Latest news with #DatsunGo
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
The MINI Cooper S fights for its identity in a changing world
It has been more than two decades since the Hollywood remake of The Italian Job hit screens. Revenge-based storyline and Charlize Theron aside, most car fans will agree the real star of the show was the reinvented MINI. The leading role did a great deal for the cool factor of the British hatchback, shortly after it had been re-birthed by German custodians, BMW. Though the millennium MINI looked like a copy of the original, albeit modernised, it shed the humble economy car essence of its progenitor and was instead a bona fide premium offering: a junior, front-wheel drive BMW of sorts. Even at that time critics lamented that the reincarnated MINI was costly and, relatively speaking, not so miniature. Criticisms that could still apply today. Time to give it a break though, because it is unrealistic to expect any modern interpretation of an original to stay completely faithful to the practical aspects — and dimensions — of its ancestor. In real-world terms, even the purists might agree that thick A-pillars, deforming crumple zones, more airbags than one has fingers and intelligent semi-autonomous driving features provide peace of mind for driver and occupants. Driving a classic Mini in the contemporary world, you would not want to be on the receiving end of a Datsun Go that did not pull up in time. Since that first BMW-made MINI came about in 2000, the portfolio has expanded to include variants of nearly all shapes and sizes. You now have SUV options such as the Countryman and in-between, crossover shapes such as the Aceman. There was also a Mini Roadster. The traditional three-door hatchback format continues to form part of the range in 2025. What a nifty thing it was to see in our basement parking. Parked next to my Countryman SE long-termer, the three-door MINI looked diminutive. But when parked next to a genuine A-segment budget car, the MINI's girth and generous footprint is significant. Opening one of its heavy front doors, you find entry is akin to slinking behind a low-slung sports car's wheel. The access height might reveal the weaker parts of your back structure, especially in the frigid air of winter, as I learnt. This exercise seemed much easier the previous time I tested a three-door Cooper several years ago. Chalk it down to age. In a world of Chinese crossovers with aggressive lines and angry gazes, the doe-eyed, rounded look of the MINI three-door is friendly and endearing. Design-wise, the Mini is mentioned in the same company as icons such as the Porsche 911, Volkswagen Transporter or Ford Mustang — with distinctive aesthetic personalities that cannot be replicated. The new Cooper is modelled on futuristic executions shown in concept cars from yesteryear, such as the 2011 Rocketman. It is minimalistic and digital. There is an expansive dashboard surface. The slim front pews are positioned inches above the ground — no SUV-like 'commanding view' here. Right in the middle of the fascia is an oversized central touchscreen display. There are a few remaining elements of physical switchgear, including a toggle for driving modes. That element will see infrequent use as you are likely to want to keep the Cooper S in its sportiest Go-Kart setting. This also changes the ambient mood lighting to an appropriately racy hue of crimson. Blasting through Los Angeles tunnels and empty waterways like Charlie Croker's gang was a much nicer fantasy than the reality of dodging Egoli's potholes, splashing through flowing sewage. Our city's road surfaces vary from not-so-bad to bad and it is an environment that hardly flatters the firmly-sprung MINI, on its optional 40-profile, 18 inchers. A set of 215/45/17 wheels are standard fitment. The Cooper S retains the frantic character of a city mouse that slugged spilt energy drink, champing at the bit, goading its driver into seizing gaps and keeping that 2.0 l engine in the peak of its power band. There are no shifter paddles to manually slice through the ratios of its seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic, but there is a setting marked 'L' on the gear selector nib, which engages a more dynamic shifting characteristic, holding the gears for longer. Acoustically, the turbocharged, four-cylinder unit is as characterful as can be expected — within the constraints of emissions regulations. It has a buzzy, eager note from within the cabin, delivering enough shove to launch the three-door from standstill to 100km/h in a claimed 6.6 seconds. It is remarkable how tidily the MINI handles. Even mid-corner, the driven (front) wheels are never flummoxed by the foot-flat summoning of the entire 150kW/300Nm output — almost no 'torque-steer' to