…Back to Test Drive Day

Do I Look Happy?

The MINI E demo cars have been making the rounds to dealers on both coasts. On May 19, I got my chance to drive one. Car 149, the one from the NY Auto Show, was at Habberstad MINI in Huntington, Long Island from 1 to 3 PM. I got there just shy of one o’clock, of course, and the car was out on a run with employees. When it returned, I got a few photos and then it was my turn. Cori Close, my Motoring Advisor, showed me how to slip the odd shaped tab that acted as a key into the slot in the dash and press the Start button to turn on the car. The gauges lit up but there was no other indication that the car was alive. The only noise as I slowly pulled away, I believe, was the power steering unit when I turned the wheel. There was a slight whirring sound as I accelerated and I doubt I’d have heard that at all if my window was up.

As you might imagine, I was a bit easy on the accelerator as I maneuvered through the MINI and BMW lots to get to the road. I knew that I could not get away with this hesitation when I pulled out onto Jericho Turnpike, a 4-lane, moderately quick moving road. When I got a break in the traffic I accelerated smoothly and found I had every bit of the power MINI had promised. I remember a small car I test drove years ago that couldn’t get out of its own way. This was nothing like that. The accelerator (not the “gas pedal”) felt directly coupled to the wheels. The MINI E has only one gear. There’s no jerkiness of an automatic transmission as you increase speed. In fact, the ride was so smooth and quiet that I was surprised to find I was going 60 miles per hour.

Since I was on a 40 mile per hour road, I eased my foot off the accelerator and felt the regenerative braking kick in. It felt as if I was applying the brake but I was doing it all with one foot. Of course, this was not unexpected. I’ve had plenty of time to learn about the car and read other people’s accounts of their test drives, but unlike the others I had driven a similar vehicle. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a little 1/8 scale electric powered locomotive. It works the same as the MINI E, regenerative braking and all. This was like running my little loco in the street and just as much fun!

One difference, though, is that I don’t have as much traffic on my loop of track in Southaven Park. The MINI E throws off your normal timing. When you would normally switch your foot to the brake, you have to remember to just ease it up on the accelerator. At first, I was a bit nervous about this and felt like a runaway train approaching a stopped car in front of me. However, I quickly got used to the amount of braking I will get, when to start easing up and when to shift over to the real brake. I found that I rarely needed the real brake once my timing improved. I did need it once I stopped to hold the car in place and found myself using my left foot to ease off the brake on a grade since the car won’t start rolling forward when the brake is released like a gas powered car.

All in all, it was the fun experience I had hoped for. I stuck around and chatted with some other Pioneers and Habberstad staff. I’d like to thank everyone at Habberstad, including Cori Close, for their patience and making me feel at home. When Cori and another Habberstad employee went for a drive, I asked them to wait a few minutes and headed out to a spot to snap some shots of the car on the road. I also found myself behind the car later and shot some video through my windshield.

Here are some of the pictures I snapped. Oh, I received and signed my installation contract this week, too. What a week!