Next-gen Mini Cooper SE caught undisguised

Overall it looks ok, but it definitely looks like a much cheaper car. No more clamshell hood, no wheel arch trim, black belt line, body color door handles, no side scuttle, etc. Lots of cost savings that I'm sure will be passed on to the consumer

 

Looks pretty good. I’m glad they ditched the plastic fender trim. Pain to live with

that looks like a pre production EU spec car

 

Still FWD?

 

Agreed. When/why did MINI first start using such cladding, anyway?

Other initial thoughts/reactions:

1. That windshield is clearly much more steeply raked.

2. I read somewhere that it will be available in at least three different blues. Blue is the new primer gray?

3. Where is the charging port?

 

You can see it in picture 8/10 at the link (last photo @Domenick included), it's passenger rear like the current SE.

No hood scoop or power bump in the hood, although there is some texturing on the edges. And it looks like the headlights protrude into the hood line, so it could be a modified clamshell hood with like a third-circle cutout for the headlights.

I wonder if the door handles and lack of side scuttles is what makes it seem plain.

 

They were a throwback to the original “over fenders” on the Mini Cooper classic. The appeared on the R50. I never liked them. They are annoying to maintain and look like **** if you don’t. I get the feeling this car is going to be very refined. Yes the EV tech is Ora funky cat but the rest including the suspension is BMW

 

I really like it. The door handles look great, no chrome, no hood scoop, and no more plastic over fenders. I like the revised windshield which should be quieter and less drag. A subtle change is the rear backup lights. It isn't next to the license plate and instead, it is in the middle of the bumper cover. The rear fog lights look better too.

I also think it is a Euro spec car. It doesn't have the orange and red side markers and we don't get the rear tint option here.

 

I can see additional BMW elements with additional crease line on the rear fenders and door handles. Sad to see the mammary gland shaped mirror caps disappear, that was the breast part!

 

I will reserve comment on the new Cooper, but OK, that Cayenne rig is pretty effing cool.

 

Old enough to remember everyone up in arms over the horrible styling of the F56 when its first un-camo'd spy shots came out.

The only thing I'm concerned about is that it looks like you can't adjust the headrest on those seats.

 

I think I’m going to say I’m not a big fan overall. It looks much more generic now, and I agree that it looks cheaper. I’m OK with removing the cladding that was made to look like fender flares or arch extensions, but not a fan of the scallops in the doors. Also not in like with the tiny hatch window, or the gaping maw on the front. I suppose I could bemoan the change from the clamshell bonnet, but there are so many other things about it that I’m not fond of right now that that’s the least of them.

I think my takeaway is that if the interior becomes as unadorned as the exterior, I probably won’t be buying it.

 

Oh, and I’m one of the few that thought the F56 was a huge improvement over the R56, notwithstanding the point-by-point criticisms of the design choices applied to third generation model.

 

I think I'll go outside in the cold/snow here and hug my car.. lol. Looks ok front/side... rear looks pretty rough to me.... Oh well.. I'm sure some people will dig it. Good find on the photos Domenick.

 

The overall sleeker profile just makes it not pass off as a MINI. I despise fender badging in a lot of cases, but I will say the lack of side scuttles really makes the side profile very plain. Also keeping the round headlights, but having the tail lights as a more trapezoidal shape really throws off the theme.

Best critique/pun yet

 

For reference you can go to about 5:25 of the video (earlier parts were about the Budweiser beer can exhaust).

 

I just don’t like the front end, which is a dead ringer for a first-gen Tesla Model S (but with big, oval headlamps)… which has looked pretty passé for a few years, now.

 

I like it. The lack of scuttle and arches is a bit shocking, but the proportions and lack of overhangs looks great. The triangle lights are a nice risk to modernize the look a bit.

The door crease looks like it's there to break up the height, it's going to be pancake battery right? We lose our low seat height?

Edit: looks like a decent amount of tire width too, glad to not see pizza cutters.

 

Does the fact MINI has this in LA for a publicity shoot indicate any hope of it being sold in North America?

 

I'm going to be a curmudgeon. I think it looks horrible.