This time it was for the recall on the suspension, where the wrong length bolts had been used at original build. On ours it turned out to be just on the front wishbones, rather than the rear as I predicted last month. They also had a go at banishing the cabin rattles mentioned in my last report by tweaking the tailgate ΂- although I thought the blame lay with the rear seats. However, they didn't touch the sunroof as they couldn't see a problem with it. Don't agree with this one but the Mini is a lot quieter than before so I'll wait for it to loosen up a little more.

Next stop after it came back was Devon and the longest drive I've ever attempted in the Mini ΂- just over 250 miles each way. This, as it turned out, wasn't much of a hardship thanks to the Mini's long gearing. It might feel painfully over-geared around the lanes but on a long motorway slog like this you'll love its ability to post an easy 90mph cruise without the engine drone you'd find in a lot of the frenetic, low-geared cars it's meant to compete with. Did someone mention the Clio 172?

Strangely the Mini can't touch the fiery Renault on economy though, struggling to achieve much above 30mpg whatever the journey, whereas the quicker Clio can usefully nudge 40mpg even though it's always revving higher. Nor does our Mini have the Clio's useful range indicator, forcing you to second-guess how much further you can go with the reserve light on.

I seem to get around 255 miles per tankful before the light comes on and I chicken out, diving into a petrol station only to find that I can squeeze just eight or nine gallons in. In theory the range should be well over 300 miles, making full use of the 12-gallon tank. Reckon it's time to carry a can so I can see just how far I can push it ΂- unless any owners out there know already.