The above photo has little to do with this post. I was going to talk about the fact that while the seats in our 2007 Mini Cooper S fold down, they don't slide forward, so the space use is a trifle inefficient. . .blah blah blah... News Flash: It's not a van.
What I really want to mention is the fun factor. It's such a little go-kart. I used to be annoyed by the torque steer, and the car's inherent skittishness really forces both hands to stay on the wheel at all times. (It's always a good idea, but in this car, the wheel really jumps, particularly with some solid throttle application.)
But it's really quite fun, and the steering is incredibly responsive. Formerly a fan of Sport mode, I am now a convert to DSC Off. Makes for some very enjoyable high-speed turns, when you can kick the rear out a bit. If I owned this car, I would force myself to learn how to really powerslide. Given an open lot and some cones, I might even waste a few sets of tires and brakes learning the power-park move.
Doug Lloyd, Senior Copy Editor @ 13,628 miles
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I'm wagging my pinkie at you.
yep, i like my fwd cars sliding the tail out. usually i run thinner tires in the rear to cause that, but the mini doesn't need it. its an amazing car for the enthusiast.
Good picture! When those seats fold down, people are amazed with what you can fit in.
Get rid of the RFTs and you'll be even happier with it.
I can't drive the car with sport mode off. The throttle application is all wrong and the steering is way too light. It's light in sport mode but without sport mode it feels like a radio controlled car.
Is that a keyboard? How long is the case? My son's needing a band transporter...
Texases:
That's a Nord Electro 73. Relatively small. My old rig was a Roland A-90 with 88 full-size keys. A beast of a keyboard. It would fit in this car, but probably not in that configuration. The front passenger seat would probably also have to fold down for that.
Thanks, Funky - my son's got a 88 key Yamaha, so he'd need to fold the passenger seat down, it seems.
Is that a lowered Chevy Astro in the background?
Yes. That's a heavily customized Chevy Astro with a full-on hydraulic lowering kit. Good eyes, sandcountry.