2011 MINI Refresh Update: Interior Colors & Trim
Earlier this month we told you about the 2011 MINI refresh or LCI (Life Cycle Impulse in BMW-speak) that we expect in September. There will be new colors, a new front an rear bumper design (with additional cooling for brakes) and of course several key changes inside.
So what’s changing? Those looking for a radical redesign of the interior will be disappointed. MINI will make some very subtle changes to the heating/cooling interface as well as the radio controls on non-Nav equipped cars. However the main change will be in the finishes of the controls. In place of the grey/silver look MINI will be upgrading them to either a matte or gloss black. In addition to that the plastic around the controls will also be made from a higher quality material. In fact we’ve unknowingly already seen a sneak peak at the new center console when MINI debuted the Roadster concept (seen above however disregard all other trim changes as they were for the concept car only).
One addition that will mirror what we’ve seen released in the Countryman is the addition of MINI Connect to the options sheet. As with the Countryman it will be available with and without the navigation (however we highly recommend springing for the nav if you’re interested in it as it really makes the option come to life).
What is MINI Connect? The idea is that your iPhone (more on that in a sec) plugs into the car via the armrest. This charges the iPhone and provides a connection to the roof antenna and a hardwire connection for all the data. The iPhone is still via Bluetooth so all the functions normally supported by MINI via Bluetooth are still there. From there the MINI Connect system tethers to your phone’s 3G connection and uses it to power apps such as web radio, twitter to name just a few. MINI is launching with the iPhone first but look for further handsets to be supports in the future.
For much more information be sure to read our previous report on the entire list of changes coming for 2011. Look for an internet debut of the 2011 MINI in the months ahead. Until then stay tuned to MF for all the latest.
<p>Is the pictured interior an early April-fool?</p>
<p>Oh thank god… the cheaper grade interior they used in the new design is one of the reason’s I wont trade in my 05 for a newer model. Good thinking guys!</p>
<p>I need MINI Connect in my life I think, waiting for pricing info now!</p>
<p>Deano</p>
<p>Gabe, when you say it will be “either a matte or gloss black”, do you mean that there will be two different interior options, or simply that you don’t know whether it will be matte or gloss?</p>
<p>AT&T is allowing iphone tethering for the Mini? I wonder how that will go.</p>
<p>The headliner pic… can you say Liberace! Gak!</p>
<p>The single most important and universally disliked flaw in the car and they’re going to do what ???</p>
<blockquote>The single most important and universally disliked flaw in the car and they’re going to do what ???
</blockquote>
<p>Don’t worry, you won’t stop seeing people complain. They will just complain about other things. ;)</p>
<p>Not much point to MINI Connect in the US if AT&T is still not allowing tethering on the iphone.</p>
<p>Count me among the disappointed. The radio controls are horrible, and I was hoping that they would be completely redesigned. Subtle changes really aren’t what is needed.</p>
<p>You should be able to get in the car for the first time and figure out how to turn on the radio without consulting the owner’s manual.</p>
<p>I think the shift to black is a good one – it will play down the embedded logo styling of the control banks, and at least make that aspect of the interior more subtle.</p>
<p>The interface on the radio is a reviewer problem. All but the most gadget oriented user will feel this is a problem – and so it will hit them on magazine reviews, and JD Power survey’s. When in reality the control paradigm is simple, and once you understand it you really never think about it again.</p>
<p>I don’t think any of this is a big deal, but perhaps it is a good example of the status quo imposing itself upon Mini design that is so often held out as a tragedy here.</p>
<p>it looks as though the primary change is the lack of the tuning dial closest to the radio controls, which is one of the most confusing aspects to the current set-up, imho.</p>
<p>the other controls and subtle changes are nice and i like the change to black.</p>
<p>evolution as opposed to revolution but as with other cars that change there will be those that like the changes, and those that don’t.</p>
<p>I was one of the early detractors of the new dash/center console but now that I have a Clubby I got used to it.</p>
<p>I still think its too quirky looking, but the functionality, while taking a day or so to figure out is now easy to manage. Plus its good that not everyone can mess with the controls that easily.</p>
<p>Also visually it looks better from the drivers seat … something that manufacturers should do more; photograph interiors from a drivers POV. Who the heck marvels at their car interiors from the rear deck? or as a panorama through the hatch.</p>
<p>The more I hear the happier I am I didn’t wait. I was expecting many substantial change and now that almost all look to be low key and subtle I don’t feel like I missed out by buying before the refresh. I think the new models over the next years will be where any real change is implemented, the existing ones will just keep getting these minor touch ups.</p>
<p>As several of us have repeatedly said, black does wonders for absolving the sins of lower-grade plastics/fabrics/etc. (This is also why anthracite headliner is such a good option to check, on either 1st or 2nd gen MINI…) Very glad the change to matte or gloss black is confirmed and coming soon. Also happy that the black surround to the HVAC controls is getting an improved grade plastic… much needed change there too.</p>
