My Sister Who Bought a Mini

The other day, I wrote an article about my husband’s sister, who, after 20 years as a paper driver, finally bought her first car. The car she chose was a BMW Mini Cooper D (3-door) in a stylish British Racing Green with a white roof.

She’s been driving almost every day and taking special lessons from her husband on weekends, even practicing on the Royu Driveway, so she’s gotten quite comfortable behind the wheel.

Recently, she drove her husband’s 911 Cabriolet (992 model) for the first time on the Royu Driveway and was deeply impressed, seemingly awakened to the joy of driving. I’d like to share her impressions.

Her First Time in a Porsche 911

Curious about what moved her so much, I asked her when she got home.

First, I was amazed at how incredibly easy it was to drive. I was a bit nervous because it was a Porsche, but when I took the first curve after leaving the Higashi-Rokko Observatory on the Royu Driveway, I thought, “What is this? It’s totally different from the Mini!” The Mini is a great car and easy to drive, but this was on another level. It took the curves exactly as I wanted, and I was really surprised at how easy it was to handle.
And I felt like, “I can completely trust this car.” That made me very relaxed from start to finish.
My brother even said, “You’re more relaxed and driving better than when you’re in the Mini.” I was surprised myself.
With the Mini, it still hadn’t fully opened up to me yet. When someone skilled drove it, I felt like, “The car is happy, and it’s totally different from when I drive it!” But with the 911, it felt like it opened its heart to me right away.
Also, the accelerator and brake pedals were so easy to operate. My brother often told me, “The accelerator and brake aren’t just ON or OFF; you have to press and release them gradually.” I thought that was hard to get, but with the 911, it was really easy, and I could drive exactly how I wanted. It was truly amazing!

She shared this with great excitement.

My sister used to have no interest in cars at all and didn’t know anything about Porsche until the moment she got in. She had been a paper driver for so long, so I was amazed that she could immediately sense the excellence of Porsche’s driving in just one drive.

Looking back, her impressions were almost the same as mine when I first drove a Porsche (Panamera). I was also amazed by the harmony between car and driver, including the handling and accelerator feel, and that’s when I started loving driving.

It really made me realize again how incredible Porsche is to make anyone feel that way.

She went on to say,

It was really great to have the rare experience of driving a Porsche just after graduating from being a paper driver. I realized, “Driving a car can be this much fun!” and I think my whole car life will change from now on.
Before, I couldn’t understand why my brother wanted to go on long tours, but now I get it: “Yeah, I can see why you’d want to go out and drive with the car.” And honestly, I want to go driving too.
After driving the 911, when I got back in the Mini, it felt like the Mini opened its heart to me a little more, and it was easier to drive.
I guess for beginners, the best first car might actually be a Porsche. Though it’s expensive and I can’t afford one…

Hearing her impressions, my husband said,

Kazuo Shimizu once said that whenever he asked Porsche engineers he met over the years, “Why can Porsche make such great cars? What makes Porsche different from other companies?” he always got the same answer. They all said in unison, “Porsche tests everything thoroughly.”
And these tests are done in various environments, with handling in particular requiring that sharp movements are no good, emphasizing characteristics like “gradual gain increase” and “no extreme gain changes when the accelerator is pressed or released.”
That’s why Porsche feels so natural and pleasant to drive, with no disconnect from human senses.
Since my sister is a complete beginner with no preconceptions, she probably felt that directly even more. Porsche isn’t just about speed—that’s what makes it so special.

By the way, my sister has set a goal to buy a Porsche in three years. She was so excited and seemed to have flipped a switch, so I have a feeling she really might buy one in three years. I’ll do my best too!