Absolutely. The two things I noticed most in going from a properly sorted 1298cc Mini to a 1.6 supercharged MINI was the way I could drive 200 miles at 70mph while actually holding a conversation and still be able to walk upright straight after getting out of the car - the comfort levels of the MINI are leagues better than the old Mini.
And as for reliability, I'm sure that my last one was partly responsible for the demise of Rover, as it had vastly more work done on it under warranty than the car was worth IMO. Three gearboxes and a huge amount of welding front and back to cure some really severe rust problems. And 6 years after buying it brand-new, it was rotten in so many places (whereas my 6-year old MCS has no rust visible on the bodywork anywhere). And let's not forget its habit of blowing an alternator every six months, regular as clockwork. As booking it into the mechanics for a new alternator usually took a week or so, my neighbours were regularly treated to the sight of me pushing the car down the road, jumping in and turning the engine over each time the battery went flat.
Happy days. I really miss the way it handled, and left everything for dead at the lights (up to about 30mph, it was only stuff like Caterhams that could hang with the old dear). But I really don't miss finishing every journey with a bad back and deaf in both ears (straight-cut 'box - the car could be heard coming for miles). |