I bought the Mini because I wanted to save money on fuel. My other vehicle is a Xterra that just drinks the gas. Now I find the Mini just sits all the time. I bought it in June and only put 2900 miles on it. To be honest it just scares me a little. The car is so low and the front hood is so short and not to mention how light the car is. When I bought the car I thought the Mini looked sturdy but after driving it I'm a little nervous. Anyone else feel like this?

 

can you paradigm shift...?

it only gets better the more you drive

 

i just bought one after my fiance drove his around for three months and initially was concerned about the same thing. i drove a corolla which sat up alot higher than the mini does but once i got on the highway i loved it!!! my corolla would sway back and forth when it was really windy and the mini just sticks! its difficult to get used to the size change but the driving in the mini is soo much better than i got past it!

 

Don't get me wrong I really do enjoy driving it. I guess when you go from a suv to the mini it takes some getting use to.

 

After having our 06 for almost 2 years now my wife finally drove an 08 for the first time (she cannot drive stick) and in less than a week later we ordered. We have now taken delivery and she was a bit scared at first too going from her SUV to a MINI but a week and 500 miles later she could not feel safer. As for me I love my MINI and used to get nervous with my wife driving her SUV but when I ride with her in the MINI I am perfectly comfortable. You just have to be aware of the other drivers around you as most defensive drivers are. The more you drive the more you love. Maybe you should find a club and go on some laid back runs and get acquainted again with your MINI.

 

Hang in there Steven........

You are facing quite an adjustment from the midsize, truck-based suv to the MINI. I have driven small, front drive sport compacts for the last 20 years,
so it's exactly what I'm used too. I revel in the "low to the ground" feeling, and the "there is no hood" view out the front.

Give it some time, and realize this car is so solidly built, I mean just shut the door and listen! Happy motoring to you whatever you drive, maybe the go-kart can win you over the more you drive it.

 

i think it is super safe. i've seen people get hit on the freeways, hit by drunk drivers and worse and the mini holds up great. posts on NAM will confirm that alot of people have had some rotten luck with accidents and all of them have walked away from it. i drive for a living so a safe car with good gas mileage was incredibly important. i went with an MCS because i can't stop my compulsion for opening up through those rural parts of the state. and winding up through the hills.

 

Just watch all of the most shocking moments series.

Everytime a monster truck rolls over I say to my wife

SEE SEE
THEY WERE BARELY BUMPED

(she used to have a monster truck. I know it was a
durango, becuase she said durango, and the neighbor's
monster dog was named durango so I remembered that one.
Otherwise, they all look the same to me and I don't note
the names)

 

I've test driven Mini's and have owned very small cars most of my life. I currently own an Isuzu Rodeo.

It is a little bit of a change to go from a big car to a small one, and vice versa.

I've got to say that going from a large pickup, a 99 Ford F150, to a small convertible, 92 Mazda Miata was the biggest challenge. You just can't drive these cars the same way. Whereas you are up very high and think you can see everything in the pickup you realize just how bad your blind spots can be, especially with regards to smaller cars when you get into a smaller car like the Miata.

to reverse the situation I went from driving a small hatchback, Mazda MX-3, to my Rodeo. The MX-3 was soooo much more stable on the road than the Rodeo. Again it's a problem of height. I also "feel" like I can see everything in the rodeo only to find that there was a small CRX or Miata on that lane after all.

The biggest difference in driving for me is the speed though. I just don't feel comfortable going as fast in the Rodeo as I did in the smaller cars. The benefit of this is of course that I don't get tickets like I used to.

Drive the Mini as much as you can but drive defensively. There's really no better safety feature than the one behind the wheel.

 

I guess if I had to swerve in the suv to avoid someting on the highway that could get scary.

 

Sit in an MX-5 or any real sporty car and you won't feel so low in the MINI. But really - it's very safe. Also consider that you can drive your way out of a pinch without rolling over.
I guess it does take some getting used to - but I LOVE it. I don't know what color your baby is, but MINIs tend to stand out - especially with a contrasting roof. That's how it all started - the roof stood out better on the track - easy to spot the Mini.
It might make you feel better to drive with your lights on - that does increase visibility and make you look bigger from a distance. Also go to www.gominigo.com and get a 3rd brake light pulsar. It's kind of obnoxious, and people will definately notice that you're braking better. It is kind of easy to just look over a MINI in traffic from a larger vehicle, but the pulsar gets people's attention. It was really easy to put in, too. I did it myself.
When jerks in big cars drive next to me and give me that "I'm bigger so I'm better" look, I just smile and zip away, thinking about them stopping at the next gas station and shelling out over $100 for a tank that'll last them 300 miles (if that).

