The first tests are out, now and many journalists are having to, very grudgingly, conclude that it isn't, in fact, too good to drive.

This will, surely, come as a huge disappointment to a heck of a lot of people, no?

a bandwagon i failed to jump on.....the panda, on which its largely based, is a better, more honest, more relevant small car.....the 500 is paying more for less when compared to panda....i like it....its not a huge lard ass like the mini, its proprtions are spot on...but its hardly ground breaking stuff is it....tried and tested formula of taking tried and tested mechanicals and putting a nice hat on them....and charging more to the punters for the priveledge....to be honest, most of the tests iv read have said that the cars are an absolute hoot to drive and feel fantastic.....and they are significantly cheaper than their main rival in the 'style' stakes, the maxi-mini....

i parked my cinq next to a 500 the other day.....and the 500 looked massive!!

I have two tests here and the Mini beats the 500 in both!

I don't know if you ever saw a picture, but my Fiat 500 from 1969, looked tiny, next to the new Mini!

I have just thought...do you FIT in a Cinquecento, or do you take a can opener with you?
!

cinquecento is positively huge inside....and yup, iv read two tests where the mini beats the 500...but the mini is significantly more expensive than the fiat.....i think the fiat is a better design, better packaged and better looking, but, as ever, am fully aware that others may have a differing view....wait for the new vw up or the likes to see where the true future of small cars lies..

They reckon the 500 is too expensive!

again, id agree..if you view it as a supermini, its too expensive...yet, look at the fantastic mits i for an overpriced carin this sector...!!!...against aygo/c1 etc..it is overpriced and contrived...yet, in the real market where it will compete, and the market a cynic migh suggest fiat are cashing in on...the car as fashion accessorie, the market where the real money comes from the fripperies available in the options list..the market currently filled by the mini and recently vacated by the beetle, the 500 is conspicuously cheap....

The Mini has very ordinary spec and yet, they pile them high and sell them, erm, expensive!

Do you honestly put it down to millions of Mini owners all being daft and easily-led, or could the Mini just, just, be a very good car?

I tend to suspect the latter.

im not suggestin they are daft, not for one minute, its just that i suspect that many, many, even the quick ones, are sold on style rather than abilbity....something that industry insiders would agree if you read the industry sections of the motoring press...why do you think the mini has the contrived styling it does???....its a style icon, like the tt, and none the worse for it....what im suggestin, and what iv said for years, is that enthusiasts who AVOID the mini because of its stlyle/image are missing out....

Saw one of these this morning, red one with racing stripes Looks pretty neat, tiny little thing, and the driver looked quite happy when parked at the lights.

Mini or 500?

the fact he said 'tiny little thing' would suggest 500???....the mini dwarves most cars at the lights haha

My Mini was tiny next to most cars in this village!

Yeah I meant 500, and it did look much smaller than the Minis I saw.

The 500 would look huge next to my old Peel P50!

quote:

Originally posted by Bamford:
My Mini was tiny next to most cars in this village!

do you live in the land of the giants...

No, the immediate cars from here are my Jag, a 760i, a Monaro 5.7 and a 535d touring.

well no wonder the mini looked small..put it next to a 'supermini' or other hatch and its positively huuuge..

quote:

Originally posted by Bamford:
The Mini has very ordinary spec and yet, they pile them high and sell them, erm, expensive!

Do you honestly put it down to millions of Mini owners all being daft and easily-led, or could the Mini just, just, be a very good car?

I tend to suspect the latter.

One of my work collegues has a fully specced mini but i was still astounded to find out ha has paid £24K for it. That's alot of money for a fashion statement. I think there are plenty of really good cars in that price range, Golf G TI anyone?

Some people have paid an astonishing £30K for a Mini convertible!

quote:

Originally posted by Bamford:
My Mini was tiny next to most cars in this village!

The only gay in the village!

I'd have liked to have had a go in a remapped Arbarth turbo 500. Could have been a chuckle.

The GP was fairly un-gay!

Here in Greece Fiat 500 is significantly more affordable than the Mini One...
Fiat 500 1.4 Sport or Lounge costs £10800(14500Euro)
Mini One costs almost £13900 here without the equipment of Fiat 500,not to mention Mini Cooper which is priced for more than £16000...
Albeit these prices Mini sells significantly here...Greeks spend much of their money to posh cars

Minis are popular the world over!