer side that’s the one (on a worldwide basis).
Since it’s not exactly hard to slide across the rear passenger seat in a MINI two rear doors are only marginally more useful. Vehicle rigidity is going to be better with just one rear door.
I kind of like this idea. Although Gabe’s source(s) have had about 180 problems lately, so who knows? 🙂
I don’t see what is the big deal with just having 3 doors….
As long as you have a rear door, that is all what will be needed to grant more comfortable access to the rear seats by adults and children alike.
I’m sorry, I read this story again. Looks like the rear door is on the right, in which case it’s great for U.S. folks and not so great for the U.K., Japan, and other right hand drive markets.
Maybe that’s not a problem since the 3-door would presumably be in greater demand in pudgy North America.
One more thing: the birthrate is way, way below replacement rate in Japan, so demographically the 3-door will be that much less interesting in that market.
Timothy, Please say you are not comparing a MINI to a Pacer. As a one-time Pacer owner in my youth I still have have nightmares about driving it!
>I kind of like this idea. Although Gabe’s source(s) have had about 180 problems lately, so who knows? 🙂
I wouldn’t speak too soon about that, you might be suprised in a few weeks.
To me, the main reason you have a third door is to aid in placing children in car seats. and though it may be safer to have it curbside in the dense streets of tokyo or london, not many soccer moms here in the states have to worry about getting there arse clipped as they are getting the kids in the seat. Convience is the #1 factor here, and it is on the wrong side for the states….Note the side that almost all existing three door models use. I would expect U.S. sales to be below expectation
Does anyone else remember that Pacer ad where the delivery guy was able to fit a six foot sub in the back, width-wise?
Thank goodness for the 3rd door on the right. I’d hate to have to load my sub from the left, with traffic zooming by.
PS – If this counts for off-topic, my sincerest apologies.
If you expect BMW MINI to stay somewhat true to the original Mini, neither the original Mini Clubman or Moris Mini Traveler had rear passenger door.
I don’t think that the rear doors on the “traveller” are necessarily intended for children as much as passengers in general. The back seat in the current MINI is next to useless if you’re a tall driver, but that’s any coupe. If the actual car is meant to be at all purposed like the concept car was, then the idea is for 4 actual adults to fit comfortably in the car. <em>THAT’S</em> the reason for an additional door.
As for the 3 vs 4 door debate, I <em>HATE</em> breaking up symmetry on a car with something as significant as a door. Ick! I couldn’t buy it. It would just rub me the wrong way every time I got in the thing. And given the likely $30,000+ price point of doing one up right, I could do a whole lot better. If the “traveller” is meant to be the family-sized MINI for those who want a MINI but can’t afford an additional car to a Cooper/S, it hits sort of an awkward spot I think. If I can afford a $30,000 family car in the first place, seems I could keep a Cooper/S and buy a Corolla or something (and have a LOT more room). Or if I can only afford the one car, for $30,000 I’m starting to get into BMW 3-series territory – which would have just as good if not better performance and more room. So the whole family angle might not be what makes this car successful. I imagine it will be bought more by all flavors of people who like the MINI and simply want more room for any number of reasons. Somehow I doubt the car’s bread and butter will be the car seat and stroller crowd.
I’d rather see it on the driver’s side (left side in the U.S.) as it is more convenient in the case where the only person in the car is the driver (my kids are grown-up, yah!!!). Either way, I’m glad to see a third door for the extended wheelbase MINI. So all that tape on the prototypes is going to add up to a 180 pound weight reduction when it comes off in production? 🙂
There was more leg room and accessibility in the original Mini than the current one. I have a 67 Cooper and my kids love the back seat compared with my 03.
Some of the more recent Saturn coupes have partial suicide doors on both sides. I am sure this is a cost issue, but if they are going to bother, then Mini should consider placing the additional access doors on both sides. This would address the marketplace issue.
<blockquote> I <em>HATE</em> breaking up symmetry on a car with something as significant as a door. </blockquote>
Tinting the windows to unify the look more (masking the visible internal door frame on one side of the car) would be my first move.
I agree with Nathaniel’s point that the target market for the Traveller is probably not the young parent types. I also think that having a third door on only one side reeks of cost-cutting cheapness that will totally devalue a $30,000 car. They might as well put a three-cylinder engine in it as well.
I hope they change their minds, ‘cuz I think it will be a huge marketing mistake.
I think my desire for more room in the extended wheel base R55 will out weigh my dislike for the odd number of doors. I will probably be getting one because I’ll have kids by the time the R55 is released (which seems to put me in the minority). And I refuse to be a van, SUV, or BMW 3-series driving soccer mom just because I happen to have kids. I refuse to give up my MINI just because I happen to want kids. I know MINI owners in Europe routinely carry a family of four in their current MINIs, but given the option I think the added room will be handy, even if the number of doors is goofy.
