From the BBC:
It’s been a great week for the Mini, as BMW puts another $188m into its Oxford factory. Business has been buoyed by 36,000 sales in the US – but can it be comfortable driving a Mini on American roads where other cars are as big as tanks? Magazine reader and Mini driver Candace Sleeman, from New Jersey, here tells of the view from the kerbside.
“When I park my Mini next to one of the monster SUVs, or 4x4s as you call them in the UK, it’s maybe a third of their length. Those things are huge now, they are just getting bigger and bigger, believe me.”
Follow the link for the entire article:
[ Confessions of a US Mini driver ] BBC
<p>Other than the Cayenne, which is a formidable foe, their are no SUVs I worry about. Most are lumbering dinosaurs even if they accelerate quick.</p>
<p>Our motoring in most of USA is so different from Europe I felt the article a bit light. Most of what she said would be no diff than Europe or most places.</p>
<p>+++RB</p>
<p>This lame article illustrates why the BBC is cutting 2900 jobs. </p>
<p>“we have 18-wheel trucks, which are just enormous. So I don’t take them on – I pretty much just get out of their way”</p>
<p>Anyone who would go out of their way to point out this self evident fact should probably not be driving in the first place.</p>
<p>no wonder all of europe thinks we’re idiots, if writing like that is the only sample they get of american intelligence. It’s not like people in europe have never seen a truck or a highway.</p>
<p>“I’ve been at the supermarket, and burly men have stopped, rolled down their windows and asked if I was going to put my car in the “trolley return” section”</p>
<p>Legitimate question, what in fact, is a “trolley return”?</p>
<p>I believe a “trolley return” is what we call a “cart return”.</p>
<p>the article feeds into one thing about the MINI community I dont like: The whole MINI vs. SUV talk. MINI’s are so cool, they don’t have to be anti anything!</p>
<p>Different types of cars, have become like different cultures to some people in this world.</p>
<p>Trolley return? wise-ass..</p>
<p>I agree with Bill to a point. Because we need cargo capacity for our family, we decided our wife should get a midsized SUV (a Honda CR-V). This then allowed me to pursue my fun little MINI, with no sacrifice for the family’s needs. </p>
<p>Yes, while motoring in my MINI, I do get annoyed by some pickup truck or SUV drivers, but that is more because they themselves are driving aggresively; not because they happen to be driving a bigger vehicle. </p>
<p>So hate the driver, not the vehicle.</p>
<p>Correction: “we decided our wife should get a midsized SUV”</p>
<p>I meant, MY wife… </p>
<p>sorry :-)</p>
<p>I’ve seen more than a few MINI drivers driving aggresively as well. In fact, this morning a yellow MC w/ white must have been weaving and redlining all the way out I-66, a heavily trafficked route during rush hours.</p>
<p>So what exactly is the aggressive-driving-syndrome difference between someone with a quick, well handling sporty vehicle and someone with a large SUV/pickup? It’s a heady question that may be best in a dedicated column.</p>
<p>Jon, why an SUV? I think your wife’s “space” needs could have also been well served by a midsize/full size sedan, a station wagon (Yes they are some in the market) or even a Minivan.</p>
<p>I have found that SUVs are not necessarily bigger than any regular passenger sedan and this includes overall cargo space. Also with any of these vehicles you get better handling, stability and fuel economy.</p>
<p>My main dislike about SUVs and tall trucks and car based crossovers in general, is their questionnable handling dynamics and the “tipsy” feeling these things have. I feel very unsafe whenever I happen to be riding an SUV.</p>
<p>SUVs have a place in the car world. Unfortunately way too many people have bought into this absurd fad from the 1990’s and just now are beginning to realize, that after all, they will never get to drive that truck off road and cross all 7 continents like the sales brochure may have suggested.</p>
<p>I couldn’t have said it any better. Personally my wife and I drive a 3 series wagon as our other car. Great driving dynamics (active safety), good economy, and tons of room. Oh and you can get it in a manual! </p>
<p>While everyone has their own needs when buying a vehicle, there are great SUV alternatives out there. You just have to look for them.</p>
<p>28 MPG, I only wish! Is that really an MCS. My MCSc has only 2K Miles now, but I cannot seem achieve above 20 MPG.</p>
<p>People ask me if I’m nervous driving in Houston with all the trucks and SUVs. I don’t feel nervous at all. They don’t want to dent or scratch their vehicle any more than I want a dent or scratch on mine. </p>
<p>Like Jon said, it’s the driver – not the vehicle. More often, I’m worried about people in smaller, more agile cars that drive like idiots than the Ford F150s and Expeditions.</p>
<p>TMan</p>
<p>I really don’t feel intimidated by SUV’s in the Mini. We might be small, but if any accident can be avoided the Mini is the car that will be able to do it. </p>
<p>I’m afraid of soccer moms in general on the road, just because they don’t seem to care to pay attention, it makes no difference what they are driving.</p>
<p>I definitely hold up the “Put down the cell phone–Enjoy the drive” sign that came in my owner manual. </p>
<p>People who don’t care are the ones to watch out for–cell phones, day dreamers, tailgaters, readers….</p>
<p>What worries me more are parents who seem to have no control over their children. I’ve seen too many children standing, bouncing, and otherwise improperly secured in vehicles. When did parents lose control of their kids, and when did they let it happen? There are enough distractions on the road for parents to let their kids bounce around in the back of their cars/minivans/SUVs. No matter how well safety-rated a vehicle is, NO ONE is safe in a vehicle if they are not buckled in! And that kind of hazard is dangerous to everyone on the road, no matter what vehicle you drive.</p>
<p>Very true Dan. That’s something we should never forget.</p>
<p>I have an 05 PH MC, my wife drive a Honda Odyssey. 3 kids 3 year old in carseat, 8 year old in booster seat because he still fits, and 11 year old in the back strapped in even though he is actually big enough for the front seat.</p>
<p>I wish cops would pull more people over for improperly seated children.</p>