For Sunshine Moments
It is no secret that MINI builds cars always with a cheeky element of fun in them. Their 3 door hatch body style is truly their halo car, while some other models have partially stepped out of the box which defines MINI, to meet growing customer needs.
Under the hood, a 3-cylinder 1.5 litre turbocharged engine makes 136 horsepower and 220Nm of twist. With its maximum torque spread from between 1,480 to 4,200rpm, the tiny car is very drivable in both city and highway traffic. A new quick-shifting 7-speed dual clutch gearbox (DKG) puts power to the front wheels.
Its 0-100km/h timing at 8.7 seconds is quite spirited, though not as quick as the 3-door hatch’s 8.1 seconds; the result of the additional 45 kilos the roof, the added strengthening and all its accompanying mechanicals adds to the weight of the car. Fuel figures are a reported combined cycle 17.9km/l, which is pretty good.
In the driver’s seat, it is quite evident that you are seated with your knees a little less bent. The go-kart like position means that you are seated closer to the rear wheel, and when planting the MINI into a series of tight bends, it becomes very evident how balanced the car feels, and where you are placed in the car, feels almost like dead centre, and you will always be in the know of how the rear wheels are behaving.
Steering feel is very good, and is weighted in ‘Sport’ mode, and there is a sense of point-and-shoot accuracy, even if the car is built to understeer a little. Overall, the Cooper Convertible feels planted.
Unsurprisingly, as with most soft tops, road noise does intrude a little into the cabin; but overall, the car itself is not as loud as its 2.0 ‘S’ model sibling, though the free-spinning three-banger up front does let off a characteristic rasp when worked hard.
Ride comfort is decent, low profile runflat 205/45 tyres on 17” rims, though the hard walls on the tyres do transfer a little too much from the road back into the cabin.
The Cooper Convertible is built for drivers to enjoy a good measure of twists and turns in their drive, with the added element of… the elements.
Its handling, quality of its interior and how the car is able to quite effortlessly power around in different traffic situations, makes this quite the good drivers’ all-rounder.
Built with the intent to also be that blank canvas for owners to customise to make it their own, this drop-top is easily one of the best and very personal cars to have joy, fun and to experience the seasons in the sun in.
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