Mini Mumbai Urban Drive Experience – 37 Seconds To Fame!

Mini Mumbai Urban Drive Experience Is Happening Around The Country And We picked our steed for the day and learnt and drove a lot!

Mini India just gave us an exclusive inside tour of the Urban Drive which was organized for a select few. Mini India bought in two expert drivers from Malaysia to give us proper training, things to look out on today’s event and in general, how to get the right driving position, what is supposed to be done and avoided. The track used for this purpose was a medium sized go-kart tracked, ideal for the Mini family, in Mumbai, which is the Raymonds ground in Thane. We were briefed about how the seats should be adjusted, which is keeping it as low as possible, not having a gap between your lower back and the seat, which means adjusting the recline angle of the seat, wearing your seatbelt at all time.

Also, having your wrist reach the outer part of the steering wheel and having a five finger distance between your head and the roof of the car. Also, since this is an automatic car, having your left foot placed on the dead pedal firmly is quite important. All of this combination helps you grip the steering wheel, not roll around while cornering and stay stable and focused at all times. The steering wheel has to be gripped at 9 and 3 area of the wheel and not with one hand or grabbing the inner part of the steering wheel.

There was two simple yet highly effective test to make sure we are driving on the track and improve ourselves on the road. Braking test and the Gymkhana test, which was to test our ability while cornering and also a fast lap to record our time and compare it with all others.

Braking test included feeling the ABS pulsing at the pedal which was achieved by braking very hard to avoid an obstacle at the end moment and turning the steering while the brake pedal is fully depressed. The expert driver also broke a long myth which a lot of people have is that ABS helps in stronger braking performance. As all enthusiast know, it doesn’t. ABS helps in unlocking the wheel in emergency situations which lock under hard braking, which is inevitable, but with ABS, it doesn’t happen. So now you know.

The Gymkhana test was our chance to be Ken Block and we personally, took it rather seriously. Clocking the best time of 37 seconds (fastest was 36) among contestant doing 39-43 seconds was a big feat. The Mini as always provides stupendous grip, almost zero body roll, the gearbox is fastest as always and there are paddles, sports mode and great brakes to provide stupendous confidence while driving. Steering gets heavy, throttle response gets better, brakes feel at the pedal is just right and makes it quite an impressive car to drive.

Needless to say our road test review also say the car is practical, has good ride quality, enough space in the Clubman and Countryman. Petrol and diesel motors are both available, but the 2.0 litre petrol motor with 190 BHP is just a hoot and has a great exhaust. Being the fastest and had afternoon well spent among enthusiasts and experts made our day. Try it yourself too!

A little info from Mini India

MINI India has introduced MINI Urban Drive – an exclusive platform to provide the legendary MINI go-kart experience across 7 cities in India. The MINI Urban Drive is being hosted in Mumbai from 15-16 September 2018. The MINI Urban Drive will be held in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Delhi between August 2018 and October 2018.

MINI Urban Drive is an exclusive one-of-a- kind driving experience featuring the new MINI Hatch, the new MINI Convertible, the all-new MINI Countryman and the flagship MINI Clubman. Participants will get a chance to experience first-hand performance, safety and go-kart fun of a MINI under the expert guidance of certified MINI trainers.

MINI Sales Consultants will be available to provide professional advice on specifications, technology and features of the cars and help customers find the right MINI to match their lifestyle. Customers can also book their favourite MINI on the spot.

MINI has seven authorized Dealers in India – Bird Automotive (Delhi NCR), Krishna Automobiles (Chandigarh), Infinity Cars (Mumbai), Bavaria Motors (Pune), Navnit Motors (Bangalore), KUN Exclusive (Chennai) and KUN Exclusive (Hyderabad).

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