Want a Mini but like the wind in your hair? Mini has you covered—and offers more flavors than just the base Cooper. In fact, Mini will gladly sell you a convertible version of the Cooper S and even John Cooper Works.
We got handed the keys to the Cooper S Convertible with the seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission (a six-speed manual is also available). What's it like to drive? Keep reading for our impressions.
The Mini convertible is the Minis of convertibles.
Here, let me explain.
It’s not a substitute for a Miata, a Boxster or really anything else. It’s still its own unique animal.
Do you like that Mini vibe, even in today's XL format? Like, do you really want that Mini vibe? Then step right up.
The original "new" Mini, now 20 years old, fit a new niche in our world: a premium smaller car. (Or, new at least in the U.S.)
The once-new Mini dwarfed the original Mini but still had a small footprint. And also like the original, it could hustle whether supercharged or not.
The new ones make more power, but they’ve also gotten bigger–really bigger. So, yeah, it’s still a Mini, but it’s no longer so pint-sized. Do you care?
Two answers here:
Yeah, you care that the Mini has almost become a caricature of itself.
Or, no, you just want that Mini spirit injected right into your eyeballs.
No real wrong answer here, I guess.
I am a Mini fan–lived with our projects back in the day and once owned an original–but did find the latest kinda big and rubbery. The crispness of past years is long gone.
But still not a bad cruiser in convertible form. It’s not my dream autocrosser, but if just looking at it as a stylish convertible, then I could see it working.
It worth $40 grand? Well, depends on your answer to my previous question: How much do you care about the latest Mini.
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