a surprising byproduct of my first two months of MINI ownership?

i find that other vehicles i drive are now more capable. the fleet taurus, my wife's Honda minivan, various rental cars on out of town trips, the delivery driver's Mitsu panel truck... (ok, maybe not so much the truck ) i find myself driving them more enthusiastically and they (mostly) respond well. these other vehicles never encouraged me to explore their limits, so i never pushed them very hard.

now when i take familiar roads i brake later, enter turns more aggressively, and pass and drive in traffic with more authority. kinda like the first time you drive your own car again after spending a week or so zipping through traffic in a manhattan taxi.

actually, while the actual cornering abilities have been a pleasant surprise, i have almost messed up in the braking, as nothing else i drive comes close to the MINI's brakes.

kinda racy that the "lovin" my other cars get in our driving relationship is hotter after i spend some time riding my new mistress...

 

I would imagine that it would make people feel the opposite way. The MINI is soo nimble with the tires at the corners, so it would make average handling cars feel worse. I certainly felt like my Land rover felt like a tank!.

I am more careful, but sometimes forget that I am in a 3 ton SUV and not the MINI.

 

I can see your point....I think motoring in a MINI "trains" one to drive w/ more awareness, more accuracy. Drivers can be pretty sloppy out there, but a MINI offers so much feedback and quick response, I think it's prefectly reasonable that the MINI-motorer would improve their training, too.

I see drivers every day who seemingly love to drive fast...but they launch poorly and corner imprecisely. I don't drive fast (speed) at all...but everything I do (mostly) to get up to posted speeds and navigate the roadways I motor about on is purposeful and accurate....thanks largely to the MINI.

 

Dude, I totally agree with you. Seems that we both exhibit a bit of "better to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow" syndrome. It's ok, nothing needs to be done. I'll be showing this thread to my girlfriend, as she think s I drive her little Toyota Echo way too fast. "See honey, it isn't just me!!"...

Motor On!

 

I was thinking about this on the highway on my way home from work. In my old car, I had to drive fast to have fun. In this car, I'm usually driving slower than i did in the old car, but accelerating, cornering and passing much more aggressively. That's what fun is for me now! Most people don't know it can be this good!

 

I actually find it dangerous when I have been driving my MINI for a couple weeks and then take my Land Rover Defender for a drive. Must remember that it is lifted, riding on extra squishy suspension, and has the sway bars completely removed for extra axle articulation.

Not a cornering machine, nope not at all! Perhaps the exact opposite of the MINI except for its British heritage and the fact that only my dogs are comfortable in the back.

 

YOu are definitely experiencing something that many people can only do over a span of a few years.

I found myself driving relative to the vehicle after I stared driving my Acura integra. From that point on, its been more of the same with my M3 and now mini.

One thing to coinsider... the slightest change in wheelsets for the same vehicle still doesnt compare to having a completely different car to compare with.

Thanks for sharing.

 

PrplPplEtra
surprising byproduct of my first two months of MINI ownership?
i find that other vehicles i drive are now more capable. i find myself driving them more enthusiastically and they (mostly) respond well. now when i take familiar roads i brake later, enter turns more aggressively, and pass and drive in traffic with more authority.
kinda racy that the "lovin" my other cars get in our driving relationship is hotter after i spend some time riding my new mistress...

OK what are you talking about, your car or your mistress. Ya, I took some liberty in removing certain words.

 

I find myself pusing the limits of the other cars I drive a bit to far sometimes.
Have to remind myself that I'm not driving my MINI.

 

We had two Monte Carlos, an '03 (mine) and an '04 (hers). I drove mine, shall we say, 'briskly.' I traded mine in for my MINI. Now, when I drive my wife's Monte, it's like trying to herd a pack of elephants.

Zip

 

well my parents have an H1 and an H2 and when I drive those they hadle surprisinly well, but I guess they would have to when going on off-road coarses. But I do have to admit I like the pep in my go-kart more than the Grrr in their monster trucks.