When a buyer is lured to a specific model line, the relevant marketing department will do their utmost to sell the most powerful, fully specced version to the customer. The bottle of sparkling wine and bow on the car will grow bigger as the price increases, as well as the salesperson’s commission. Dare you say that you are interested in the base model, then their smile would fade and you start feeling like a second-rate citizen. With the Mini One the opposite is true – continue reading to see why...

As with many retro vehicles, the resemblance to the original humble mode of transport is a distant memory. The once people’s car is now a fashion statement reserved for the wealthy or yuppies with a good credit rating. The Mini One breaks the mould though, being the cheapest of the Mini range it’s already lost all its pretentiousness. This does not mean the vehicle is short on features as air-con, power steering, ABS and traction control are standard equipment.

Walking up to the Mini One it appears as chic as the other siblings but a trained eye will spot the neat hub caps on the high-profile tyres as well as the lack of a two-tone paint job. Inside, the interior is as funky as you would expect and the pleasant cloth seats make this by no means feel like an inferior product. From the driver’s seat the spaciousness is a surprise (as with all Minis) with the square design providing plenty of headroom – even for the tallest drivers.

Pressing the start button after inserting the UFO-shaped key sparks the 1,6-litre engine into life with a rorty exhaust note. This was unexpected as the base model “only” carries a 72 kW power rating. Driving the Mini in town puts a smile on one’s face as this is a fun car. The quick steering, nimble handling and zippy performance is more than capable of tackling the urban jungle on a daily basis. Parking woes disappear as the Mini will hide in the smallest of spaces. Open-road cruising is much better than anticipated with the high-profile tyres providing a comfortable ride.

Is this the perfect city car? Well, almost, but there are a few negative points: the gear change is notchy and the gearing a bit tall for city use (although it helps reducing fuel consumption). Second gear will take the car past 110 km/h with four more ratios to come... A small hesitation when flooring the accelerator pedal lessens the ultra responsiveness of the package.

Practicality is not one of the strong points of the Mini as rear seats and boot space are more token gestures. Saying that, how many people commute with four people and luggage on a regular basis? This is a car that you buy with your heart and not with your mind. Life is too short to always choose the ordinary and regret it afterwards.

Driving the Mini reminded me of the words of Chris Chameleon when asked why he called his band Boo! The name was chosen to depict the audience’s desire to experience quality music when they boo-ed a bad performance from another band. Essentially, the audience would subconsciously call for the band Boo! to replace the disaster on stage when voicing their opinion in the appropriate way. The same goes for other manufacturers calling their small vehicles “superminis”. What they are actually saying is they wished their vehicle was as good as the Mini! If you ever yearned to own a Mini, look no further than the One!
Specifications:

Price: R198 000
Engine: 1,6-litre in-line four cylinder
Power: 72 kW at 6 000 r/min
Torque: 153 Nm at 3 000 r/min
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 10,5 secs
Fuel consumtion: 5,4 litres/100 km combined EU cycle

 

Original article from Car