Thank you, and like I said before, I'm not trying to bash anyone or Scions, but I just find it funny when people talk about "beating MINI at their own game." There never was a "game". It's about making a profit and continuing an automotive legend. You notice BMW didn't make a new "Isetta".

 

i like it !

 

worst comes to worst, smart is coming over in the next year or 2, at just 8ft long (compared to mini's 12) its by far the shortest , smallest car sold in america. not anywhere near the performance of the cooper s....but it has size / style / and a euro-inspired cult-like following elements.

 

Yeah, Smart always kills me with how small their cars are. Not to mention 3 lug nuts holding the wheels on.

 

I think you guys are reading into this a bit too much. . .

I'm not bashing Mini nor am I downplaying it's heritage in anyway.

No, 108hp out of a 1.5L is NOT impressive in any way, nor is it supposed to be. Mini could be considered a performance benchmark of the industry for small cars. It's similar to BMW and the 3 series. Nobody hates it. . . in fact, everyone in the industry shoots to "beat it at it's own game" for a good reason. . . because it is a good product. The fact that everyone wants to reproduce it is a compliment!

Some of us (why many of us are Toyota/Scion owners) chose not to purchase a Mini for several different reasons. Total cost of ownership, value, reliability, etc. The whole point of this thread was that Toyota could produce a product that would be highly competitive with a Mini, it definitely has the resources, it has the proper chassis applications, and the right engines.

This was more of a "wouldn't it be nice" thread. Obviously Toyota COULD build a Mini competitor (and with its resources, give them away for free, although they would never do that). The question to ask isn't whether or not they could build it, but rather why they don't. Scions are already a similar package. Just a few more tweaks, a stiffer chassis, and a better motor would create an extremely competitive package.

 

Blinded by Toyota.

 

I chose a MINI due to the fact I have owned 5 of the classics in my lifetime. I understand most people don't want to pay the retail price for a MINI. In reality, it's the demand that makes them so high. The MINI is not a car for everyone. I have to drive 200 miles to the closest dealer. BMW knew what they were doing. They didn't just want anybody driving their MINI. They want people who are willing to drive distances to the dealers. I agree, Toyota could build a car that could kill the MINI. Unfortunately, we do not need another Dodge Viper versus Chevy Corvette complex in the automotive world. Every year, these 2 companies just keep adding HP to their cars trying to outdo each other. Like I said in a previous post, BMW is not going to go overkill with the power, no matter who steps in and tries to out do them. And, quite honestly, Toyota isn't either. I noticed they are still using a 1.5liter engine. I'm sure they could have stuffed a 1.8 liter from a Celica GT in them. Right now, I think Scion should stop worrying about MINI, seems like you guys are going to have your hands full with the Fit, Versa, and SX4. But seriously, rI don't even think of the Scion XA as being a MINI wanna be. It's the Yaris that, at least by looks, is trying to be like the Cooper. Even down to the center mounted speedo with the hump molded above it in the dash. One more thing I find funny, is that most of the Scion XA and XBs I see running around town now, have old people driving them. The TCs have all the young drivers. I think once Toyota dropped the TC on the masses, the younger crowd went for the more performance oriented car.

 

I wouldn't necessarily say that. I think all of us "fan boys" are blinded by the auto company we represent.