My Next Car….

… will be a diesel. So one of the following will have to happen:

  • I delay buying my next car until 2009, or some future date when diesel cars are available
  • I move to a diesel-friendly country like, hmmm, New Zealand

Neither seems out of the realm of possibility.

A Little Gadget Envy

Went to a co-worker’s house at lunchtime to play with his Wii, traveled there in his new Lexus. Not sure what model is was, other than it was a small one. But I was somewhat mesmerised by his nav system and definitely came away jealous – it showed the rear view when reversing, moving map on the go, and then while parking it showed a schematic of the car marked with how far each part was from an obstruction. Very cool. Made my MINI feel very old-fashioned.

And talking of cool gadgets, the Wii was a lot of fun, I hate to recommend it but I certainly do if you can get your hands on one. Even though its not high def it looked gorgeous on the 57″ 1080p LCD TV. Damn, now I have nav system and game console envy[*].

[*] Not that I don’t love my MINI or my PS3!

Flashing Other Users

One difference I continually notice between UK and US driving is in the meaning of flashing one’s headlights. At home, it almost always means “after you” or “I’m letting you out” but every time I flash someone here to let them know to come out it is taken as a warning and they don’t come out. I’ve been doing it for years and I don’t seem to learn.

Only got one MINI related gift this Christmas – a bunch of new magnetic badges. I don’t really expect a lot of MINI news this year but I’ll continue to post pointless junk as and when I feel like it. Happy New Year, all.

MINI Cooper “Marginal” Rear Safety

Heard on CNN this morning that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had released a new report on the safety of mini cars and they specifically mentioned the MINI Cooper has being highlighted for poor rear safety.

You can find a summary of the report or go here for a bunch of links about the study. Bottom line is that the MINI (up to and including the ’06 models) scored Good for front protection, Acceptable for side, and Marginal for the rear. Contrast this with the Nissan Versa that was top with Good protection all around, and the Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio which finished last with Acceptable front, Poor side and rear.

Update: GBMini posted a good debunking of the report; Motoringfile posted a link and, of course, the MINI fanboys got their knickers in a twist that someone dare say something negative about our precious tin cans.

A New One on Me

At a happy hour with some old Navy colleagues a woman I worked with asked if I still had my MINI. She had been thinking of getting a convertible but her husband told her that small cars were dangerous because they do not hold the road well on corners. I’ve heard some complaints about the MINI from non-owners but never that one! I assured her that quite to the contrary the MINI stuck to the road far better than most vehicles and her husband didn’t know what he was talking about. I am glad to say she is going back home and telling him she is again interested in a MINI.

Interesting 2007 MINI Options

By now everyone and their dog has configured a 2007 MINI or two on the new configurator, of course I am no different. Two things I found interesting in the options list: the folding mirrors are finally available, and you will be able to get a lifetime Sirius radio subscription, no notice of cost for that one.

Off to England on Thursday so this blog and my others will be even more dull than usual until I return at the beginning of December.