During the Mini Lap Of Plymouth County this past Sunday, Dave Newman (the organizer) swapped the keys of his (wifes) (classic) Mini with Faiths MINI!
Dave has written a nice comparison article for NEMO which he has kindly allowed me to repeat here:
We covered about 100 miles in three hours of driving on twisty wet roads. This was my first drive in a new Mini and what a blast! Bruce got to drive my wife Barbara’s British Open Classic Mini in exchange …
This Mini is … a fully modern car and any direct comparison to the classic Mini, designed in 1957 and released in 1959 is not possible. The new Mini has one thing in common with its forebear, its name …
My impressions of the drive: This car really moves, up to about 50 mph. Then the CVT (constantly variable transmission) goes into the equivalent of an overdrive and bogs down. You can shift it manually by holding it in “gear” for more revs and more acceleration. It has no shift points as such. When in “DRIVE”, you never feel a shift. It’s electric motor smooth all the way to the top. The manual mode is simply a computer programmed gearing on the CVT, and although I know this transmission makes the CVT model slower than a standard Mini Cooper with a manual box, it certainly feels fast at the start. This car may potentially be quicker in an Autocross vs. the Cooper S, as you don’t have to shift. Perhaps this would be an interesting comparison, with the same driver trying out both cars at an event.
As far as the rest of the car? Heated Seats are my second favorite feature, in any car. The Mini’s heated seats will toast you like a Fenway Frank. The handling is like on rails. Some say “go-cart” handling, but no go-cart I’ve driven has such a quiet interior, solid ride, excellent build quality and climate control and sunroof. Would I buy one, sure! Would I trade my PT Cruiser for a new Mini, no way. Would I like BOTH a new Mini with CVT and a PT Cruiser, yes, yes, yes. (And a Humvee too.) All in all, if you are looking for a small car with limited luggage space but fun to drive that will put a smile on your face, this is the car to buy. It could be the perfect “city” car for a place with congested traffic like Boston or Cambridge.
M&I / GBMINI 
UPDATE: December 2006, Dave has finally bought a new MINI 🙂
Not only do we have a new 2006 MINI now, but my daughter has the PT Cruiser, so I didn;t need to trade it in on a MINI, like the article said three years ago. And to think that my 2006 MINI is now the “old model”, being an R50. The R56 looks exciting and similar, and I betcha it will be smoother, faster, built better, etc, etc. The same as when the sliding window Minis were replaced by the roll up Mk4 models. The purists said that the “new” Mini was going to ruin everything! So, bring on the R56 and soon, the Traveler and the MOKE! I want a Traveller-“S” someday, and an AWD Moke and even a MINI Pick-up – somebody will make one into a motorhome like the Mini-Wild Goose! Now we are MOTORING mates!
More thoughts on that 2003 article – I wouldn’t take a HUMMER if someone GAVE one to me – YUCK!