We’ve made it clear in the past that some of MINI’s product line-up doesn’t make sense. (Video at the end)
But there are a few things that MINI has done well, like design and branding. An aspect that they’ve paid close attention to is interior design. A lot of the parts are pretty unique and well thought-out.
Things like:
Toggle switches for interior lighting
and the same for more important controls
A microphone insert with the symbol for a microphone cut out
Vanity mirrors and a key fob that are true to the MINI design language
There’s also a lot of buttons that have that ‘curvy’ MINI-ness to them. There’s nothing spectacular about the way they’re built, but they’re certainly interesting to look at.
And just check out the dials and instrument cluster. They’re not quite at the level where they can offer a circular display, instead, you still get analogue dials and cheap plastic cutouts to make the display seem circular.
Check out that fuel gauge on the right hand side. Each orange line indicates the level.
At least they went out of their way to make sure the graphics worked towards achieving this effect. The thickness of the bezels is difficult to ignore. A truly modern display that fills the entirety of that circle would have been gorgeous and expensive looking. Perhaps in the next generation of MINIs.
And the design work doesn’t end at the obvious. Open up the glove box or centre console and you find this patterned surface.
Little accents down in the door cards add a little flair too.
So, yes, MINI does go a little further than other cars in making their cars look exciting. But we’re still not convinced that the asking price is fair.
