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If you search for some nice roads to do some serious steering with a limited budget because...
...if we all had an unlimited budget we knew what to do, although making a good choice becomes difficult as well.
So we thought let's grab two completely incomparable cars, but in one way or another they are comparable.
The MINI Roadster JCW and the Toyota GT86 that we already knew.
Nice car! It still has that orange vomit-colour which pops out very well.
You do notice that it gets the attention from people on the road.
People check it out, which applies for the MINI as well.
That could also be because of the paint job it got.
But in the other way they're completely different.
The MINI with a turbocharged engine and front wheel drive.
Much more for the guy that likes accessoires, with loads of bells and whistles.
And the GT86 is a more pure car with rear wheel drive and an atmospheric engine.
So, they are not comparable at all.
These are the best roads for the GT86.
It has a hard undercarriage, but it is still harmonious.
You're not so quickly kicked to all sides by a bump in the road.
You feel very well what the car wants.
Moreover it has rear wheel drive so the balance is very good.
You're not putting it into a powerslide or real drift very easily.
You can obviously force that by using the clutch but that doesn't make any sense on roads like these.
When you turn it a bit more it will start so you'll have to be apprehensive, and...
...if you encounter a hump on the inside of the road, it will step aside a little...
...which is very nice, to play some more with the car.
Playing with the MINI is completely different.
This is more like a 'Ken and Barbie' car for the boulevard.
Going fast in a straight line and making burnouts.
Because you make a lot of fun on roads like these, but I expected more of this.
One thing that disappoints me is the undercarriage and how it acts on bad roads.
You're continuously fighting against bumps, speed bumps and other roughness.
The car is thrown to all sides.
Also while doing an approach you feel the rear bouncing a couple of times.
The undercarriage is just extremely hard.
That this car has run flat tires doesn't help that.
But hey, that's a choice MINI made themselves so...
...that counts as well.
And you notice that keeping up the GT86 becomes difficult as soon as more curves are present.
And that there are bumps, when the road isn't entirely flat.
Moreover it has a lot of torque steer, so the steering wheel follows the camber of the road while accelerating.
That shouldn't be possible.
When you step back into the GT86, you really notice the one thing you really miss about this car...
...and that is perhaps mainly the torque, not even the power because 200 bhp from a 2.0L engine is very well done.
But you miss that punch, especially the punch to drift it with that rear wheel drive.
But also climbing the hill with a nice acceleration.
I put it in the sixth gear, forget it.
Back to the fourth, no that isn't good as well.
Back to the third.
You will produce a lot of noise, which isn't the prettiest sound.
You miss that power, that power that the MINI has to keep pace while climbing and doing a wider curve.
Furthermore it is a nice car.
In my opinion the idea of using the MINI Roadster...
...with grabbing the standard MINI and by converting it into a two-seater with a convertible roof...
...pretty genius.
I'm not going to discuss the space in the trunk and the workmanship because that isn't the reason you'll go to the Ardennes.
Although, the MINI Roadster, which has a bigger trunk volume than the normal MINI Cabrio and the GT86.
Unfortunately MINI saved on certain points, like the roof.
It is only single-layered, you can see the beams of the construction.
That means that when the roof is closed, the amount of noise will be equal to driving with an opened roof.
So when you're overtaking a truck, you'll hear that truck rolling and the sound of a diesel engine.
That should have been a little better.
We drove through the Ardennes now for a couple of days so I should be able to answer the question...
...'in what car would you prefer driving on roads like these'.
And upfront I thought that one of these cars would be the winner.
And maybe that's the GT86 because of the great rear wheel drive.
But the MINI sounds great...
...and is able to drive fast, very fast.
And it is a convertible, which is also very nice.
So actually what we're waiting for is a GT86 convertible with a turbocharged engine, which isn't too expensive.
Subtitles - Arjen-Pieter Troost