 

I have to tell you something funny. When i was 16 my first car was a 74 superbeetle and i loved it. I was never scared driving it. But your young and nothing scares you, even a gastank on your lap.

 

As one of those people mentioned who was in a freeway accident in a Mini, let me just say that the Mini is pretty safe. I understand - I never drove a big car but even I felt like I was driving around in a pea when I got my Mini. Still, I walked away from a freeway accident and I wasn't even sore the next day. Just give it time - you'll get used to it.

 

My last car was a 97 Jeep Cherokee Sport. 4.5" lift, bigger tires, steel bumpers.
I never felt any safer in that Cherokee because I always knew from reading crash reports that SUVs are not safer. Everyone knows they roll over easier that a car which is the most dangerous situation in a vehicle. I loved that Cherokee for off roading and it was fine on the road as long as you respected it for what it is.

Does the MINI feel different. Oh, yes! It feels solid. It feels safe. It handles far better which makes avoiding and accident much more likely. I've seen crash test pictures and videos of the MINI. I've also seen the many threads here on NAM with pictures about MINIs in accidents. I really like that those pictures almost never show any intrusion into the passenger compartment regardless of how damaged the MINI was. I can't say the same about SUV crash pictures I've seen in the past.

I feel much safer on the road in my MINI than I ever did in my Cherokee or any other SUV. And the MINI is much more fun to drive on the road. Of course, my MINI is pretty usless for off road trails and the beach on Hatteras Island but I couldn't do that very often any longer anyway.

My change of vehicles was caused by my work commute which changed from 5 miles one way to 38 miles one way. I needed the better gas milage. I'm happy I switched now. 40K miles on my 2006 MINI and I love every chance I get to drive it.

 

If it was not safe it wouldnt be on the roads.

 

I was looking around the net for a police interceptor badge when i came across this-
"Mini Cooper versus Ford F-150"
"Same Speed, Same Crash, Same Year Vehicle-Make Your Choice"

http://www.sshep.com/police_interceptor.htm You've gotta scroll down a lot and to the left but its in there somehwere if you wanna find it.

 

No offense meant toward your XTerra, but I would feel a whole lot safer in the MINI.

 

i hope that whatever you choose you try to enjoy your mini! they're safe and very fun. i know how you feel i learned how to drive in an old f250 when i was younger and totally freaked when i had to switch to an actual car.

 

Ditto. I traded a 2001 loaded Jeep GC with the 1" lift and compared to my Mini the Jeep was terrible to drive on the highway, frighteningly bad handling and blind spots galore. And the brakes sucked too.

 

Check out the IIHS website on crash test results. The MINI does better than most SUVs. Maybe that'll calm your fears. In fact, depending on how your particular SUV performed in the tests, you might find IT parked in the driveway a lot in the future.

 

I too drive a Rodeo - for the last 10 years and my main fear after testing a Cooper S is that I drive soooo much faster in it than the Rodeo. The ability to swerve without rolling over and brake in a short distance are a huge plus in my book. I am on the fence about the color but hope to order a Clubman soon and relegate my gas eating top heavy oldie but goodie Rodeo to non-commuting duty.

 

Yep the Rodeo will be the "hey can you help me move" car shortly. It still comes in handy for things like this and I'm glad I have it but it will be soooo much eaiser to drive the mini around.

Did you have problems with the brakes on your Rodeo? Mine have been a serious pain.

 

Ask this dummy driving the macho Ford F-150 which vehicle he'd prefer for his next frontal impact collision.



My macho 4x4 only goes to Home Depot to to haul mulch these days. . . . .

 

Which website did you get those crash test pics from, Yucca ?

 

I've had my MINI for 3 weeks now after driving a Jeep Wrangler for 8 years. I couldn't be happier or feel safer. It was a little bit of an adjustment for the first couple days, but now it really feels like a safe, solid little car. And VERY fast (and I'm talking about the 'base model'!)

Keep driving that little baby and eventually you'll be in love with it!