The germans have done it again (BMW Mini One)

Member Name: cabletow

Product:	BMW Mini One
Date:	11/12/01 (1619 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: style , Chintz

Disadvantages: The price is too high

BMW have done it. They have taken the old rover mini and made it better. The Germans have had a knack of doing this over the years and they have done it again.


To do this they had a job. They had to keep the foibles and quirks that made the old mini so lovable. They had to inject modern styling and performance with the handling to match. They had to make it safe on today's roads and frugal enough to pass tomorrow's emission tests. They had to do all this at an affordable price. They achieved all this except the last point, I will elaborate about this later.

I have owned one for a month now and feel I can write about the new mini.


The modern styling is sleek, aggressive yet cute. As you can see from the picture it has presence in today?s car mags yet all the old styling cues, the foibles, are there. The windscreen, the pillars, the headlights are all obvious developments of your mother's first car. Powered by a choice of engines mine is the 1600i 0-60 in 9 secs and top speed of 116mph, hey this is no 850cc Morris mini. The performance figures are a little meaningless though because the lightweight and the direct, almost bus like steering and the front wheel drive with great torque give this car snappy acceleration and like its ancestor that is what mini driving is all about.

Handling too is crisp. A little choppy at times on uneven county lanes but that is to be expected as a result of its short wheelbase. On longer runs it is smooth and quiet. A vast improvement on the old mini. One foible that was a real feature of the old mini was the terrible wind noise and road noise at any speed. The germans have made the new mini quiet and sophisticated compared to it's older brother and I for one will not mourn the passing of those particular discomforts.

Safety is paramount. Airbags, side protection and cup holders are all included in the most basic specifications. The mini rates highly in both safety
and security. Again, a vast improvement on its elder cousin.

Emissions are well within any foreseeable limits of the future with catalytic converters and filters, so the sight of black plumes will not adorn your rear view mirrors and it has highway figures of 45 mpg. I am aware that official figures bear little relation to actual figures, but on a run I get 47 mpg and I am happy.

One foible the germans have not altered is the boot. It is still too small, taking only two largish holdalls, so if there are three of you one bag has to go in the back seat. Overall comfort is acceptable for four adults in a modern way and the driving position is spot on for me at six foot.

£16,000 is the damage. This is the only aspect that BMW have failed. Cheap and cheerful it isn't. The old mini was many persons first car, second hand ones that were reasonable runners could be picked up for £100 or so. Don't expect this far more sophisticated incarnation to be affordable for many years to come.

In summary, this is a sophisticated car with all the styling cues of its elderly iconic parent car. It has grace and poise, cheeky charm and handling to set your life alight. It has got rid of all it?s poor points and will be a winner.

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