Well, to be highly technically accurate, it was an off-paved-road adventure. Anyway ... I'm fairly new to the Vernon-Rockville, CT, area, so I certainly don't know all the roads around here. And this morning I was feeling the need to go out for a twisty-turny spin, so I took my iPhone with Google maps and headed out on a nice back road. Which soon enough turned into a dirt road and then back to a paved road again. So after a couple of lefts and rights, when I hit another stretch of dirt road, I didn't think anything of it. Until the dirt road got smaller and more rutty, etc, etc. However, instead of turning around (which would not have been easy in any case) I just kept going. Eventually the dirt became snow covered road (which actually made driving between the rutts easier due to everything being frozen), but I kept on going. Then I had to go down a steep frozen hill and back up another one ... until I eventually wound my way back onto a paved road and then a main road. I have to say that I was pleased to see asphalt again!

Now to my point ... I was very impressed (I've only owned my used '03 MC for 2+ months) at how well the little thing did on such a difficult road. To be honest, I was very careful where I pointed her, but she did great. I think I only bottomed out twice (and then only barely), and in both instances I was only going about 10 mph, so I'm sure there was no harm done. I won't necessarily go right back out and do it again, but I was quite pleased and impressed!

 

Other than the fact that the back hatch gets filthy after 1.5 seconds of being on a gravel/dirt road, I've enjoyed sliding the MINI around a little bit in those conditions. Sounds like you had fun, too!

 

I used to do lots of gravel/dirt back road motoring in my 03 MC. It was always fun, and doing e-brake 90 degree drift turns is wonderful in these little cars

I did have one bad incident though on a gravel road. I was out playing, going about 35-40 mph, where the speed limit is 55 mph, and the left rear tire blew out. Now I was not going the speed limit because new gravel had just been put down and it was loose, but when that tire let go it was all I could do to steer the car. I ended up plowing though a ditch that dropped off about 10 feet down from the road level, and it was steep going down and up the other side into brush that I came to a rest at.

I was OK, rattled, but OK. The car had almost every piece of plastic trim torn off of it, a branch from a tree stuck in the rad, and the front bumper was thrashed. Body was covered in scratches from going through shrubs. I had to have the car towed out of there, it was about 30 feet off the edge of the road, and taken in to be repaired. It all turned out OK, car still looks like new.

What impressed me the most about this whole thing was how well the car handled the abruptness and steepness of the ditch. Not a recommended test of the car, but it stayed upright, and once I got control it went where I pointed it. I was 90 degrees to the direction of travel in an instant when the tire blew.

Good tough cars these MINIs

A link to a post and pics shortly after this happened;
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ostcount=13213

Mark

 

I found some dirt roads a month after I got my MINI. Went for a road trip, just cause, to northern WI. Some great roads up there and the dirt roads are well maintained. When I lived in Durango CO and drove a VW GTI there was a "rally" type road we'd run and in the spring it would get wet too.
All good times. Pics in gallery of WI.

 

I would be wary of going down a snow covered hill in case I had to come back, especially if it's steep.

Otherwise, I have lots of experience with dirt roads. I like how the DSC helps out, sometimes.

 

I am ready to go exploring some dirt roads in the desert.