The old MINI was and still is, an eccentric British icon. When the new MINI was born, thanks largely to a massive cash injection from its German parent company BMW, many people thought that it would never grip the public’s imagination in the same way as the old MINI. But with the 2 millionth MINI having rolled off the production line in August, the truth is that pretty much everyone has been won over by this bigger, more powerful younger brother.

But what about the old MINI’s adorable features and classic styling? The truth is that the old MINI would never match the high standards demanded by the global car driving public, and that the old MINI was far more likely to cause you to make use of your annual breakdown cover than the new version ever would.

It’s not only the British who love it. In fact, 75% of these little beauties have been exported abroad – to 89 countries to be exact. The Americans really love it, but these rather anglophile purchases occur in nations as diverse as Australia and Venezuela too.

The new MINI has seen its range extended to include Countryman, Clubman, Hatch and Coupe versions – and now boasts an even bigger engine size – the SD, which is available in all body types. The combination of compact size, irresistible styling, go-kart handling and this big new engine – is likely to make Cooper MINI’s target of 3 million sales easily achievable.

Despite all this power (141bhp to be exact), the new MINI SD is very green indeed, spouting out just 114g/km of CO2. In hard currency terms, this means you will fork out just 30 pounds for road tax.

All in all, there are very few reasons not to buy one!