As Mini owners. hubby and I were invited to a James Bond-style casino evening at Wellsway Mini in Bath. (Surely, they're not saying buying a Mini is a gamble?) I thoroughly enjoyed myself drinking mojitos and paying Blackjack with a croupier from Griffin Casinos. The jolly lady laying down her dummy chips next to me at the table had a John Cooper Works Coupe, and has owned so many Minis, she couldn't even remember what they were. Hubby was less impressed with the evening as he was driving, and he'd just visited the showroom trying to get to the bottom of a clonking noise somewhere under our 24,000 Mini D. The conclusion was inclusive, yes there's a rattle, but they don't know why. The next stage is to go on a drive with a technician. I almost forgot, we had a chance to check out the new Mini at the end of a line starting with an immaculate original car, and going through the generations. The changes are certainly subtle. The latest car is mainly marked out by its fancy deep-set digital headlights and integral bumper. The interior feels very posh, and I spent a while playing with the new system that connects the car to the sat-nav, music and the rest of the world via your smartphone. It's all very stylishly designed, but I still felt it could be less fiddly, having tried some other much more intuitive systems. I hope will get an opportunity to drive one - that is, of course, the difference I feel when I get back into my car, having driven plenty of others. Shame about the rattle. |