I noticed a striking thing when comparing the performance of this Mini with the that of the last car I Tried & Tested at Stone Cold Classics – the numbers were almost exactly the same. And that other car was a 1980s Fiat Uno Selecta. In fact in terms of top speed and 0-60mph the Italian hatchback with a continuously variable transmission bested one of the most beloved sporting cars of all time.
Visions of a Fiat Uno with rally lamps sliding its way to Monte Carlo aside, it does raise an interesting point about what exactly the buyer of a car like a Mini Cooper is getting in 2023. Because if it was purely about performance then the Uno would offer slightly superior numbers for about an eighth of the cost. But of course nothing in the world of cars is that simple, and that applies all the
