The term daily driver has a somewhat negative connotation; daily insinuates that it’s a mundane and unexciting necessity of life, and driver insinuates that it’s well-used and not necessarily treated with the utmost care. I’d argue though, that the daily driver is the most important car in anyone’s fleet if you’re lucky enough to have a fleet. Daily drivers are your day-to-day companions, and in the same way that you sometimes bump into doorways or ram your knee into a table leg at full force, little bumps and dings happen to daily drivers, too.
Daily drivers need to be dependable, fuel efficient, space efficient, and durable to best handle long commutes, congested roadways, and any scuffs that happen along the way. For most of us, these requirements rule out the traditionally exciting cars, but with a primary use case as mundane as commuting, it’s a worthwhile concession. So it begs the question: what is your current daily driver and why?
My Mini remains my daily
As Jalopnik staffers, we give updates on our respective fleets at different points during the year, and my answer is the same as it’s been for five years of joyous ownership, my 2017 Mini Cooper S 4-door hardtop. I have the distinct honor of driving all types of cars in all types of exotic locales, yet every time I get home and hop behind the wheel of Miss Mini, I take a big deep breath and express my gratitude. It’s not the fastest, coolest, sexiest, or biggest vehicle, but it’s mine and it’s been my trusty sidekick for the past five years.
One of the first questions that people say when I tell them what I do for work is, “what’s your dream car?” And they’re usually shocked when I tell them that I don’t have a dream car, because my Mini does everything I need. It’s compact yet the front seats are very spacious, it’s fast and fun yet fuel efficient, and it oozes good vibes. My daily driver is my sweet Mini, but tell us about your daily driver in the comments.
