How we test cars 50 years of car testing

The Mini was one of the first cars Which? tested 50 years ago. We put one up against a modern Mini to see how much progress has been made.

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The first ever issue of Motoring Which? (now Which? Car) was published 50 years ago in 1962. To celebrate, we brought together one of the cars reviewed in that magazine, a 1961 Mini, with its modern, BMW-built ancestor, then put them through our current test programme.

This isn’t an attempt to find out which car is best – the latest Mini is objectively better in almost every way. Instead, we wanted to take stock and see just how far one of Europe’s best-selling and most iconic cars has come in half a century.

The Mini 850 was among the first cars Which? tested

Acceleration test

This was never going to be a fair fight. The Surf Blue 1961 Austin Seven has an 848cc petrol engine producing 34bhp, while the Ice Blue 2011 Mini One D packs a 1.6-litre diesel and 90bhp.

We used a GPS-based tracker to test both cars’ acceleration from standstill to 62mph (100kph – the car industry benchmark). Taking an average of ten runs, the Mini One sprinted to 62mph in just 10.1 seconds – 1.3 seconds faster than BMW's claim.

Contrast that with the Austin Seven, which loped sedately to our target speed (just 12mph short of its maximum) in 28.6 seconds.

1961 Mini 0-62mph: 28.6 secs
2011 Mini 0-62mph: 10.1 secs

New Mini was 7mph faster through the slalom

Braking test

Brake tests in a modern car can be quite uncomfortable. Your upper body is thrown violently forward against the seatbelt as the anti-lock braking (ABS) system applies the brakes around 10 times a second to prevent skidding.

Not so in a 1961 Mini, which slowed gently to a halt in an average of 77.0m – around 11 car-lengths behind the new Mini (35.1m).

Interestingly, the Austin Seven’s original-spec cross-ply tyres didn’t affect the test as much as we expected. Its front and rear drum brakes simply weren’t powerful enough to test the tyres’ limits.

1961 Mini 62-0mph: 77.0m
2011 Mini 62-0mph: 35.1m

Which? has been testing cars for 50 years

Swerve test

In our avoidance manoeuvre test, which simulates a high-speed motorway lane change, the little Austin acquitted itself well. It passed through the slalom of cones at 40mph before finally starting to understeer – where the front end of the car loses grip and runs wide.

The modern Mini is also known for its driving dynamics. It managed 47mph through the cones – not as great a difference as expected, but was far easier to drive, with fingertip-light controls and much less body-roll.

Also, the new Mini has standard stability control (ESC), which cuts the engine power and brakes individual wheels to bring the car neatly back into line. It’s a safety system we highly recommend on any new car.

1961 Mini max speed: 40mph
2011 Mini max speed: 47mph