When the lovely folks at MINI Canada offered me a vehicle to test drive for the weekend, I jumped at the opportunity. What sane mom doesn’t dream of trading in the minivan for a stylish little MINI? Judging by my post on Instagram when I picked up my weekend vehicle, I’m not alone in my dreams! Fellow moms commented on how it was their “dream car” and the vehicle they hope to buy “when the kids move out”.
The thing is, this wasn’t just any MINI, this was the MINI, inspired by Goodwood, offering the highest exclusivity in the small car segment. This special edition of the three-door MINI was built under the guidance of the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars designer team in Goodwood, England, and provides this car with amazing charisma and an incomparable high-quality ambience.
You’ll notice the dashboard and doorhandle surfaces are finished in Walnut Burr, a wood quality exclusive to Rolls-Royce. The interior is clad in the exclusive Rolls-Royce colour Cornsilk, while the dash is fine quality black nappa leather, and the seats are all Tipped Leather Cornsilk. The floor mats boast a deep-pile lambswool featured in current Rolls-Royce models, and the rooflinings are cashmere. This is luxury on a level you don’t find in any minivan!
The exterior design shows off the exclusive Rolls-Royce colour Diamond Black metallic and got noticed everywhere I went.
So where did I go?
- My husband and I spent the day pretending we were child- (and worry-) free. We shopped for ourselves (new boots for him, jewelry for me!). We ate what will no doubt be our last patio meal of the season, splitting sushi and overlooking the city. We popped into an expensive luxury foods store we’d driven by many times, and dropped a ridiculous amount of money on dinner.
- I drove my 7 year old daughter and her friend to hockey practice Saturday morning. Three girls and two hockey bags (plus sticks!) squeezed nicely into the MINI.
- I picked up my 13 year old son and one friend from a party and felt like the coolest mom in the carpool.
- I drove my 11 year old son to his goalie practice (one bigger kid, one bigger hockey bag, goalie pads and a stick squeezed in with a little less room).
Where did I not go?
- To do the weekly grocery shop at No Frills. This vehicle’s trunk is no match for my kids’ appetites.
- To my son’s hockey game with the whole family and his equipment. We’d be strapping kids to the roof and dragging goalie pads in a trailer behind us.
- To pick up my 13 year old son and his teammates from hockey practice; 7 year old girls’ legs tuck nicely in the back seat; older boys legs would fold up like origami (not to mention the smell that would never come out of that lush cashmere interior!)
So for one magical weekend, I drove places with my husband, said no to picking up the teenagers from hockey, and had to send my husband to do the grocery shopping. The MINI by Goodwood offered me a lifestyle that I will now file back into my dreams.