HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
JANUARY 2013
27
MINI COOPERSCONVERTIBLE
THE BELLS ANDWHISTLES
theywere: more than half a dozenwindmills overlooking the valley,
each at least 30 feet tall. One windmill, I’d learned, was open for visi-
tors to see. I le Sancho in the parking
lot, walkedup to the door andpulledon
the handle. The door wouldn’t budge.
There was another sign out front.
“
Closeduntil 4:30,” it said.MyQuixote
road trip was proving ... quixotic.
I considered waiting with Sancho
until I could get inside that windmill,
but we had to get to Carmona that
night. The drive would take us the rest
of the day, and there were many stops
ahead of us and plenty to see. Soonwe
wouldbe in the dry, desertlike outskirts
of Córdoba, then the jaggedmountains
of Jaén, and later Cádiz, along a bay
rich with
chiringuitos
(
beach restaurants) and sherry bodegas.
So for now it was time to leave the windmills and tilt back toward
the highway. Trusty Sancho knew the way.
“
Prepare to make a sharp right turn,” he said.
GEOFFREY GRAY
is a writer and varsity-level hispanophile. His first
book, S
kyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper
,
a
New York Times
bestseller,
is now out in paperback.
PERKS:
An onboard infotainment
system with smartphone integra-
tion, voice-activated navigation
and HD radio; Harman Kardon
speakers; four air bags; optional
six-speed automatic transmis-
sion with paddle shifters; and a
fully automatic convertible top
that not only opens in 15 seconds,
but also has a sunroof (should
you want to reduce your dose of
Spanish sun without blotting it
out entirely).
PERFORMANCE:
The
combination of wide
stance, small size and
big engine (zero to 60
in 6.8 seconds) makes
for an agile machine
capable of dealing
with Europe’s old cities
and newer highways
with élan—all without
breaking the bank at
the pump (26 mpg in
the city, 34 highway).
ENGINE:
A 1.6-liter, 16-valve turbocharged four-
cylinder that delivers 181 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque,
making passing cars (two at a time) a cinch.
STARTING
PRICE:
$28,850
ROADTRIP
||
DISPATCHES
BOARDING PASS
Longing to ramble
through the Spanish
countryside à la Don
Quixote? United can get
you there with nonstop
service to Madrid from
its New York/Newark
hub, which connects
with dozens of North
American cities.
To see
schedules or book your
flight, go to united.com.
