I was very privileged to take a Mini Cooper S last year on perhaps the
most pleasurable 1200 KM test drive I can remember from Goa to the magnificent ruins
of Hampi in Karnataka and back over lovely twisty `ghat’ roads with some good stretches
of highway. The Mini is a small car, roughly the size of the Maruti Swift, but there
is no comparison for acceleration, road grip, ride ,handling and sheer luxury.
As the usual route from Goa to Hampi was in bad shape so we headed north
on NH 17 towards Mumbai and then west on a lovely winding road via the minor
hill station of Amboli to get to Hubli from where NH 63 got us straight to
Hospet close to Hampi. In a fast and nimble car the 450 Km journey took just nine
effortless hours and we arrived fresh and exhilarated by the drive. The Mini
could instantly overtake anything on the road and was capable of much faster
speeds than the 150 Kmph that we sometimes hit. We stayed at a very comfortable
resort run by the Kishkinda Trust that is located on the western side of the
rock strewn Tungabadra River. A small coracle took us to across the river to
see some wonderful rock carvings scattered among the rocks. Many pilgrims also
come to Hampi as legend has it that this area ruled by Hanuman was the legendary
launching pad for Ram’s final attack on Lanka in the epic Ramayana.
Hampi is a truly magical place. The ruins of the sixteenth century
capital of the Vijayanagar Empire built with huge granite blocks, pillars and
beams is set among a most dramatic pile of tumbled rocks. One needs to use a coracle to cross the beautiful Tungabadra River.European visitors used to describe it as the most magnificent city in the world during its heyday. The
fortifications set among the huge rocks would have been unassailable but the
rulers foolishly challenged the coalition of Adilshahi rulers on the open
plains and were routed. The attackers then utterly destroyed the city.
We returned via the port of Karwar south of Goa on another wonderful
hilly road. The little 2-door car was great in the two front seats but was distinctly
cramped in the rear. The peppy 184 HP engine was very docile at low revs but
pumped out instant acceleration when the pedal was pushed. The six-speed
automatic also made it effortless to drive but there were also paddle shifts
for those who like the feel of gears. Our average fuel consumption was also a
very acceptable 15 KMPL on the 1200 KM journey.
The Mini Cooper is quite one of the most exciting cars to drive and the
Mini Cooper S is the ultimate in fun cars. When the original Mini was launched
way back in 1957 it was immediately popular except that it was designed as a
small `Peoples Car’. A joke was told of a girl in the passenger seat fending
off her boy friend’s advances with the words… “What sort of girl do you think I
am... a contortionist?”
The standard Mini delivers a peppy 120 HP from a 1600 cc petrol engine
while the souped up Mini S has been tuned to pump out a huge 184 HP from the
same engine. No car gives such a sense of speed as a small car which is why few
cars can match the driving pleasure of a Mini. And, since it has come into the
BMW stable it now offers every conceivable feature for comfort and pleasure.
Luxury is never cheap and the Mini does cost a bomb but is a real jewel of a
car.
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