The Mini Metro

“W

anda,” so named because I wondered what would break next, was a W-reg. Mini Metro 1·0 City. She came with vinyl seats, a two plus two speed gearbox, twelve inch wheels and a low compression version of the 1·0 litre A+ series engine. Everything finished in a charming beige colour.

In fairness, the engine always started, and the brakes always bought the car to a stop, even if they didn’t have a brake servo. Moving off was sometimes a challenge since you could only use first or second gear when already moving (so you had to use third gear if you foolishly stopped without putting it into first). The suspension had a leak, so the ride height was very low and the ride was worse than the Mini - on a rough road there was no grip at the front and the car would career straight on. Performance was rather feeble: from memory, I think the low compression engine was rated to the mid-30s in terms of PS. The car would cruise at 60, but once out of third gear, acceleration was severely limited. Now I understand why old people drive Metros at 45 mph, because they don’t think it can go quicker!

My most entertaining trip in the Metro was heading to Louth from Horncastle, over the Lincolnshire Wolds. It was descending a twisty, reasonably steep hill with a creased road surface. It was going down this hill that I appreciated what understeer meant and that a brake servo was a good thing for the final bend right at the bottom.

Fuel economy was disappointing, with the car recording figures in the mid to low 30s. I speculate that this was because the low compression engine is inefficient anyway, but also because it was running rather rich.

I bought Wanda with the intention of trading her in for a better car and after six weeks, bought Danielle the mark two Fiesta Ghia, making a profit on the trade in cost!

The Metro’s good points were that I could park it anywhere and it would still be there when I got back, and the fact that I made a small profit on the car. But I wouldn’t want to run one because of the poor fuel economy, comfort and rust.