+1. How many incarnations of the Mini are there now? That beefed up one (Pac Man) looks hideous IMO. A useless one sided suicide door one (pointless in the UK) There's others but I really can't be arsed to think of them all now

 

And the name, 'Mini', is a bit misleading these days.

 

Checked the Mini site; Mini Limited Editions from, get this, £28,795 A base SE Golf VII starts at £19,200, that's a massive 9 and a half K difference ffs The new Octy vRS only starts at £22,990.

 

Are there people so window-licking mental that they'd actually pay that sort of money for a chuffing MINI

 

http://www.mini.co.uk/model-range/

 

that £28,795 is for a JCW GP which isn't just some pretty'd up version. put them in front of some corners and a new vRS wouldn't know which way the MINI had gone

 

Checked the Mini site; Mini Limited Editions from, get this, £28,795 A base SE Golf VII starts at £19,200, that's a massive 9 and a half K difference ffs The new Octy vRS only starts at £22,990.

 

 

A base MINI is sub £12k though. You're not comparing like for like within the spec range.

 

There were some camouflaged minis near Aylesbury a few weeks ago that could be mules?

Had boxed rear but definitely different front from current minis.

Guess that's one of their test areas?

 

They don't make it into AY too often (if ever), but they're always plying the A418 from Oxford to Thame/Aylesbury. Can't say I've seen any recently though with a front that looks low enough to be anything like the AE ones.

 

Factory is in oxford isnt it? Not too far away so could be so

 

It is. Used to see a lot when I was at uni in the area. They also seem to drive them in convoys of 3 or more.

 

 

I don't get all the hate for the MINI. I don't like some of the versions, but they've done incredibly well for themselves and employ a large amount of British people to make the cars (if that matters to you). The products are mostly decent too. My sister has a MINI One and it's pretty good. Not a big car granted, but I 6'3" can fit infront/behind another 6' person without issue, something the FIAT 500 a friend has struggles to do. It handles better than anything I've owned except for my RX-8, and that's on tiny 15 inch rims with massive sidewalls. Quite nice place to be too - my only complaints are my feet keep getting stuck on a bar under the dash board and the steering wheel is too large in diameter and the washers come through the sun roof if you're stationary (suspect they need reaiming).