Driving a Legend – The Mini Cooper

The Suez Canal in Egypt has for centuries been an area of keen interest to Europe, with the British and French at the forefront.

From buying to invading to negotiating, they relentlessly sought it as it provided an important economic sea route for Europe, especially after the development of the Persian Gulf oil fields early in the 20th century.

In 1956, GA Nasser, the then-president of Egypt, ordered the nationalisation of Suez Canal enterprise, creating a shock in the European economy and an oil shortage in the UK leading to rationing.

Indeed necessity is the mother of invention. This crisis led the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in a joint venture with Morris Motors to recruit Sir Alec Issigonis, a talented engineer and designer to build a small, fuel efficient car capable of carrying four adults, and he was equal to the task.

Thinking out of the box, Issigonis designed a small car with maximised space, spread out wheels and had the engines fixed transversely with a front wheel drive. It was a state-of-the-art car with incredibly compact dimensions – the world had never seen anything quite like it.

The Mini enjoyed years of success all the while undergoing changes including name, body style and design. Despite all this, its basic character and layout were maintained as it revolutionised motoring, transcending time, class, creed or culture – from farmers, musicians, rally racers and royalty, the Mini was the car for everyone, not forgetting the famous Mr Bean.

The Mini was crowned the car of the century in 1999 by 130 international auto journalists. In other auto forums, it fell only second to the Ford model T’s influence and is certainly Britain’s best-selling car ever with 5,3 million sales from 1961 until 2000.

In 1997, under the ownership of BMW group, the current Mini generation was presented. Just like its predecessor, it has been undergoing continuous improvements and developments, keeping it competitive at every stage in its life cycle while its basic character and design remains the same with minute cosmetic changes.

The current range of Mini includes: The Hardtop, Hatch, Convertible (three-door hatchback), Clubman (estate), Countryman (five-door cross-over), Coupe/Roadster, Paceman (three-door cross-over based on the Countryman). The performance version is the Mini Cooper S due to a partnership with the racing legend John Cooper. The Mini Hatch/Hardtop, Clubman, Coupe and Roadster are assembled at BMW’s plant in Cowley, England, while the Countryman and Convertible are assembled in Born, Netherlands.

On the interior, it’s spacious and ergonomic with enough head and legroom despite its legendary compact proportions. Its retro style dash and dials are so refreshingly bold, it took me back to old gas pump dials, old fridges and other metering I used to see in workshops as a small boy. I find this interior to evoke passion and excitement.

The most interesting time came when I started the engine. The whole BMW affair came to life; all of a sudden a 3 Series BMW bubbles to life. I could feel BMW materials and even the smell is of a BMW interior, it just put a smile on my face. The Mini sounds like, handles like, feels like and runs like a BMW.

Our test car is powered by a 1 397 cc engine with an output of 55kw translating into 74 hp and a 120 Nm displacement. When the rubber meets the road, it accelerates from 0 to 100 in a decent 10 seconds.

From inception, Mini has always been about quality ride and handling. Its low sitting body, spread out wheels and weight distribution give it sports car-like handling, it has unquestionable stability, grip and road-holding ability.

It’s quite obvious that lower and smaller cars aren’t the safest. In spite of this, the Mini has a good safety rating – it comes with a host of safety features such as brake assist, driver, passenger, rear and side airbags and electronic stability control (ESC), to name a few. It has a four-star rating under the NHTSA.

The Mini is a BMW in disguise with premium quality build and is way better than its rivals. Certainly a first choice small car and as good as its legend, if not better.