That Split Union Jack idea is kinda like the Brexit idea to me …all fucked up and makes no sense. On the other hand I’m from the US so I can’t really say much about other places being weird. However, those turn signals…Those are weird!
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This really highlights how design and signalling choices become very difficult and the “obvious” choices don’t always turn out to be the best ones. There is a recent radio program discussion with a roundabout advocate traffic engineer breaking down various stats for traffic circles - one (unexpected) takeaway was that the uncommonly uniform and highly predictable traffic designs in a North America (versus most areas where street layouts developed pre-automobile), has us trained not to actively engage our brains in the way that roundabouts require. Relatedly - induced demand; more lanes creating more traffic; lowering of friction leading to higher velocity and more serious accidents etc.
This just seems like huge obvious risk of perceptual misdirection - a total cognetics failure unless the goal is to get everyone else in traffic to freeze in uncertainty while the Mini makes its move. (maybe this is some of creative defense mechanism, kind of like those fake eyes on butterflies)
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Read through a bit - and couldn’t find anyone calling out the biggest problem… pulling out of parallel parking when the signal on the curbside isn’t visible at all. I’m running outside right now to see what my signals look like.
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Annnd I’m back - they’re just circles. No weird arrow nonsense. I was worried for a sec, I hate this kind of crap.
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I mean. I wouldn’t buy one. I would buy a BMW sooner.
I had an '05 Mini (not by choice), and take it from me, this is only one of a hundred things that are counterintuitive about those cars.
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Nah, they are just “quirky”. /s
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I suppose if one were trying to be pedantic, it’s only the union jack when being flown on a ship. So if this mini ever finds itself impaled on a ships mast I guess then it can truly be called a union jack.
Such pedantic diversions are unnecessary though. The “Union Jack only while on a ship” rule was never a rule.
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Either way…
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We’ve one (BMW), it’s a hard top covetable.
We love it’s very soul.
Oh, if anyone has made up their minds about me, I DO signal.
Besides, it’s Benzes that don’t
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They only make sense to our flag shaggers.
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I agree with all of the above, but just for the record I have a GM with the V6 LFX engine for which they say oil consumption of 1Qt. per 2000 miles is normal, brand new. I find it disturbing.
ETA: That consumption figure is not in the owner’s manual and oil change intervals as determined by the ECU are 8000 to 12000 miles. A lot of people not in the habit of checking regularly between changes (and who really is on modern vehicles?) destroy these things when the timing chain jumps due to lack of pressure in the hydraulic tensioner.
(Sorry this turned pretty OT)
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Just because the US doesn’t mandate a separate amber turn signal doesn’t mean the g*****ned car companies have to remove it for the US market! Just because our government has its collective heads up its asses doesn’t mean the car companies have to too!
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Possibly, but only if they also drove upside down.
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I wonder if they’re sufficiently symmetrical that you could remove them, invert, then install on the opposite sides. Then they’d make perfect sense.
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Absolutely, as you could see in this video, where an old model is upgraded with the new light, in a UK model the turn signal are perfectly clear on what is the direction.
IN USA amber turn signals are street-legal? If so the problem could be easily solved by BMW mountin UK rear lights and also have less parts to have in inventory.
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What happens when a US/German design team try to “highlight…British heritage”?
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Yes, mandatory on the front, optional on rear.
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To outpedant you for a second, as I said above, this isn’t a flag, it’s neither being flown on a ship nor on land. It’s a depiction of a flag and it is theoretically possible that they are indeed depicting a naval flag.
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I would never have guessed those were supposed to present a Union Jack. They look like random squiggles.
