MODEL PERFORMANCE

An iconic brand loved with a passion by their owners, the stoic love of Britain is emblazoned almost everywhere you look with Mini. On the Mini electric it’s the rear taillights, but on several I’ve seen, the whole roof is the good ol’ Union Jack.

The di erence permeates the interior also, those round shape fi nishings even go to the door handles which confused more than one passenger I took for a drive; is it a door opener or a heating vent?

There are cool sunroof controls and a HiFi Harmon Kardon system that rocks your favourite drive tunes. But what about that all important drive? It has three drive modes; sport, normal and green mode. Sport is just a whole lot of vroom, winding down to green mode which is the most economic use of the battery life. I quite liked this mode as I used it as a form of braking for corners and tight turns while at the same time replenishing the battery. $59,900 plus ORC makes this a remarkably interesting option for anyone wanting an electric vehicle with bling. You really can bespoke it to make it your own. And that is what I noticed a lot while driving - every Mini I saw was di erent. Just the way its owner wanted it. How much fun is that? Which is exactly what this car was for me: Fun to drive, fun to take people out in, fun to look at.

Selena Andreassend at Mini on Moorhouse Avenue walked me round the car to show me a few features. What was really cute, was the wheel rims are shaped like a three-point plug. So is the charging port cover - and I’m very happy to inform you it charges through a standard garage plug overnight.

It has a 233km range which gives you plenty of opportunity to recharge during the day and there’s no stress with, “Uh oh! I’m low on charge!” like I’ve had on other electric vehicles.

LUXURY... YOU DESERVE IT.

Series one is already sold out and series two sounds like it’s going to be just as popular. The electric wave is sweeping the industry and what a wonderful addition to the Mini fl eet. Zero to 100 in 7.3 (it felt much faster than that but who am I to argue), 135kW and 270Nm.

Overall Mini hasn’t sacrifi ced anything on its conversion to electric, if anything it’s better than it was before. I was worried about losing what Mini is as a brand. I shouldn’t have been. This is the best Mini ever!

High class vehicles for high class drivers.

EYREWELL FOREST MOTOR COMPANY www.efmc.co.nz

Ironic, Dad always said never take your car through a car wash.

Now he takes his car to the Tunnel Wash every week!

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Metropol 21 January, 2021 63

Small but mighty

WORDS NICHOLAS HENARE There’s a template with Mercedes they don’t need to change: Quality and service. And the GLA 250 is no di erent.

For a smaller SUV it seemed pretty spacious to me. A strong exterior matches a strong performance. Zero to 100 in 6.7 seconds, four cylinders providing 165kW and 350Nm of torque with 4matic all-wheel drive. That means you can do a bit of tough terrain, but I still don’t know if I’d throw my dive gear in it and hit the beach.

Now, it’s a simple thing I’ve seen a lot last year, but I love the panoramic sunroof. The interior has the AMG (Mercedes’ high performance range) highlights; LCD lighting and leather seating that is just that little bit plusher. For $92,170 plus ORC, that luxurious interior says oh so much.

I must admit, it felt like I’ve driven this car before, as Mercedes pulled a few SUVs out in 2020 and they feel a bit the same, but things like the EQC electric comes in at $150,000 so this price point could be attractive to those looking for a Merc SUV.

It really is about going down to Armstrong and fi nding the Mercedes that fi ts you. All models can be added to, it’s just about what you want. AMG always spells excellence in my book and this is no di erent. The Germans just do luxury well, but I guess they have had 94 years in the industry to get that right.

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