Munich. At the time, no one could have known that the
young pharmacist’s assistant and assistant teacher, who earned a
little money in the small English town of Midhurst, West Sussex, at
the beginning of 1881, would become one of the greats of science
fiction literature. His name: Herbert George Wells, the later creator
of classics such as “War of the Worlds” and “The Time
Machine”. Can there be a better place than Midhurst to explore as
part of the history of southern England with a modern time machine
like the MINI Cooper S 5-door (fuel consumption combined: 6.8 -6.2
l/100 km according to WLTP; CO2 emissions combined: 154 – 141 g/km
according to WLTP), which transfers the principle of creative use of
space once conceived for the classic Mini to the present in a
particularly convincing way?
Midhurst itself, a town of 5,000 people in the county of West Sussex,
is definitely worth a visit. It is located in the middle of the South
Downs National Park, the youngest of the 15 national parks in England
and Wales. The ruins of Tudor Cowdray House and Victorian Cowdray
House give a first glimpse of the rich architectural heritage England
has to offer. Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture meet
here, and the old market square has long been the meeting place for
relaxed residents.
No less narrow than the lanes in Midhurst are the small country roads
that cross the national park. In typical English style, bushes and
trees stand right at the edge of the tarmac ribbons, and pheasants
poke their heads through the thicket or dash across the narrow
carriageway every now and then.
These tracks are the ideal terrain for a compact sports car like the
MINI Cooper S 5-door, which can demonstrate its temperament here with
its 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with MINI TwinPower Turbo
technology. The drivetrain generates a maximum of 131 kW/178 hp and
accelerates the MINI Cooper S 5-door from zero to 100 km/h in 6.8
seconds. Enough power to swiftly overtake the many agricultural
vehicles used here for cattle farming and fruit growing.
Those who want to explore the surrounding area of Midhurst have
plenty of choice, as almost every village has a story to tell. We
first decide to take a detour north to the Hollycombe Steam Collection
at Liphook on the northern edge of the national park. Here, among
other things, is an almost complete and usable steam fair from
Edwardian times.
After so much early industrial culture, we’re happy to climb back
into our ultra-modern MINI, which gleams in Island Blue metallic and
catches the eye with its roof and exterior mirror caps in silver, its
18-inch Pulse Spoke 2-tone alloy wheels and Piano Black exterior,
among other features. The redesigned and standard sports leather
steering wheel with its multi-function button panels fits perfectly in
the hand – it’s time to explore more of West Sussex.
To do this, the route leads south-east, past Petworth with its
impressive baroque Petworth House, which houses a collection of old
masters. But the place is also known for its literature festival in
November. If you want to visit the ancient Romans, you only have to
drive a few kilometres further south: In Bignor, the remains of a
Roman villa were discovered by chance while ploughing in 1811.
Beautiful mosaic floors and ceramics can still be seen today, the
oldest pieces dating back to the first century AD.
After another short drive, the MINI reaches Amberley – and anyone
interested in technology should not drive past the Railway Museum
there. Here, narrow-gauge trains built in 1880 and later roll along
old tracks with a gauge of 610 millimetres. Their bizarreness already
impressed the makers of the James Bond episode “A View to a Kill”
in the 1980s.
In the neighbourhood of the River Rother, which at 56 kilometres is
one of the longest rivers in Sussex and also flows through the middle
of Midhurst, the A284 country road continues south to Arundel with its
incredibly large castle. It is the seat of the Dukes of Norfolk, the
first buildings having been built in 1068. Also worth seeing is the
Parish Church of St Nicholas, built in 1380, and Hiorne Tower – an
ornamental 18th century building in Arundel Park, last occupied in the 1950s.
Next to it is the English Channel and Bognor Regis, one of the famous
southern English seaside resorts. So unpack your swimwear from the
luggage compartment of the MINI Cooper S 5-door. The luggage
compartment holds 278 litres when all five seats are in use and can be
expanded to 941 litres with only two occupants when the standard 60/40
split rear seat backrest is folded down. Well refreshed, the road now
leads inland again, to Chichester. The city is much more than just the
administrative seat of West Sussex – its cathedral is famous, for
example, but also its reputation as a shopping hotspot thanks to
designer boutiques and art galleries.
Not far from Chichester is the paradise of all fans of classic cars
and sports and luxury cars: Goodwood. A visit is a must because,
firstly, Goodwood House with its large and beautiful estates is an
ideal place to relax. Secondly, the hilly aristocratic grounds with
its integrated race track host the incomparable Festival of Speed and
the Goodwood Revival every year. And thirdly, the BMW Group, to which
MINI also belongs, builds automotive luxury in the Duke of Richmond’s
large garden: cars of the Rolls-Royce brand have been manufactured
here since 2003.
The route leads back towards Midhurst through the heathland of West
Sussex and the ridges of the South Downs and the Weald as the highest
elevations. This is where the new Adaptive Suspension of the MINI
Cooper S 5-door comes into its own. Frequency-selective damping
ensures an optimised balance between sportiness and ride comfort.
An additional valve ensures that the damping forces are adjusted
extremely quickly, so that the harmonious driving characteristics
remain unaffected by the not exactly rare bumps in the English road
surface. And the go-kart feeling – typical of the brand – can be felt
in every one of the many bends.
After a stop at the Weald and Downland Living Museum, which informs
about the former country life of the area and fascinates with a
Victorian classroom and a Tudor kitchen, the MINI Cooper S 5-door
rolls back to Midhurst, where there is the opportunity to rest from
the impressive journey and ponder H. G. Wells at the Swan Inn in
Chichester Road.
Incidentally, he was not the only prominent resident of the town. For
example, Sir Alec Guinness, the man with a thousand faces, and William
Henry Pratt – better known as Boris Karloff or even as Frankenstein’s
monster – also lived and died in Midhurst. You can’t have England
without a bit of horror.
Fuel consumption, CO2 emission figures and power consumption were
measured using the methods required according to Regulation VO (EC)
2007/715 as amended. They refer to vehicles on the automotive market
in Germany. For ranges, the NEDC figures take into account
differences in the selected wheel and tyre size, while the WLTP
figures take into account the effects of any optional equipment.
All figures are already calculated on the basis of the new WLTP
test cycle. NEDC values listed have been calculated back to the NEDC
measurement procedure where applicable. WLTP values are used as a
basis for the definition of taxes and other vehicle-related levies
that are (also) based on CO2 emissions and, where applicable, for
the purposes of vehicle-specific subsidies. Further information on
the WLTP and NEDC measurement procedures is also available at www.bmw.de/wltp.
For further details of the official fuel consumption figures and
official specific CO2 emissions of new cars, please refer to the
“Manual on the fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and power consumption
of new cars”, available at sales outlets, from Deutsche Automobil
Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760
Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at https://www.dat.de/co2/.
In case of queries, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Julian Kisch, Press Spokesperson Product Communications MINI
Tel.: +49-89-382-38072
E-mail: julian.kisch@mini.com
Andreas Lampka, Head of Communications MINI
Tel.: +49-89-382-23662
E-mail: andreas.lampka@mini.com
Jennifer Treiber-Ruckenbrod, Head of Communications MINI and BMW Motorrad
Tel.: +49-89-382-35108
E-mail: jennifer.ruckenbrod@bmwgroup.com
The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the
BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles
and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility
services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production
and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global
sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles
and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax
in the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting
to € 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 120,726 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the
future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and
efficient resource management central to its strategic direction,
from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase
of all products.
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