Edmonds Reviews the MINI Convertible

Erin Riches at Edmonds manages to create a compelling case for the MINI convertible, not only in regards to style but performance as well. Here are a few excerpts:

Often, the driving experience suffers when convertibles are built from coupe bodies, as a significant amount of rigidity is lost when you take away the fixed top. Fortunately, Mini's parent company, BMW, has had considerable success at putting this rigidity back into its coupe-derived convertibles – the topless 3 Series is probably the most structurally rigid car in its class. So, too, is the Mini convertible. The Cooper's suspension was completely retuned for the drop top, and strut braces were fitted to help it resist cowl shake. For safety's sake, the convertible also has reinforced A-pillars and aluminum roll hoops – a less unsightly alternative to the prominent “basket handle” on convertibles like the PT Cruiser, Mini designers felt.

….We spent most of the day in a regular Cooper convertible, which unlike all of the test hatchbacks we've driven, did not have the Sport Package. As such, it wore skinny 175/65R15 tires and had the standard suspension settings. A sport suspension is optional on the Cooper drop top and standard on the Cooper S version, though it's still not as stiff as the sport tuning on the hatchback now dubbed “sport plus.”

The transition from hatchback to convertible also caused a 175-pound weight gain. That doesn't sound like much, but bear in mind that the standard Cooper doesn't have a lot of power to spare. Its 1.6-liter four-cylinder makes just 115 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque, putting it behind most economy cars. Engineers did shorten up the transmission gearing for both the base car's five-speed manual and the S version's six-speed this year to improve midrange acceleration.

Although eager to take the wheel of this Cooper painted “Hot Orange” (an exclusive convertible color, along with “Cool Blue”) with black rally stripes, we had our doubts about its entertainment value. Turns out we needn't have worried. The non-sport Cooper has a surprisingly firm ride and can find its way down a twisty road with all the gumption of a Cooper S. Naturally, we'd be inclined to put on a larger set of tires with shorter sidewalls to sharpen up its reflexes. But as it is, the base Cooper drop top is a responsive handler with good steering feel, easily modulated brakes and almost no cowl shake. Add warm, sunny weather and sparsely traveled roads to this open-air scenario, and you can see why this will go down as one of our all-time favorite days.

We definitely wouldn't mind a little extra power in the regular-strength Cooper convertible, though. Low-end torque is meager and, with the manual transmission, it takes some work to drive even just around town. Of course, when you're ready to drive the car hard, the manual gearbox is the only way to go. The 1.6-liter likes to rev and provided you don't mind frequent shifting, you can keep it in its power band when coming out of corners. Ideal pedal spacing and a mostly precise shifter make downshifts fun to execute just before diving into a tight turn. Through it all, the sounds coming from under the hood aren't exactly melodic, but acceleration is adequate overall. Mini claims a 0-to-60-mph time of 8.9 seconds for the Cooper convertible.

…The “Cool Blue” S drop top we drove wore the standard 16-inch wheels and 195/55R16 all-season run-flat tires. Although the handling was noticeably tighter in the corners, the ride quality was still comfortable – well, at least it was until we encountered a couple of two-lane roads ravaged by Minnesota winters.

You can read lots more over at Edmunds.com.