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Originally Posted by niky
Why are we talking about boutique sports cars in a thread about high mpg cars, again?
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Because it refutes the claim that auto manufacturers can't profitably build and sell niche cars. As a matter of fact, when you get right down to it, ALL cars are niche cars.
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The MINI, again, is the closest, but it sells more on coolness than practicality.
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Migawd, he's FINALLY managed to get the effing POINT! Cars don't sell on practicality, they sell on (perceived) coolness. That's just as true (if not more so) for the giant SUVs as for the Mini. They aren't at all practical for the vast majority of people that drive them, but they're purchased not just because some people think big is cool (or will make them cool by compensating for their inadequacies), but because the automakers have spent vast amounts of money on advertising to persuade people that they're cool.
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Having driven the entire MINI line-up... I can say that the Clubman is the one MINI that actually makes sense from a practical point of view. The Cooper is tiny. The back seat is pathetic and cargo space is small compared to many old school subcompacts and non-existent compared to the compacts it's priced against.
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But what's practical for you may not be so for me. I've no use at all for a back seat, and seldom carry more than a couple of dogs and a backpack.
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...the chassis rigidity of this Austrian-made car is disappointing, especially in white.... which just happened to be the color I drove.
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You think the paint is a structural element?