<p>It would have been nice to see some changes to the speedo/integrated radio but that is a very big change to work out with the supplier(s) so not surprised it won’t get revised until the 3rd gen BMW MINI in 2013.</p>
<p>All in all, these changes will finally correct the most glaring inadequacies of the R56 interior. A good start that I hope will be carried forward as a lesson to the interior design of the future 3rd gen car… and here’s hoping BMW never subjects the MINI to such foregrounded cost-cutting again! (And that applies to the exterior design elements too!)</p>
<p>The JD Power survey was about quality, not design and I think people had them mixed up. Sure, the radio controls take a bit of learning to understand but how is that a “quality,” issue? Is that not why your MA spends time answering your questions and showing you around your new MINI?</p>
<p>A true quality issue would be the cold start issue or a reliability issue and not that you don’t like the radio controls and wish the center speedo was not so big. Quality would be that the knob that is supposed to control the volume, “not the one YOU think should control the volume,” does not work.</p>
<p>The quality of the materials in the interior can be mentioned but the plastic is not breaking in peoples hands, they just don’t like the silver and think it looks too much like a TONKA toy.</p>
<p>I think that the Gen 2 interior is GREAT and it offers many options for creativity and customization for the open minded owner.</p>
<p>I wonder if that means they will no longer offer the retro “interior chrome trim” option?</p>
<p>Agree with those who suggest the color change will help the appearance. The biggest obstacle I saw when purchasing my R56 was the kiddie-style wings that make up the climate controls, but if those are in black you’ll hardly notice them. And I’m over it too for the record. Too many other things to love about the car.</p>
<p>(Though I am kinda nutty about interiors…could go on all night about the BMW E90 interior vs. its predecessors but will save that one for Bimmerfile.)</p>
<p>And yeah, the stereo/speedo integration isn’t ideal for many reasons but once you get it, you never really look back. I don’t actually mind the controls at all anymore.</p>
<p>I think BMW and MINI probably pay a lot of attention to this site, so please relocate the radio out of the speedometer and redesign the controls.</p>
<p>And another thing, I would like to know what station/song I am listening to without having to take off my sunglasses. A giant speedometer and dinky radio dial I don’t get it.</p>
<p>Sorry, I feel better now. Thanks</p>
<p>MINI WAKE UP!!! not every one kises the ARSE of APPLE!</p>
<p>We know that BMW owners (Gabe and Todd) are blue tooth headset wearing Steve Jobs suck ups but there are individuals out there who march to an opensource tune.</p>
<p>The Android revolution is HERE!</p>
<p>@ Dean, it was stated by MINI and reported here on MotoringFile that Apple was the most helpful in the development of MINI Connect. Why would MINI not focus on the platform that made the technology possible? Yes, it most likely has something to do with Apple building the software and the hardware, which can not be said for every Android phone out there.</p>
<p>Who needs to wake up now?</p>
<p>Uhm I really cant’ see a thing on that blacked out dash. Probably looks good in person but from the picture all I see is blackness.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We know that BMW owners (Gabe and Todd) are blue tooth headset wearing Steve Jobs suck ups but there are individuals out there who march to an opensource tune.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>1 – I do not wear a bluetooth headset.</p>
<p>2 – I make fun of people who do ruthlessly.</p>
<p>3 – What does open source have to do with the consumer product that telecoms actually sell?</p>
<blockquote>The Android revolution is HERE!</blockquote>
<p>That sentence doesn’t make you look like a huge nerd at all. Really.</p>
<p>Dean is still waiting for his LaserDisk collection to be worth something.</p>
<p>@ Sideways Eh!</p>
<p>Hey now! I LOVED my LaserDisc collection!</p>
<p>I really don’t know much about spring settings and camber angles or anything about phone apps and different ways to connect. But when it comes to the car I know which is vital. All this digital cool stuff can be taken out of the box and put in ANY car and the assembly lines in China and India soon will be. But is MINI (currently) any car? No. On the other hand all this is just a harmless exchange over minutiae and a fun distraction for those with an interest. Never mind.</p>
<p>One thing that is new in the interior shown in the headline photo is the color line surface just below the front lop of the dash top. That is not a color surface in the R56. In fact the dash top surface returns around and under where we see white in this photo. Not sure if this shows the intention to offer colorline options on this surface, but its definitely just black right now.</p>
<p>@lavardera: I would guess that is unique to the concept, but I kinda like it.</p>
<p>I don’t buy the “apple helped integrate”. It’s just a developers kit! Heck, they could just ask RIM and be Blackberry integrated! But I still haven’t heard much about the teathering issue. Not allowed per AT&T terms of use….. That one seems to be a real issue. Verizon allows it but you have to pay extra for it. I think it has more to do with image and demographics than anything else. But I sure hope they work it out with AT&T! More and more bandwidth hogs are not what the AT&T network needs in the US, that’s for sure!</p>
<p>But back to the refresh… Only thing that really grabs me is improved brake cooling.</p>
<p>Matt</p>
<p>Personally, I like the silver buttons and knobs on the dash. It’s already pretty black inside the car as it is and the silver adds interest to the control stack. Not a fan of the switch to black.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I do agree that once you learn your way around the controls, they work just fine.</p>