speak of. The Cooper S is an entertaining, fun compact that likes to be grabbed by the scruff of its neck. Though I could not help but think about how the SE model (that is the electric one) delivers the same level of agility and swiftness but with a more effortless, silent nature typical of responsive electric powertrains. Never thought I would have found myself more partial to the latter sensations — could be that living with the quiet, zero emissions Countryman SE has altered my worldview. Still, there is a price advantage, having the standard three-door Cooper S over its electric SE counterpart. The petrol engine model costs R646,395 compared with the battery-powered model, which is R802,000. These prices are before options. As a newer generation of drivers embrace electric technologies, the hallmarks of what defines a performance car are changing — with less emphasis on sounds, vibrations and other aspects that offer a visceral connection between driver and machine. It is good that MINI wants to pander to both camps (for now, anyway) with a traditional Cooper S and the progressive Cooper SE, rather than forcing its fans to pick a side.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Delhi woman killed, 8 injured in car collision on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
A 21-year-old IGNOU student from Delhi was killed and eight others, including three members of her family, were critically injured when a speeding Brezza crashed into their Datsun Go on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Ferozepur Jhirka, Nuh, while attempting to catch up with a second car ahead, police said on Friday. The deceased was identified as Nitika Kumari, a resident of Shakurpur in north Delhi. The five occupants of the Brezza were members of another family. The accident took place between 4pm and 4.10pm on Wednesday. 'Nitika, her sister Himani(25), brother Vishesh (16), and their uncle Sanjay Mandawat (45), were returning after dropping an elderly relative at their village Rajpur in Alwar, Rajasthan. Mandawat had slowed down his car along the expressway as Nitika was feeling nausea due to motion sickness. It was at this moment that the Brezza rear-ended their car,' said Ombir Singh, station house officer of Ferozepur Jhirka police station. Police said that those in the Brezza were from Tri Nagar in north Delhi and were returning after offering prayers at Mehendipur Balaji temple in Rajasthan in two separate cars, one of which was the Brezza. One car had moved ahead and the Brezza was speeding to catch up to it, which resulted in the severe crash. The Brezza was clocking nearly 130-140km/hr, and after the collision it flipped multiple times on the expressway. 'After the collision, the Datsun rammed the crash barrier, critically injuring Nitika because she had unfastened the seat belt to freshen herself with water,' Singh added. Within five minutes of the crash, those travelling in the second car arrived on the scene to help their relatives in the Brezza, police said. 'A commuter stopped and loaded the bleeding Nitika into his vehicle along with the other injured persons of her family and rushed them to the subdivisional hospital, Mandi Khera. Doctors declared her dead and alerted us. Those in the second car also brought the five injured in the Brezza to Mandi Khera hospital from where they were referred to a higher centre for better treatment,' SHO Singh added. Police did not identify those injured in the Brezza. There were four women and a man inside the Brezza. Police said that the Brezza driver will be arrested after he is discharged from the hospital. Based on a complaint from Mandawat, a first information report was registered against the Brezza driver at Ferozepur Jhirka police station on Wednesday night under sections 106 (causing death by negligence) and 281 (rash driving) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Nitika's body was handed over to her family after an autopsy on Thursday, police said. Meanwhile, Mandawat, a lawyer practising at the Rohini court, said his 91-year-old uncle Gyarsi Ram had reached Delhi for a short stay. 'We had gone to drop him to Alwar. While returing, Nitika complainted of dizziness due to motion sickness and was vomiting,' he said. Mandawat said he puchased lemonade and water and gave it to her. 'I slowed down the car along the crash barriers and opened the windows when the Brezza rammed us,' he said. 'Nitika and Himani were on the rear seat and were not wearing seat belts. Somehow Nitika sustained a severe head injury as she was peeping out of the window to vomit and died on the way to the hospital,' he said 'There was no cooling facility at the government mortuary to preserve her body for an autopsy, so we arranged ice blocks for the purpose,' he said.
