The coming of the electric car age is going to make us all re-evaluate our motoring lives and what we expect from them, much in the same way as the diminutive Mini drove a change in our lives over 60 years ago. So it seems reasonable that the MINI Electric might just do what its petrol forebears did and change our views towards electric cars of today. While some brands are locked in stretching … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: MINI John Cooper Works GP3
Following the success of the two previous MINI GP models introduced in 2006 and 2013, the new limited edition MINI John Cooper Works GP3, is the most powerful and fastest production MINI ever sold, writes David Miles. Just 3,000 of these models will be built at MINI Plant Oxford for global sales with 575 of them available to UK customers. They are priced from £35,345 on-the-road … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: MINI Electric Cooper S Level 2
The original Mini designed by Sir Alec Issigonis came about because of the Suez crisis and the subsequent petrol rationing creating a demand for affordable motoring, David Miles reminds us. In an answer to that call the first petrol powered Mini rolled off the production line in Oxford in 1959 and so the global success story of Mini started. Today with a world facing new social and economic … [Read more...]
Mid-week motoring: MINI at 60
Last week MINI celebrated production of the 10-millionth Mini and MINI built under British and BMW ownership periods, writes David Miles. The landmark car was a MINI 60 Years Anniversary Edition just like the one I have been test driving. To celebrate the 60th anniversary MINI brought together at Plant Oxford one car from each year of production - 60 cars from 60 years. To celebrate 60 years of … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: MINI John Cooper Works 3-Door Hatch
At last week’s MINI UK media test driving day the BMW Group brand brought along their 60th anniversary Edition Hatch model as well as the revised John Cooper Works Hatch version to be sampled, writes David Miles. With a 60th anniversary Edition model already scheduled into my forthcoming road test diary I wheeled myself out onto the winding Lambourn area country roads near Newbury for a brief … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: MINI Cooper S Convertible
The Mini brand when British owned, or MINI now under the control of Germany’s BMW Group, celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2019. This year the Convertible celebrates its 25th anniversary after going on sale in 1993 as the Rover Mini Cabriolet. Although now German owned, Oxford Plant remains the British home of MINI although some models are built in other countries now to meet the … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Mini goes maxi
In the 58-year history of Mini , the all-new second generation Countryman five door Crossover/SUV type is the largest ever to go on sale, says David Miles. UK deliveries started in February with prices from £22,465 and running through a 17 model range up to £32,275. These on-the-road prices will marginally incrase after the new First Year VED rates come into force from April. Currently the … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: MINI Seven
MINI's boost in sales this year has been fuelled by the introduction of their Clubman range - their first C-segment MINI followed by the Convertible new range including the recently introduced JCW, or John Cooper Works variant, writes David Miles. The Convertible range now accounts for 10% of total UK MINI sales making it the best selling convertible in this country The MINI Seven is the … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: Mini Clubman All4 Estate
The Mini Clubman estate with ALL4 is the first all-wheel-drive Mini to come off the Plant Oxford production lines. The SUV styled Mini Countryman All4 versions to date have been built by Magna Steyr in Austria. The Clubman All4 line up is the Cooper S and Cooper SD and prices start from £24,305. The new generation and larger Mini Clubman, six door estates were officially … [Read more...]
Sunday drive: New Mini Clubman
Back in 2007 the BMW-owned MINI range was expanded with their Clubman estate, their interpretation of the former Austin and Morris Mini Traveller estates. The main drawback of the BMW’s version of their first MINI Clubman, especially for UK customers, was the fact that it was cramped for rear passenger space, had little boot room and unbelievably it had only one half-sized rear passenger side … [Read more...]