I’ll add my voice to the chorus of those saying that this will likely turn out to be a big mistake. Make it a four-door or a 2-door with partial suicide doors on either side. But 3-door? I just don’t see a way that I could justify purchasing a 3-door car for myself and my soon-to-be family. And I certainly can’t see being able to re-sell such a car a few more years down the line. I like the 4-door traveller concepts. They had a good thing going there…
>I’ll add my voice to the chorus of those saying that this will likely turn out to be a big mistake. Make it a four-door or a 2-door with partial suicide doors on either side. But 3-door? I just don’t see a way that I could justify purchasing a 3-door car for myself and my soon-to-be family. And I certainly can’t see being able to re-sell such a car a few more years down the line. I like the 4-door traveller concepts. They had a good thing going there…
Technically it’ll be a five door. And as an aside, I think you all are crazy for complaining about this…. 🙂
<blockquote> Technically it’ll be a five door. And as an aside, I think you all are crazy for complaining about this…. :)</blockquote>
Gabe, you don’t see the three-door concept as a marketing problem? MINI considers their cars to be in the “premium” market, and this move just doesn’t jive with the premium aesthetic in my opinion.
I’m not sure if it will stop me from buying one, because I love my MCS but I need more room. I just think it will turn off many other potential buyers.
>Gabe, you don’t see the three-door concept as a marketing problem?
Not at all. It’s a MINI that handles like a MINI but has more rear legroom. Oh and there’s this bonus really cool third coach door. So it’s a MINI that is less mini but still “MINI”. Perfect.
Oh wait… I just entered into a dicussion on my own site. What was I thinking 🙂
Looks like a classic case of half-full vs. half-empty. I hope you’re right and I’m wrong. It’s always better when the optimists win. 🙂
<blockquote>And as an aside, I think you all are crazy for complaining about this…. :)</blockquote>I agree. I don’t see why people think it is such a big deal. This is very much the same thing as a minivan that has a rear passenger door on only one side.
It is people in the UK that will complain loudly, and for good reason.
yuk. cant see it being recieved well if theres only a rear door on the drivers side in out market….(UK)
>It is people in the UK that will complain loudly, and for good reason.
Yup – rightly so.
Yes! The point of this MINI for most potential buyers does not have a anything to do with the doors, or lack there of. It’s the additional back seat and cargo space that a lot of us want – just like for the original Mini and Morris models. Add a suicide door for a little easier access the the rear seats on the car – just icing on the cake. Let’s Party!!!!
I’m not a huge fan of the Traveller concept, but I think this is a great–my favorite thing about the Mini is it’s quirkiness, and the Traveller is shaping up to be the quirkiest addition to the lineup. I may actually consider one of these, depending on how functional it winds up being.
There are a lot more markets than just UK and Japan with right-hand drive cars – most of the English colonial countries i.e. South Africa, African countries, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, to name a few.
Therefore these markets will have the rear door opening into traffic flow.
This is quite ironic as MINI is supposed to be a BRITISH car but obviously designed for Left-hand drive markets. So one has to assume that the car is primarily designed for German and USA markets.
The BMW 3 series started off as a 2-door car, and then later added two extra rear doors by making the front doors smaller widths – surely this is not rocket science?
Why not move the position of the fuel filler so you can fit the 4th door? I remember one old USA car had the fuel filler in the tailamp aperture.
How come the Japanese can solve issues like this like the RX8 Mazda?
When we needed a car for my wife, we considered a second MINI, but due to the nature of her job, she felt she needed something a little larger, for cargo. (Kids are not an issue.) She got a Kia 5-door, called a Cinqo in the US I think, but this new MINI will likely make us into a 2-MINI family. I could care less what side the third door is on, I think it’s a neat idea. Saturn had a 3-door coupe in their last generation lineup, and I think it worked for them. It always amazes me how some people think they know more about designing and marketing than the people that actually do the designing and marketing. MINI has been a smashing success, and I think this new model will do just fine. And, my 3rd MINI (I had a 2002 MC and now have a 2005 MCS) will be one of those 250 hp JCW turbos, thank you very much! The Traveller will make it 4 MINIs and counting for this couple of car nuts.
I’m not sure I would describe the RX8 as any kind of a “solution.”
Good show MINI! I’ll be excited to see what the final product looks like. 3 doors is a great way to utilize the back seat, and still stay sporty. Kudos to you!
My wife and I totally refuse to give up one of our MINIs to drive either a mundane Minivan, SUV (Yuck!) or even a boring-vanilla 4 door sedan. Our little baby boy is due in November but we will keep both of our MINIs (I think we will be fine, thank you very much) until MINI launches the R55 Traveller. We will replace my wife’s ’02 MC CVT with a ’08 R55 Traveller and we are really looking forward to it.
Shame on you to all the “naysayers” that apparently have no problem claiming that those of us starting a family or with children already should be excluded from the MINI ownership experience. That is selfish and narrow minded to say the least. Shame on you!
It never amazes me to read some very “Turd-like” comments coming from some of my fellow MINI owners.
When Saturn added the 3rd door everyone said “Cool, but why not just add it to both sides”? And so they did, and their customers loved it. The ION coupe still comes that way…
I currently load my little wipper in through the rear hatch. He faces rear so it makes it easy.
I may be the exception as I’m tall enough to lean over the seat and buckle him in. sometimes I step a foot into the boot to make it easier.
When he is old enought to face forward a third door would come in handy.
Regarding about paulgraz’s comment with Saturn, I think that makes sense, also that would give answer if any country has complain if it should be on the left side or the right side. Just my two cents. I sure would love to see the end product.
Ease of entry will market itself, and 3, 4, 5, 6-door, whatever, most buyers of the wagon will want passengers to be able to access the backseat without resorting to some of the more arcane Kama Sutra positions just to get in there. (Or at least, until they get the hang of the new back seat!) Yeah, there will be the golf clubs, or groceries, or child seats, or the occasional short board poppin’ in there, and the Lazy Man’s Book of Axioms will prevail – the path of least resistance is nature’s way. Soon it would be positively addictive – economy of motion saves aches and pains – the coupe backsitters will be envious. Bet you could get better aerodynamics on a longer chassis like that, too – and hey, air brakes! It would be nice in a symmetrical design manner to have suicide doors on both sides, (ah, I fondly remember our ’62 Connie!) but one at least would almost be mandatory in today’s cars. Gotta watch out if it’s yellow, tho – don’t wanne be mistook for the short bus. 😉
BCNU,
Rob in Dago
Some people got their knickers in a twist about the center speedometer (not practical, distracting to look for it while driving, etc.). But now it’s considered a key feature. So it may be with a 3-door design when people get used to it.
I do have safety concerns, though. Some comments above suggest that parents too lazy to walk to the safe (kerb) side actually would prefer to load passengers on the street side of the car?? Seems like a most unsafe idea to me. But UK and Japanese drivers, with their narrow streets and traffic passing very close by, will have to do just that with the MINI door on the right side. By contrast US drivers, with their wider roads and slightly less concern for close-passing traffic, will have the safety benefit of rear door entry on the kurb side. Perhaps MINI has it backwards and should put the door on the left side of the car…
Minivans came with only one side door at first too, but they pretty quickly realized that people wanted doors on both sides. Now every single minivan in the US market has rear doors on both sides. Same for the Saturn Ion as somebody else already mentioned.
Putting a door only on one side of this Mini is a mistake – I was really excited about this car, but a single side door kills the deal – no way that I will buy it with two kids in car/booster seats if there is only a rear door on one side – it’s not just a quirk, it is a fatal flaw in my book.
It just seems odd – I would think not having 4 doors would be a deal killer for a lot of people, but the other way around, people aren’t really going to complain if the car has 4 doors instead of 3, if that makes sense…
Shep and Jon are absolutely correct in my opinion. IF they are going to do 3 door its backwards. minivans and trucks that all started 3 door put the door on drivers side to begin with. And all this talk about fitting 4 adults seems way out there to me…..It is a very rare occasion (visiting family perhaps) I don’t know many people who ride together anymore. I just dont see a need for carrying 4 adults any more than a few times a year.
So to me a 3 door is to serve those who are carying children or groceries with easier more convienent access to the rear seats. That goal is not served by the 3rd being on the opposite side of the driver.
I love the distinctiveness of having only one rear passenger door and this only adds to the MINI’s charm. I’m sure owners would soon get used to this just like the many other design quirks that contribute to the uniqueness (in a good way) of driving a MINI. If passenger and cargo space are the highest priority for you (and that’s perfectly reasonable) then the MINI is probably never going to be the best choice.
…in my decision as whether to keep my ’03 MC, trade in for an ’07 MCS, or wait for the ‘traveller’ MCS, i keep coming back to what makes MINIs different…
…my single, central located reverse light (which is no longer an option), my two spoke steering wheel (no longer an option), the headlights attached to the hood (no longer an option), i come to the conclusion that what i lve about MINI is it’s un-conventional and refreshingly non-practical…
…sure it gets 32 mpg and has a 4-star crash test rating, but that’s not why i love it…
…i love it because it’s a joy to drive even if you’re just sitting in the driveway…
…i love it because i still get tracked down by strangers wanting to know more about MINI…
…i love that other MINI drivers are so excited to be driving that they honk and wave as I pass and invite me to their MINI clubs…
…i love it because it’s perfectly imperfect…
…this third door is exactly that…
…it’s quirky, and only semi-convenient…
…the same formula that has sold 800,000 MINIs will sell the ‘traveller’ as well…
3 Doors?
…Sucks
Fantastic idea! I can still have the style a 2 door provides, yet I don’t have to look at the third door while mounting the drivers seat all the time.(non-uk) BRAVO!
LOL! Whooda thunk that MINI could share ANYTHING with a minivan? Worlds apart.
very much the same thing as a minivan