Newswheel @ the Paris show: Mondeo the Third, BMW 3 Series gets personal and meeting the new Mini
Newswheel staff :: 02 October 2006 :: Filed under Coupe, Estate/Wagon, Hatchback, Saloon, SUV, BMW, BMW 3 Series, Ford, Ford Mondeo, Mini, Europe & UK, Trade shows, US
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More pictures than you can possibly imagine
How well does Ford’s Kinetic Design hang together on the new Mondeo? Is BMW’s 3 Series coupe individual enough? And how the hell do you identify the latest BMW Mini? Answers to these questions and more within…
Ford Mondeo Preview concept
Argue the pros and cons of Ford’s Kinetic Design if you must. But you’re not allowed to dispute the following factoid. The new Mondeo is going to be awfully hungry for wheel-diameter inches. The thinly disguised production Mondeo on show in Paris rolls on 20-inch rims. But even these massive chrome plates only just fill out the latest Mondeo’s massive arches. Still, the good news is that these 20-inchers will at least be available as an option on the real production deal.
(Click and ye shall receive some seriously substantial snaps)
Ford IosisX
Ford also debuted the IosisX concept. As the name suggests, take last year’s Iosis four-door coupe concept, jack it up, add a little off-road cladding and a few chunks of mud-plugging rubber and you have the IosisX. Ho hum.
BMW 3 Series Coupe Individual
BMW’s elegant E92-vintage 3 Series coupe is already maturing into a minor classic. However, the fleet of two-door 3ers on BMW’s Paris stand confirms that body colour and wheel choice, as well as ride height and stance, make all the difference. In darker colours and running standard suspension, well, the E92 is no head turner. In fact, it’s rather anonymous and distinctly tippy-toed. However, the off-white example showcasing BMW’s Individual options and replete with 19-inch rolling stock is much more dramatic. In general, we suspect paler colours, sport suspension and generous rimmage will be the way forward for automotive aesthetes with an eye on the new coupe. It was ever thus.
BMW New Mini II
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Terribly trite though it is to mention it, BMW’s second generation New Mini is painfully similar to the outgoing model. But the longer you look at it, the more obvious the differences become. For starters, it’s simply a more polished production car with panel gaps a micron or two tighter. However, the common theme throughout is a subtle exaggeration of all aspects of the new Mini’s design, from the swollen wing mirrors and tapering, wrap-around glass house to the ever chunkier modern take on the Minilite alloy wheel and the even more cartoonish faux-retro front light units. Yup, it’s derivative. Hell, it’s even a little cynical. But given the roaring success of the first BMW New Mini, this sort of conservative second-gen update was always on the cards.
Still, arguably the latest Mini’s most impressive upgrade is the new interior. It’s much more mature, if a little less distinctive, boasts improved materials and, superficially at least, is significantly better screwed together.
