Test Car Specifications
Model tested: MINI Cooper S Convertible
Pricing: from £18,475 on-the-road; as tested from £22,430
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
Transmission: six-speed manual (or six-speed automatic), front-wheel drive
Body style: four-seat convertible
CO2 emissions: 139g/km (VED Band E, £130 annually) [auto: 131g/km; same tax]
Combined economy: 48.7mpg
Top speed: 143mph [auto: 142mph]
0-62mph: 7.2 seconds [auto: 7.1 seconds]
Power: 192hp at 5,000- 6,000rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,250- to 4,600rpm (300Nm on overboost)
What's this?
The fourth generation MINI Convertible, though technically I believe that includes the pre-BMW version. It follows on from the new MINI in three- and five-door formats and the Clubman 'estate' so it's actually the fourth body style too. No major surprises in the line-up. It kicks off with the Cooper and Cooper D versions, at £18,475 and £20,225 on-the road respectively, rising through the Cooper S tested here to the range-topping John Cooper Works model. All use six-speed manual gearboxes as standard, with a six-speed automatic on the options list.
So what's new over the previous Convertible? Well, thanks to the increased size of this generation of the MINI the new car gains useful chunks of space inside, and most of it has gone into improving the life of those in the back seats. The seat itself is more sculpted, though it's still quite narrow and very blowy if the roof is stowed. Although boot space is up 25 per cent on this car's predecessor, it holds only 160 litres with that roof down. Push a single button (new to this car) and the roof glides up in 18 seconds, increasing the luggage capacity to 210 litres, which compares well with the three-door MINI. That can be done at speeds of up to 18mph too, though the front 40cm of the roof can slide back at any speed you wish for partial wind in the hair. A final detail is a new access feature to allow placement of larger items into the boot, by manually moving the rear of the roof up and out of the way. It's effective, if a bit clunky in operation.
The standard specification is good though personalisation options are endless, of course, but those that stand out are the MINI Yours Union Jack woven fabric roof and the gorgeous Malt Brown Chester leather upholstery.
How does it drive?
Better than it needs to, put simply. There's not a big gap between how this Convertible drives and the regular Cooper S hatchback, certainly not enough to notice without doing a back-to-back comparison. Sure there's a tad more flex in the body when traversing particularly poor road surfaces, but away from the city, up a wonderfully twisty mountain road, the Convertible was huge fun. Roof down, you get to hear the 2.0-litre engine and its turbocharger working hard - and it sounds good. Flick it into Sport mode and the exhaust makes even more suitably sporty sounds to add to that, while the throttle response sharpens up and the power steering reduces its assistance. The steering is massively direct, which gives the Convertible its unique MINI feel and the engine has loads of grunt whether you ride the low-down torque or chase the rev limiter. The test cars all had adaptive damping fitted so we don't truly know how the Convertible will ride as yet.
We did get to try out manual and automatic versions of the Cooper S though and both proved fun. The manual gearbox is excellent (except for first gear being too close to reverse) and those that prefer an automatic can still have a lot of fun behind the wheel thanks to gearchange paddles and several disparate modes of operation.
In the interests of research (ok, the sun was shining), we spent most of the day with the roof down. It's quite blustery inside the cabin, even with all four windows up, but still possible to hold a conversation. Impressively, with the roof up, wind roar over the fabric is kept to a minimum.
Verdict
Convertible buyers will continue to love the MINI concept. The new Convertible is a tangibly better car in every respect to its predecessor, helping raise the MINI brand further up the quality spectrum. And yet, somehow, that has not been at the detriment of driving fun. This Cooper S model is a hoot, with just the right amount of power to challenge the chassis and maybe, just maybe enough to convince a few non-traditional convertible customers to give it a go.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain
