Crossover Concept Featured in Photoshoot
Corriere della Sera (an Italian newspaper) had the opportunity to get not only a close look with the MINI Crossover Concept but actually had a chance to create a memorable photo-shoot.
The shoot took place at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle in Milan and marked the first time the city had allowed a car onto the premises for such on occasion. It also allows you to better judge the design and size as compared to the official photos we saw a few months back. It’s particularly nice to see the car surrounded by real people and real cars (even a MINI Clubman) to give it further context.
You can click on the photo above for a slightly larger look. However if you’d like to get a full size view, we’re broken the image down into five individual files below.
Wow. In the second picture it looks HUGE.
Strangely enough, it also looks out of proportion with itself in these pictures.
I did like the look of it in the official photos, but now it does rather remind me of a poorly designed Indian 4×4.
A slightly large 4×4 Clubman would have been on my wish list, but this doesn’t have enough MINI in it to really get me excited at all.
Such a shame…
Waiting to seeing the final production version.
KipperFillets, I agree that it looks more like a smaller Toyota RAV-4 in size, versus a larger Clubman, but like Mark, I too will reserve judgement until we see the final production version.
This is still very much a concept car, is it not?
Gad it’s huge. What next MCS/XL?! I view this thing like I do the Porsche Panamera thing… why? Can you say transformer.
Its cool, and dont expect to see a lot of its design on the final model…But it does kinda look like an Infinity FX…Don’t know whether that is a good or a bad thing.
sorry, it does not get a great emotional response from me like when I first saw the original MINI concept or the Clubman concept. Seems to be just another wannabe rounded-corner crossover. It is definitely not a replacement for my aging 02 MCS.
Maybe they are super-sizing it, so the new BMW clean diesel will fit under the hood??
Will it get better mpg than an escalade hybrid?….lol
All I can say is the Cayenne gave Porsche the money to create the Cayman. Let’s hope this thing eventually brings us something equally exciting in Mini showrooms in the future.
Glad to see some pictures that finally give it some scale, it has several design queues to make it feel its distantly related to the Mini. Can’t wait to see the weight on this beast, guessing with awd we are going to see the first 3k pound “Mini”. Some very cool shots of what I still consider to be a pretty poor concept, the design isn’t horrible but the concept of a SUV within the Mini ranks pretty well guts the feeling of what a Mini is. I still have to wonder about the company taking this lead for their future, guess I shouldn’t feel to suprised still since even their performance Mini rather missed the mark.
I am feeling like Mini has somewhat lost its way and is stubling around making half measured attempts with cars lately.
I’ll Take one! I love the top! Just please let it seat five in the US.
Oh, but it will be way overpriced….
This is a link directly to the article on the Corriere della Sera site. Has the pictures, nothing new or earth shattering in the article itself though. Gert was there talking up the asymmetrical nature of the car, how the car can tell two stories at the same time and such. No really useful information in the article.
<a href="http://motori.corriere.it/prove_strada/08_novembre_17/mini_crossover__2a3a0a10-b4a7-11dd-968d-00144f02aabc.shtml" rel="nofollow ugc">http://motori.corriere.it/prove_strada/08_novembre_17/mini_crossover__2a3a0a10-b4a7-11dd-968d-00144f02aabc.shtml</a>
It reminds me of a beetleback at the gym. Unless it changes it’s stance dramatically in the finished product…no thank you.
Still hating the FJ look. They need to concentrate on the two seat coupe and cabrio!
Try as I might, I still can’t get excited about this vehicle. But as said earlier, this is just a concept, so the real test will be which bits make it to production. Of course, with the work BMW are doing to put their own diesel into the whole MINI range (not just the Crossman), at least that’s some good news that we hope will be confirmed before long…..
Looks like a tricked out Hyundia. This will do badly.
Ugly MINI. Very ugly. This is a path that you should not have gone down. But there is still time to pull the plug on this monstrousity….
Having spoken to someone who worked in the German car industry for 11 years, I know understand why the Germans are capable of making very good and very bad decisions, all at the same time.
Change for the sake of change is not a good thing friends…
This thing looks enormous.
I guess I’m in the minority here, but I kind of like it. The front grill adds lots of character, and it does have a definite MINI family resemblance. It looks a little cartoonish, but the concept cars that preceded the Clubman were equally silly looking. I’m not sure I would buy one, but it doesn’t bother me the way it seems to trouble so many others.
I like it. I will be looking for some sort of SUV/SAV in the next few years. I don’t want a minivan and don’t need a huge gas guzzling Excursion. I’m not a huge fan of the honda or toyota suv’s and the wife doesn’t care for a nice BMW wagon. I just hope it is affordable and has a nice high torque diesel It will go nice with my R53 JCW.
I don’t see the point of BMW doing this and the equivalent 1-series SUV at the same time. How will their prices compare? There will be some odd competition between the two, especially at some dealerships where both will be sold under the same roof.
The front end looks like something out of Automobile Factory #5, somewhere in China.
The roof absolutely does not work for me; I like the idea of driving on a rainy day with drop bouncing above my head, yet remaining dry.
The proportions give it a RAV4 look; that’s not a complement.
I bet this will do well for the same reason 99% of the people here are bashing it. You bought a Mini because you wanted a small, cool, economical, sporty car with a touch of personality and some exotic feel to it. The Mini has fit that bill, because everyone can relate to one or more of those reasons with why they initially purchased whats readily available.
Now there are people that are turned away, whom do like the mini, but it just isnt practical because you can’t afford two cars and you need something that can be a family mover as well as fun to drive. You know of the other crossover type vehicles out there, but you can’t seem to make a decision because nothing is really exciting. If you were this person, would you want a ford edge, a nissan murano, a saturn vue, or a Mini R60?
I think this is to rake in more of the market for people looking for more functionality from a car that cannot be had with an R53. Also we have heard the rumors of diesel and awd, so if they put it together here in the R60, we will certainly see that trickle into the R55/56 within the next ten years.
1. I LOVE the stance!
2. I hate the rear sliding door concept!!
3. I can live with the roof but think I would prefer the dual glass.
MINI needs o put 4 real “open wide” doors on this thing and seating for five! Make AWD standard and LSD and the BMW diesel optional and they have a winner!!
Of course, I have gone on record here as saying I love SUVs. This goes against many Mini/MINI traditionalists, but if I can get MINI panache and SUV utility in one package, I would spend $35-40K and continue to wave at all my MINI brotheren…
I will never pay a dime over $30K for this thing. If I need a wagon plus 4 full doors, there are better choices. I personally dislike SUVs and crossovers. I do not understand what is wrong with the old fashioned station wagon?
If the need arises, fortunately, BMW makes the BMW 3 series sportwagon. With Euro delivery I can get one for around $31K and change. I would not mind paying that much coin for that car. But for a MINI Pseudo poseur SUV? No thanks.
It doesn’t have to be a “poser”. The reason MINIs appeal to us in the first place is because they capture the essence of motoring in a way no other car can. Sure their are faster cars, even better handling cars available, but MINI created the total package (at least in a lot of our minds). What makes you think they can’t do it again in another category?
Let’s see… The MINI SAV is:
1. smaller than most other vehicles it will be compared to
2. more stylish (IMO)
3. will most likely out-handle its competitors (it better!)
4. part of a distinguished automotive family
Now, if they just give it the right components (5-seater, 4 doors, AWD, great brakes, wear-tough interior) it could be a real utility vehicle that also gives us that motoring experience.
Have faith!
This leaves me with out much feeling at all. Given that, I do like the stance. I do not like the roofline. If MINI has to mess with it could they make it look more like the Clubman. A MINI that seats 5, what part of this is wrong? A MINI is supposed to be small. How about making the AWD availible as and option like the John Cooper Works models? An AWD Cooper Convertable would be just the thing.