MINI Convertible review

MINI say there is no such thing as a typical MINI owner.

I suspect the bias is towards female drivers, but the age range is 17 to 90 years and they do not have a common type of job, family unit or income bracket. Lots of people love the MINI and lots of people desire to own one.

The MINI can be a persons’ only car, the second or even the ‘fun’ third car.

The original BMW version of the MINI was good but the latest second generation models are so much better. Although the looks are very similar, a clever move so the model does not date, they are slightly larger in size, better equipped, better quality, better handling, lower fuel consumption and emissions and much improved engine performance, all at only modest price increases.

For the record the MINI Hatchback range starts at £11,610.

So why buy the Convertible which is based on the first generation? My honest answer is I wouldn’t, I would wait until the new model comes along in 2009 and if I really wanted to have a MINI Convertible now, I’d buy a used one in the meantime.

Refreshing the Convertible range with Sidewalk models is a smart move by MINI to keep customers knocking at dealer’s showroom doors but the core product is not quite as good as the latest Hatchback models. The new engines are more powerful, more refined, lower emissions, better performance and better fuel economy.

But to get to the road test. The new Sidewalk versions of the MINI Cabriolet add between £2,270 to just over £3,000 to the price of their standard counterpart models.

Sidewalk specification includes the option of four exclusive paintwork colours, malt brown leather upholstery - an acquired colour taste, 17-inch very smart alloy wheels, bi-colour leather steering wheel and gear knob, bespoke Sidewalk interior trim consisting of floor mats, badging and door inserts.

The test car, a MINI Cooper S Convertible Sidewalk weighed in on price at a very hefty £20,265 and this puts it in the larger coupe-convertible sector dominated by the VW Eos, Ford Focus CC and Vauxhall Astra Twin-Top models.

Owning the top of the range MINI Convertible comes with a severe price premium and at the end of the day the car is not the latest MINI.

Back to the specification. In addition to the special Sidewalk goodies the donor Cooper S model has as standard, the electrically operated canvas folding roof and air conditioning.

Driver and front passenger seat height adjustment, steering wheel height adjustment, cruise control, on- board computer, sports seats, front fog lights, stability and traction control are also included.

The reason to own a MINI Convertible is of course the retractable roof. It is fully automatic and it operates in two stages.

Push the button once and the roof slides back to create an open sunroof and this function can be used at speeds up to 75mph. Push the button again and the roof fully retracts folding into an area behind the rear seats in only 15 seconds.

This function has to be done with the car stationary. Having the roof storage area behind the rear seats does of course limit the amount of space available for rear passengers. However there is no other option as the boot is very small, just 165 litres of space.

The roof is well insulated although it does not suppress noise intrusion as well as the folding metal roofs that are all the rage.

All MINI Convertibles have rear parking sensors because the rear and rear side visibility with the pram-style hood and small windows is pretty poor.

The Cooper S 1.6-litre supercharged engine is well known. It produces 170bhp, less than the new 1.6-litre turbocharged MINI engine, less toque with 220Nm at 4,000rpm and it is marginally slower with a top speed of 134mph, 0-62mph is covered in 7.4 seconds.

Fuel consumption is more at 34mpg and CO2 emissions are also more at 199g/km.

Although outperformed in every way by the new generation 1.6-litre turbocharged MINI engine the older supercharged unit still gives a good account of itself. Performance is lively, the engine sounds a littler more gruff and less refined but it still gives the driver that point-and-squirt ability.

The chassis allows for fun driving although the suspension does give a firm ride.

The MINI Convertible is still highly desirable in its current form but the future models with better and more modern engines and other all-round improvements make them worth waiting for.

MILESTONES

MINI Cooper S Convertible Sidewalk

Price: £20,265

Engine: 1.6-litre petrol, supercharged, 170bhp, 220Nm of torque

Performance: 134mph, 0-62mph 7.4 seconds, 34mpg, CO2 199g/km, VED Band F £205

Insurance group: 16A

For: MINI desirable culture, cult status, impeccable build quality, fun driving, high residual values, low cost MINI tlc five year service pack, built in Britain.

Against: Not as up-to-date technically as the latest MINI Hatchbacks, poor rear visibility, very small boot, tiny rear seats, the British weather.

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