MINI’S LOFT Y NEW IDEA
ThERE’S nothing like a wellearned mini-break to help recharge your batteries. But Mini has taken it a step further with this astonishing pop-up rooftop tent. Large enough to accommodate two people sleeping on top of their car, the quirky AirTop tent is designed to be mounted on the roof of a Mini Countryman and other Mini models.
Looking like a giant snail on wheels, the glass-fibre tent comes with a solid aluminium ladder, so you can climb ‘upstairs’.
It’s been created by Italian roof tent specialist Autohome in collaboration with Mini. But its £2,400 price-tag puts it more into the glamping than camping category.
It can be mounted onto the roof rails of the car without the use of tools in just a few easy moves. When driving, it is enclosed in an aerodynamic glass-fibre roof box that creates minimal air resistance and noise.
Once at your destination, you raise the tent using four gas pressured springs. Inside is a highdensity mattress with cotton cover, two doors and two windows with zips, mosquito nets at all openings and a battery-operated LED interior light, as well as luggage nets and pockets for personal items. It measures 2.10 m x 1.30 m and is available at: shop.autohome-official.com/en. MOTORISTS would rather buy shiny new gadgets and gizmos than proven high-tech, life - saving safety features, according to research.
While one- in- five motorists says safety technologies are important and second only to cost when buying a car, one in five drivers — nine million in total — refuses to pay extra for such features, says a report by the Stop the Crash Partnership launched at this weekend’s London Motor Show.
It urges motorists to reject a showroom deal unless safety features come free.