MotoringFile Exclusive: Various numbers have been bandied about concerning the overall increase in length of the 2007 MINI. However we’ve heard from several sources the same number and now we can confirm that the 2007 MINI will grow just a little over two inches (60mm) with no discernible difference in passenger space. The added length will help the R56 meet the new European pedestrian crash test standards.
Interestingly we’re told that all other dimensions are within 1-2 inches of the current model, and not all are bigger.
Related: MotoringFile R56 Section
What are these “other dimensions”? And if “not all are bigger” did any measurements get smaller?
The 2 biggest complaints of the current R50/53 generation are:
1) lack of rear foot/leg room
2) Lack of cargo space with rear seatbacks in place.
I was under the impression that with the extra 2 inches some of these issues would be lessened to an extent..?
Gabe, aside from the “extra 2 inches” I don’t see any other “official” measuraments.
May be you are jumping the gun a little too fast?
Frank – this post is only about the overall length of the R56. Nothing official has been announced about the full demensions but you can rest assured that this figure are correct. I just figured some of you might want to hear that the car isn’t getting appreciably larger.
and those 2 little inches act, to me, like a transistor tigger that moves the side view from the ‘beatutiful lines’ category to the porker category.
the front, instead of having that great brutally short overhang and huuging the tires, now looks like every other hatch out there.
c’mon, what’s with that upright rear lower hatch and the bulge to the window? it looks exactly like a roll of fat. the current car has a smoooth elegant line that follows the window down. some marketing weeniw saying ‘we have 20 more cubic inches of parcel space. the bozos don’t care about good lines.’
****and the sad part is, they’re probably right. if i get one of these, i’ll modify the front back to a short overhang and make a carbon rear hatch that matches the current deisgn.
I just don’t get all the complaints about rear legroom. You bought a 2-door hatchback, what do you expect? If anything I was impressed that when I and my passengers have been in the back they weren’t cramped. But that is with a driver under 6′ tall.
You know, there’s one good thing coming out of all of this – if those two inches are just to meet pedestrian standards, there’s a very good chance that the engine bay will remain basically the same – perhaps it may be possible to just ‘drop’ in the turbo engine into a R53 in the future?
Oooh, the possibilities……………
flyboy2160 and Matthew you guys are right on. How can people complain about rear legroom and luggage space when they bought a MINI. I actually wish the MINI was a little smaller in every dimension than it is currently to help keep part of its uniqueness. Two inches IS significant for this car and it does ruin the beautiful proportions that the current car has with short overhangs.
Wow such sparky debate!
Seems less than it looked to me, front overhang wise, but I’m taking a WAS attitude.
Gotta agree with the comments about the size of the car.I know Gabe’s tall, 6′ nosebleed somthing, and I have a friend who drives my car who is 6’4″ with no complaints. seems there are other cars you could buy. I personally know of families in Europe that raised a family of 4 and drove a Mini as their only car.
wow – from that profile shot above, the new MINI looks frighteningly similar to my old ’83 Honda Civic – just make the roof a tad less flat, and slope a little bit on the front and back, and it’s a dead-ringer from the side. yikes.
sample photo: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/qxfjp" rel="nofollow"></a>
whoops, forgot to close something…
wow – from that profile shot above, the new MINI looks frighteningly similar to my old ’83 Honda Civic – just make the roof a tad less flat, and slope a little bit on the front and back, and it’s a dead-ringer from the side. yikes.
sample photo: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/qxfjp" rel="nofollow">honda civic</a>
whoops, let’s try that photo link again…
<a href="http://tinyurl.com/qxfjp" rel="nofollow">honda civic photo</a>
I’m probably being my normal obtuse self, but I don’t see much similarity between the new MINI and the ’83 Civic.
I personally have no complaints about rear seat passenger room. My 6″2′ 225 pound father in law travels very comfortably back there. No quibbles with cargo space either.
I am just throwing out there what other people say…
Gabe, no problem at all. I just was expecting to see more detailed measuraments, that is all.
I never had any complaints about rear leg room in my 02 MCS but its a joke that there are rear seats in the convertible, anyone bigger than 4 feet has to sit sideways. Even then I’ve never had anyone willing to travel with me in the back more than once.
I took my wife and a couple of friends to dinner this past weekend in my 05 MCS. I am over 6 feet tall, and we all fit in the car with no complaints. In fact, the only comment from the back seat was “It feels like we’re in a formula one car!” as I went through the gears. Music to my ears.
Next we’ll be hearing complaints of not
enough Big Gulp holders…….
2 inches ruins the car? Porky? People. The car is still a tiny little car, and maybe we should wait until we actually see it in the flesh to make these huge pronouncements.
If an extra two inches is going to make a huge diffrence in your life, well, um, that’s just plain sad.
<em>If an extra two inches is going to make a huge diffrence in your life…</em>
Pfizer, Icos, and GlaxoSmithKline make billions off men who say otherwise.
What I really like to see in a New MINI Mk II is a larger fueltank! 50 liters aren’t enough at all. I hope they put in a 60 liter tank for the MCS…
Timothy… Funny!