The cars so far: the debate

The cars so far: the debate Deciding on our quarter-century cars sparked plenty of debate.

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JAMES ATTWOOD Illya, shall we start with your Mini, given that it's from 2001?

ILLYA VERPRAET It's significant on a number of levels. Originally it was meant to be just a car, but BMW built a whole brand off it - and it has been incredibly successful. The Mini was part of a wave of retro designs, along with the Volkswagen Beetle and the Chrysler PT Cruiser, but it's one of the only ones that has really stuck. Those achievements were contingent on how good a product it was. It wasn't hacked off another platform but was built on a completely bespoke platform, and the designers had freedom to style it and give it characteristics that linked it to the original Mini.

STEVE CROPLEY In 25 years, nothing else has come along that could be confused with the Mini. And that 2001 car is better looking than the current one.

That's because it's its own thing. The current Minis have to share their platform with a BMW, while this one was a clean slate.

MARK TISSHAW That car created a brand, but it has remained a problem ever since: even today, the three-door hatchback is the centre of the brand. In 25 years of trying and 10 or 15 other models, nothing else has even got close to being so interesting or so popular.

But it's the model that keeps Mini grounded. It makes models such as the Countryman and Aceman legitimate. It's like how Porsche can do whatever it likes with 911-adjacent styling because it still has a proper 911.

JA Cars like the Renault 5 and Fiat's 500 and Grande Panda wouldn't exist if Mini hadn't proven that retro design works.

IV Mini is also one of very few manufacturers that have made a premium small car work. The Mini isn’t cheap and doesn't feel cheap, and it’s a great thing to drive.

MT When they put the third-generation model on a BMW platform, it showed Mini could handle a big price tag: people still bought it.