All the Fun at a More Affordable Price
I must admit that I had forgotten the liberating feeling of being behind the wheel of a MINI. I had forgotten what a great time I had during my "mini" golfing road trip, traveling up and down the Sea to Sky Highway just for kicks, and pulling all the envious eyeballs while cruising around in the ultimate automotive "funster!"
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| Although toned down a little, the MINI Cooper Classic brings just as much life and pizzazz to the road. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
But all my forgotten feelings were reinforced when testing out the new
2004 MINI Cooper Classic. Although the Cooper Classic is the de-contented version of its older siblings, the Cooper and
Cooper S, it brings just as much life and pizzazz to the road and its driver.
Tom Hanks, in "Forrest Gump," described life as "a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get." The MINI typifies this philosophy, as it's just full of surprises. It takes driving a vehicle to an all-new level with distinctive interior styling, go-kart-like handling, and a bubbly personality overall.
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| The tiny car's fuel economy is what really blew me away, and was a welcomed surprise in the face of steadily rising gas prices. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
Talking about surprises, it wasn't the car's exceptional handling that comes due to its 4-wheel independent sport suspension, nor the standard premium 6-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system, and not the amount of 'people' space in the cozy cabin that took me off guard. No, it's the tiny tot's
fuel economy at 8.3 L/100 km in the city and 5.9 L/100 km on the highway. Yes, its fuel economy blew me away. Maybe it's the current price at the pump that caused me to take notice, but either way it was welcome.
