>>>>>Ah yes I forgot you told me before you had a Mini Cooper. Curious - did you test drive the Fiat 500 before you got the Mini Cooper? I've driven both and liked the Mini a lot better - but I haven't tried one of the turbo Fiats.
>>>>>
>>>>>I have driven nothing but Mini Coopers for the last 14 years :)
>>>>
>>>>Pure curiosity: Was the first one already one of Beamer production or did you get the bug by an english original ? (not implying Andy, but the earlier Rover/Austin cars...)
>>>
>>>IMO one of the absurd things about the BMW mini is how big they have got. I used to regard my Volvo as a big car and it looks small next to some of the new minis.
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>>IMO the first new one was borderline, but the second new one is ridicolous to run as "Mini". Victor is correct in pointing out current security needs...
>
>If by "security" you mean crashworthiness, you don't necessarily need a large vehicle for that. From VW, their original 1-liter prototype: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_1-litre_car
>
>"The body and frame are designed with crush/crumple zones and roll-over protection, and the tandem seating means large side crush zones. Volkswagen claims protection comparable to a GT racing car. The car has anti-lock brakes, airbags with pressure sensors, and stability control." - in a car that weighed 290kg empty.

This has tandem seating too https://www.eliomotors.com/ I have one of these on order - hoping to see it later this year.