We drove the new Mini in its home town: Oxford
The original Mini was launched way back in 1959 and it changed the very way people perceived cars.
It has many firsts to its credit such as its transverse engine that liberated a lot of room inside the cabin. The transverse engine has become the norm among all the small cars manufactured round the world. This engineering marvel was designed by Alec Issigonis more than half-a-century ago.
Normally, when you refer to iconic cars, they are big, high-performance ones like the E-type Jaguar, Ferrari Dino or Bugatti Veyron. However, the little Mini is also a real icon, inspiring people to make a film like ‘The Italian Job’ based around the car.
The new Mini has made its début in India and we got an opportunity to drive one in Oxford, which, besides being renowned for the university, is also the home town of the Mini.
The big headlamps give the Mini a distinctive bug-like look from the front and the rear LED tail-lights with chrome edging towards the rear end give it a distinctive look.
The quality of the interior is top class and, what’s more, you can customise the interior according to your liking – there are more than a dozen different options to choose from. As they say, no two Minis are the same. However, the centre-mounted speedo requires some time to get used to it.
The new Mini’s front suspension consists of a single-joint spring-strut front axle and the rear of a multiple-control-arm axle with a wide track. This suspension set-up with a low centre of gravity gives this car the characteristic feel of sharp handling and agility for which all Minis are known for over half-a-century.
Our drive around Cowley was on narrow winding country roads where one could exploit the little car’s handling capability. One can throw the car round corners with a lot of confidence. As a matter of fact, I had it completely air-borne over a small bridge and the car did not lose its composure when it landed on the tarmac again. Normally small cars tend to get nervous at high speed, but the little Mini was rock-steady at speeds in excess of 160 km/h. To achieve its razor-sharp handling, the suspension set-up is on the stiff side and that takes its toll on the ride quality. The car is equipped with DSC (dynamic stability control), DTC (dynamic traction control) and EDLC (electronic differential lock control) for your safety in case you get carried away and overcook some corners or the road surface changes and becomes slippery all of a sudden.
The Mini’s 1,600-cc engine develops 124 PS at 6,000 revolutions per minute and a healthy 160 Nm of torque at 4,250 RPM. It is mated to a six-speed auto box delivering seamless power to the ground via the front wheels. The wide spread of power and torque curve along with the quick shifting auto box go a long way in making this car fun to drive. If you enjoy driving, then this car is the one to go for.
Normally small cars tend to get nervous at high speed, but the little Mini was rock-steady at speeds in excess of 160 km/h
Story: Aspi Bhathena
