Letter From Europe - MINI and Buick and Fiat and Subaru
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Andrew Frankl
European Bureau Chief
The Auto Channel
Back from Europe to sunny California, Mini Countryman, Buick Enclave followed by a Fiat 500E and two Subaru's are the cars I have been driving of late.
MINI
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The Mini does bring back wonderful memories. It would be fair to say that the Countryman I have been testing is a far cry from the original Mini launched back in 1959 .Designed by Sir Alec Issigonis it soon became an integral part of the 60s culture in Britain. Universities would compete as to how many people you could get into a Mini (27!), the Mini did everything except make money.
I was working for Ford Motor Company at the time and remember Sales Director saying that having taken a Mini apart the most the British Motor Corporation could make out of them was about 8 dollars. (No wonder BW went bust a few years later) Still, the Mini became a legend. It won races such as the Monte Carlo Rally with folk hero Paddy Hopkirk at the wheel , tuned version, raced on tracks, the stories are endless.
I am delighted that BMW rescued this British icon even if some of them are made in Leipzig in Germany while Mini EVs are made in China! It does get rather confusing but the good thing is that the Mini is well and going strong after 60 years!
The one I have been testing the 2025 Mini Cooper Countryman is a far cry from the original Mini.
For a start it is considerably larger and let me add-put together much much better than the original was. The styling is great although I do have a question about the very attractive fabric trimmed dashboard. Does it need vacuuming? I love the circular infotainment display, funky but fun! The 241 horsepower 2 liter inline engine has plenty of pep which does sound good. It is all wheel drive and with the back seats folded can carry huge bags of compost. I know. We just did it.
Prices go from 40 to 47 thousand dollars and Minis retain their value very well indeed. Fuel consumption is around 27 mpg but don’t forget there is also an E version which a lot of people in California seem to prefer.
The caked top speed is an astonishing 130 miles per hour, confession, the figure did not come from me although I should have known that something was up as the Countryman turned up on Pirelli P Zeros-tires for big boys only.
Would I like to own one or to recommend it to friends? Absolutely. As long as they can live with limited seating in the back. In bright red the Countryman cheered up our otherwise boring parking lot and I for one will be sad to see it go.
Buick Enclave
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I can’t say the same about Buick’s Enclave. I am delighted that GM are making money again . If the Enclave could be more attractive dynamically it would probably make even more..
It was my ride to the Best of the Bay extravaganza where 17 journalists tested 14 cars and SUVs. Having driven all of them it became crystal clear that the engineers at GM tasked with the ride and handling of the Enclave had an off day. On the infamous route 17 between Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz I had to concentrate extra hard to keep it on the road at anything over 25 miles per hour. Now don’t get me wrong. If the buyer is looking for a large -to my mind overpriced- SUV for cruising sedately on say 101 with lots of luggage and children then the Enclave could be your answer. Just don’t expect rapid acceleration from the modest 2.5 liter four cylinder engine.
There must be a reason why Car and Driver places it 22nd! In this ranking of cars/SUVs in this category. Compared to the Genesis GV80-one of the cars that was in Santa Cruz for the test-the Enclave is not even in the same ball park.The Volvo XC90 among others is vastly superior. It is, as one of my colleagues said this Enclave was made for the boulevard. A 20th Century SUV up against 21st Century rivals.
The cure I would suggest is two fold. One-get a decent engine, maybe a three and a half liter V6 and secondly get one of the engineers from the Corvette team to take the Enclave for a spin. I am sure he will be able to pin point what is wrong and how to make the otherwise very good looking Enclave even better.
Fiat 500E
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The minute the little bright red Fiat E arrived at The Autochannel’s California HQ I immediately thought of all the great Italian movies. Nothing can be more Italian than a Fiat, a car company that has been on the go for over 100 years.
They were so confident and so successful that they allowed a film to be filmed on the roof of their biggest factory featuring Minis and called the Italian job. Mini is now in German hands and is doing rather well while Fiat are struggling. They are part of Stellantis, a huge company.with everything from Jeeps to Maserati’s.
The little Fiat 500 I had for test was fun around Marin county but in all honestly it was just too small for me. Fiats have always been designed round Italian men and ladies of a certain size which was definitely smaller than my 6 ft 185 pounds frame. Charging the battery was a nightmare but in fairness if you had a high speed charger at home than this problem disappears. I am not allowed to have one living in my California apartment building so it took 12 hours to get it past the 70 mark.
On the go it is certainly peppy and parking is a dream. I found the price oi the middle 30s rather high especially as the two recent Subaru's were in the same price range with AWD and lots of room for 5.
The Fiat might be ok for two small children in the back but that’s about it. It is being suggested as a second car for school runs but again, Mums tend to alternate piling 4-5 kids into an SUV, not something you could ever duplicate in the Fiat,
Don’t get me wrong. It is very well put together, the paint work his first class, the instruments are easy to use and as a runabout it would be hard to beat. Just because it isn’t something I would buy does not mean that it might not be ideal for a young couple without children. With EVs taking a dive prices are tumbling so if you are in the market now would be a good time to start shopping. Just make sure about the charging first.
Subaru Forester, Subaru Ascent
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Having spent some time in the Subaru Ascent and its brother the Forester yet again I came to the conclusion that this company will just go from strength to strength. No, neither of the SUVs are mega exciting, little boys will not be putting their noses up against the windows in a Costco supermarket. No, buy when Mum and Dad fill it up to the gill with a week’s shopping they will know that both the Ascent and the Forester will take them home safely and reliably.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see why Subaru buyers trend to be a bit like Porsche buyers-they stay with the brand forever. You just have to go to Safeway's in snowy Truckee in January to find that at least half the parking lot will be full of Subbies. For the benefit of those not living in California let me explain that the first letter on the number late can be a 4, 5 , 6, 7, 8 or 9. If it is a 4 than your car is very old indeed, if it a 9 then it just left the showroom. Either way the Subaru's up there in the snow have lots of 6s and 7s, clearly cars the owners have had for several years. Neither of these SUVs are rocket ships and both could use a bit more oomph. Especially the Forester’s 180 hp engine which is definitely in need of a fleet of extra horses. The Ascent is more luxurious and it offers three rows of seats as opposed to the Forester’s two. I found both SUVs in need of some bright colors, the interiors were all black and positively depressing. The fuel consumption's varied from 22 to 30 mpg, respectable but nothing to write about.
The ’25 Forester has had a redesign with lots of new and improved safety technology.It also looks better with a more brawny, beefier grill and squinty headlamps. New features include standard active safety features with pedestrian and cyclist detection.
The prices are nothing short of remarkable. The basic Forester without gizmos can be had for around 27 thousand dollars complete with all wheel drive. No wonder the company sold over 650 thousand Subbies in 2023 and it is not showing any slowing down.
For a middle class family requiring all wheel drive and where price is a major consideration and with enough room for a family of 5 the Forester has to be the answer.
More Good News! The environmentalists-which includes me is that a hybrid version is on the way.
Whew thats it for my busy first month back in California...Happy Holidays.